If you’re in the bashing mood, if you woke up feeling kind of French and are looking for some savy bitching, nah uh. Close the post. You won’t be reading a single letter of criticism here.
Cause this is a post about one of my absolute favorite spots in Brussels. L’Atelier en ville. I meant to write about it for some time, and as I was there last weekend, I thought the time had come.
L’Atelier is one of those spaces that have it all. Housed in an incredible old factory in the lively neighborhood of the Marolles, it’s simply dashing.
It’s huge and gorgeous, with an industrial and yet warm feeling to it. It offers a ginormous variety of furniture; a mixture of wood and metal. You can order customed pieces and get interior decoration advice. They sell a bit of everything too. Framed photos, old linen cloth, chairs, lamps, trendy printed cushions, tea, pot-pourri and whatnot. The kind of things that make you wish your house was still empty and needed e-v’ry-thing.
And you can feast on the fantastic objects while grabbing a bite or a drink. See? They really do have it all. You can sit wherever you please. In the light area near the entrance hall, at one of the exposition tables, on a couch, on a bench, hell, on the concrete floors.
Personally, I find the terrace to be the highlight. The walls are pale pink. It somehow transports you to Venice or Colonia del Sacramento, in Uruguay. The stacked racks are fun and joyful. Weather allowing, you can spend your whole afternoon there. Sipping juices or coffee, frappés or teas. Regaling with some fruit-crumble, a muffin or a speculoos-flored cheesecake.
I saved the best bit for the end. I hope you’re still hanging in there tiger.
Take the stairs to the first floor and…
…enter .
This little boutique is probably one of the best concept-stores in town. It opened in May 2012 and offers a superb selection of European designers like Manoush, Masscob, and Valentine Gauthier.
Cristina, the Spanish lovely owner, is as fabulous as she is sweet. She’s the reason why the store has such a strong Spanish accent.
She has an incredible sense of style and manages to stay humble and open. Which is saying something, in the fashion division. Come on. How often do you enter a nice store and feel the haughty disdainful looks from the vendors bolting out upon you? Toooo often, I say.
This would never happen in Polopolo. I adored her selection and the cute Spanish shoes. I couldn’t leave bare-handed! Despite the questioning looks from my brother, I adopted an emroidered mini-skirt from the Manoush collection. You know, as a talisman against winter.
I think I might have to wear it this weekend. You know, juju commands and I obey: “a skirt a day keeps winter away”.
