Beautiful spaces Archives

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Berlin apartment, by Quiet Studios

My friend Daniela Franchechini from Quiet Studios, has designed yet another beautiful studio apartment in Berlin. The prewar building with high ceilings and wooden floors, provided the perfect canvas for her to create a stylish temporary residence, and an absolute gem for me to shoot.

Even though the apartment has a tiny footprint, the space feels vast and spacious thanks to the high ceilings and large windows. Capitalising on the vertical space, Daniela incorporated a custom made Hochbett (German for raised bed). This separates the public living space from the private, and allows for a more cozy and intimate bedroom area, with space for storage or a wardrobe below.

The apartment has a calm and elegant design, a fine balance between aesthetics, comfort and homeliness. The understated elegance, is rooted in the honesty of the space and the integrity of the pieces. Daniela always chooses objects with character, furnishings that tell a story other than the usual mass market Ikea aesthetic.

The furniture, minimal yet functional, is a mix of midcentury and antique pieces sourced from local Berlin dealers. The bespoke kitchen is basic with open shelves and natural woods. Daniela, collaborating with experienced carpenters, excels in creating made to measure environments that add a hand crafted warmth to her sophisticated spaces.

Her background in sustainability makes Daniela sensitive to human nature and its relation to interiors and design. The individual is always at the centre of her design approach; how a space will affect his or her mood and behaviour, and how they move and interact within in an environment. This allows her to create a true feeling of homeliness, within her calm, minimal spaces.

Text & Photography © Barbara Cilliers

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Belgian Bloggers’ Brussels Apartment

A visit to Matthieu and Bénédicte, the creators of the Belgian design blog Auguste&Claire

My next story on creatives features the young Franco-Belgian couple and authors of the french interior and design blog Auguste&Claire. The creative duo Matthieu and Bénédicte live in the vibrant district of Saint-Gilles. Early spring, I visited them in their beautifully renovated Belgium apartment, to learn more about their blog and about what keeps them occupied in the dynamic city of Brussels.

Their home is a beautifully renovated multi-story structure with large windows and high ceilings. Matthieu – an independent architect at pl.rigaux – did a great job at renovating and restoring the space, with careful consideration of the historic character and sensitivity to the original features of the building.

Bénédicte and Matthieu sought items that would compliment the character of their new space. So they started revamping some ikea pieces and vintage or second-hand finds. Soon they moved on to designing and building pieces of their own. Their blog; Auguste&Claire followed as a means to share these creations. Here they could show others how possible it is to make your own quality, personalised furniture & decorative elements, that’s not only cost-effective but durable and timeless. The TARVA dresser hack is one of my favourites. These days the blog also includes their discoveries on design, photography, architecture as well as other daily inspirations.

The couple, who met in Barcelona when Bénédicte was doing an internship and Matthieu an Erasmus exchange, makes a fine team. With his architectural understanding of both structure and shape as well as the integrity of raw materials, Matthieu manages to create DIY pieces that transcends your usual DIY feel. Bénédicte, who runs her own marketing & communications consultancy, translates Matthieu’s creations into beautifully styled and easy to follow content for the blog.

As independent business owners I was curious about their approach to doing their own thing and about the obstacles they faced. Apart from the initial administrative barriers, financial security was their foremost concern although both were optimistic and not at all troubled by the notion. Bénédicte pointed to the importance of having a clear vision and sticking to your goal and to make sure that you build up a solid network of support and leads before you go solo.

It’s apparent that these two aren’t ones to follow standard conventions. There’s a saying in Belgium; “de belg heeft een baksteen in de maag”. Meaning, all Belgians have a brick in their stomach. The maxim bears witness to the inexplicable need for every young Belgian to buy a piece of land and build their own house. It’s therefore rather unique for Bénédicte and Matthieu to have settled in the city. But walking down the lively streets of St Saint-Gilles, you get an instant sense of diversity and creativity of the place so it’s with little wonder why the two decided to live here.

I asked Matthieu and Bénédicte what attracted them most about Brussels in general. They unanimously agreed to the city’s cultural diversity. When they’re not out exploring the many vintage and antique markets for forgotten treasures, the cosmopolitain community and it’s rich artistic and creative offerings keep them more than inspired and entertained.

You can read more about the pair and their favourite things to do in the city in the Top Five Tips sections below. This is a new feature to the blog so keep a look out for some cool city tips, advice and inspiration in my future creative domains blog posts. For more DIY, home and design stories, go check out their blog: Auguste&Claire

Top tips from Matthieu and Bénédicte

#1 One piece of advice you could give to someone who’d like to be their own boss:
To envision the life that he/she most want and write down how it would look like. It always helps to clarify our main goals and make them happen!

#2 Your favourite inspirational quote or motto:
Creativity is contagious. Pass it on. (Einstein)

#3 If you could go back in time and meet one famous person, who would you want to meet and why:
We would love to enjoy a coffee with Jacques Brel, Belgian singer and songwriter, and talk about his multiple passions and lifestyle.

#4 What is your ultimate travel destination? One place you’ve been to or would love to go explore?
We’#5 re th5 of bout visiting Japan, probably the nr…t on the list!

Name some of your favourite spots in Brussels for:

Breakfast/coffee: Eating ‘pasteis de nata’ at Forcado Pastelaria

Spending a hot summers day: In the pool of the JAM Hotel

Spending a cold winters day: Early tour at the flea market in Les Marolles and a coffee at PinPon, an old fire station converted into a restaurant

Finding inspiration: Looking at the budgies building strange nests at the Duden Park

A night out with friends: A glass of wine at the evening market in front of Saint-Gilles town hall (every Monday)

Pssst. Remember to follow us on intagram to see the latest posts, features and stories! 🙂

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Minimalism

Last year I wrote a story on the beautiful round house of Pretoria artist Margaret Nel. The annex featured here, was a later addition to the Le Corbusier inspired circular building. It is a calm, minimalist space, but with the same dose of character one finds in the main house.

The design of the space is undoubtedly minimalistic; an aesthetic I particularly enjoy. The look is very hard to achieve however and I always find it fascinating how something so simple, can be so difficult to create. The words by graphic designer Paul Rand: “Design is so simple, that’s why it is so complicated” rings particularly true here.

I find the annex to be a great exponent to the minimalist sentiments put forward by seminal designers like Mies van der Rohe and Dieter Rams. As strong advocates against visual pollution and excess, their efforts towards simplicity requires an appreciation for possessions based on their aesthetic quality and integrity.

Throughout the annex, every item is well considered and beautiful. Even the books are attractively displayed – colour coded and visually appealing. By having only a few items in the space, each piece makes a greater statement because it does not have to compete for the viewer’s attention.

There is a dialogue between the items within the space. The nature and character of the pieces make this visual conversation feel lighthearted and humorous, but in a clever, tongue-in-cheek kind of way. I love for instance, how Nel juxtaposes geometric elements like the large black and white checkered pillows and woven rug.

The home is timeless and contemporary at the same time. The blue tiled kitchen, mid century furniture, and notty pine ceilings, are all reminiscent of the 1960’s design. But, paired with the sharp geometry and grey and white walls, the space has a fresh and modern appearance that transcends specific time periods.

If you enjoyed the Annex, be sure to have a look around the main house. The design has a similarly curated aesthetic but with a dash of quirky humour that I am sure you’ll find just as enjoyable.

Berlin

Nosh Deli in Berlin

I do not write about restaurants all that often. And there’s a really good reason why. In order for a place to make it to these pages, they have to meet three specific criteria. Number one is off course a beautiful interior with a great energy and atmosphere. Secondly, the food needs to be better than my mom’s cooking. Finally the service has to be really great. Trust me, in Berlin, this trifecta is not that easy to find.

But, in the heart of Schöneberg’s Rote Insel, a couple of blocks down Leberstraße, there is a tiny deli, that ticks all three of these boxes. Around two and a half years ago, owner Erdal Balli, transformed the garage that once stood here, into the vibrant eatery now called Nosh.

Balli, who used to own Stellwerk down in Steglitz, is no stranger to the culinary scene. You may recognise his surname on a few kebab shops around Berlin, owned by Balli’s family. After 12 years of running quite a sizeable restaurant, Erdal decided to scale down to a smaller, more flexible eatery, to make more time for his family. His head chef from Stellwerk, now commands the kitchen at Nosh, where food from all kinds of cultures come together.

The menu is a cosmopolitain mix of influences; from Mongolian Beef Pasta to Ukrainien Wareniki. Derived from the Yiddish “naschen” which means to snack or nibble, the name Nosh is a testament to the restaurant’s east-european jewish influence and Balli’s own connection to the Russian and jewish communities in Berlin.

When I mention to Erdal how I always notice fresh flowers whenever I’m there, he quickly attributes it to his wife Viji’s keen counsel. She coincidentally runs Mokalola cafè next door and makes sure that Erdal keeps his finger on the finer details.

Clearly though Erdal has quite an eye for good design himself, and laughingly admits to a slight obsession with beautiful chairs. The tasteful interior is the result of his own directives; from the mid century chairs he sourced from e-bay, to the tables he had custom made. The wonderful factory lamps from a former GDR factory, he salvaged, cleaned up and had rewired. They now serve as beautiful statement pieces above each table.

The restaurant recently extended their open hours from 12 in the afternoon on Monday through to Thursdays. The rest of the week you’ll find them open between five and eleven. During warmer summer days, you can enjoy your food on the outside terrace upstairs. But you don’t have to wait for better weather to nosh on a delicious meal. Even on a cold winter’s evening, their Halloumi salad remains one of my favourites.

Find Nosh here:

Leberstrasse 21, Berlin, Germany (See on map)

Follow them here:

Nosh Deli Facebook Page

Story + Photos by Barbara Cilliers