Recycling is good for you!

And for the decoration of your home. Especially with these designs from 'Zoétises' (www.zoétises.be). They make 'new' lamps out of second hand stuff, anything from old jars to old kitchen baskets. This is definitely an example of 'try this at home'! And so will I.

I'm currently experimenting with an old lampshade (that I found on the street) to transform it into something new ... could be a new lamp or something completely different! Just let your imagination run free ....

Today is really a great day to start thinking about garden furniture! With the sun out there, it makes you want to go outside, sit in your garden and have a nice glass of rosé...

These chairs and tables from 'Grythyttan' are my favourite. They are elegant, colourful if you want, retro and, very important, do not cost a fortune.

You can find them at grythyttan.net, where you can also find your local distributor.

Another great thing about sunshine its that it brings me in the mood for bright colours, such as these, which is the exterior of the new Central Saint Giles Development at Oxford Street London. This is a project by Renzo Piano (one of the architects that developped the Centre Pompidou in Paris). According to the architect the challenge was to 'create a development that brings heart and soul into a forgotten part of Central London's urban fabric', which is what it does. It brings joy to the people who live and work here, even on a rainy day!

Last November, GOESTO started a project in Werchter (Belgium) where the living/dining room of a refurbished farmhouse had to be decorated. The owners indicated their preference for a contemporary style, which had to fit with their current furniture. Equally important was of course to keep a close eye on the functionality of the living area, especially for the 2 kids of the family.

With that in mind, the dining area has been placed in the corner, in order to keep the space open and functional.

Further, a tailor made cupboard has been designed that covers the wall on the right hand side, which has a special play/homework area for the kids.

The walls that form the corner between living and dining area have been given one color (black), in order to connect them. The black ‘cube’ that was thus created, turns it into ‘one‘ space, instead of separating them. It further gives the space a sense of style and calm.

With the living space being reasonably big, a soft boundary between the two functions (living and eating) has been created by designing a seating object, which gives it a more intimate feeling and at the same time creates extra seating space for guests and kids.

The lamps that have been chosen are by Modo Luce, which sells a quite refreshing collection.

The project is expected to be finished in autumn.

Further pictures as well as a plan for the lighting can be found on: www.goesto.eu

I went to the relatively new Magritte Museum in Brussels today, with my 6 year old son. Beautiful new museum with dito paintings, but visiting with a little boy spreads a whole new view on them. 'Ha, that woman's belly is on her back' or 'that's an upside down mermaid'. He was specifically intrigued by all the naked women (?!?) and by the beheaded people......

Besides that, I believe we set a world record in going through the museum. In less than an hour and a half, we went through the 3 floors of the museum, bought some cards in the shop and had lunch in the museum cafe (where he accidentally fell off one of the chairs cause he could not sit still, which fits very well with his favourite song - I like to move it, move it).

Now he's back to making his own works of art, which can be quite surrealistic too.