weekend getaway antwerp

Antwerp. One of our favorite cities close by, for a weekend getaway.

For drinks; Café Korsakov & Café Hopper

For lunch and dinner; Pilar & Fish a'gogo

To sleep; Hotel O Kathedral

For art and culture; Ecce Homo & FOMU Foto Museum

poppy anemones

Poppy Anemones are my favorite 'winter flowers' and preferably this pinkish-rose color called Sylphide.

To enjoy anemones a little longer, you need to put them in a small amount of water, because otherwise the flower stems might rot. Make sure you check the vase daily, because they take up large amounts of water. A transparent vase is therefore the best choice for the poppy anemones.

Took this 'I feel like spring' picture with my iPhone this morning, while I was working at the kitchen table. I posted it on Instagram and wanted to share it overhere anyway.

a bunch of flowers, like in a child's drawing...

gold up to the ceiling

Gold up to the ceiling.

Handmade moroccan tiles, in spicy tones of gold and bamboo brown, cover the kitchen walls.

The painted pink wall showed stains everywhere. Not surprising, of course, in a kitchen where you work and cook daily.
The 'moroccan pink' wall was repainted several times, but eventually we opted for a practical tile wall, up to the ceiling.

The aim was to create a warm, inviting atmosphere.

I would choose the moroccan pink color again and I will miss it, but after a few years it's time for something else.

What color? not too safe and boring and no green because that's too trendy.
Choosing a color is not that easy, however we quickly agreed; g o l d
Not the shiny gold, but a natural golden brown, mustard, ocher, spicy and different one...
(This color is also my favorite for wool projects, because it combines with everything although is quite a peculiar color.)

So it was a mess in the kitchen for three days, but the tile craftsman did an awesome job and it has become a beautiful wall!

I'm very happy with the result. Especially when the sunlight peeked inside yesterday.
The light, reflection, texture and the shadows of the plants; awesome atmosphere!

Today I am going to clean and redecorate the kitchen.

whereabouts

No escape from the flu.

The Netherlands are in the grip of a mild flu epidemic.
Greetings from my current whereabouts and I hope to be back on track soon.

*For the occasion an old photo from the blog archive of december 2012.

amsterdam and the green theme

On Wednesday I met my friend Ank in Amsterdam to proceed with the program for Green Gardens workshops in May and October.

In the greenhouse of De Plantage we had an exciting meeting. Afterwards we went to the Hortus Botanicus to enjoy the Amsterdam Light Festival in and around the garden, to make the green theme complete.

rotterdam round with afra

This weekend my niece Afra from London stayed with us with her boyfriend Tet. They are both architects and they are both fans of Rotterdam.

After breakfast we left for a visit to Rotterdam, despite the drizzly weather, we had a lovely day and enjoyed the city round.

(Afra and I both with our favorite basket from Nairobi)