Antwerp's reputation for creative fertility was developed by the likes of Eddy Jambers, who was dealing in vintage design back when Dries Van Noten was still a nipper. Back in the 1990s, Jambers rented this former hostel, squatting upstairs with friends while running a gallery downstairs with the performance artist Ludo Mich. It was only five years ago that he was able to buy the townhouse and renovate, fixing to the roof one of his more extraordinary finds: an old barge wheelhouse, which now provides views over the River Scheldt. Jambers named the new ground-floor gallery (pictured) CMB58 or Compagnie Magnifek Belge, which needs no translation. These days, Jambers lives on the second floor but rents out the first and third floors, which are outfitted in flamboyant midcentury collectibles (offers welcome) and local art that prompts the odd double take. A horse's head mounted over the balustrade was once attached to a beloved champion racer, a silver-suited astronaut was an old prop of Ludo Mich's, and a seven-foot-tall, fame-red figure is a 1997 work by Jambers' brother, Mark Jambers.
INFORMATION
ADDRESS
Volkstraat 58
Antwerp
Belgium
-
Messika’s fluid jewellery is given a textural twistThe Parisian brand borrows a textural finish previously reserved for high jewellery with its new collection, ‘Move Ciselé’
-
This ingenious London office expansion was built in an on-site workshopNew Wave London and Thomas-McBrien Architects make a splash with this glulam extension built in the very studio it sought to transform. Here's how they did it
-
The bespoke Jaguar E-Type GTO melds elements from every era of the classic sports carECD Automotive Design’s one-off commission caters to a client who wanted to combine the greatest hits of Jaguar’s E-Type along with modern conveniences and more power
-
Tour Eurostar’s sleek new lounges in Paris and BrusselsLondon-based Chris Bagot Architects has designed a stylish environment in which to work or unwind prior to high-speed rail travel
-
Antwerp Navigator: an unfussy guide to ‘the diamond capital of the world’A visit to Antwerp will stimulate and inspire your senses, in the best way. Here’s what we recommend
-
Stay in Paradis, a heavenly new ‘curated apartment’ on the Belgian coastThe vibrant Belgian harbour town of Ostende is now home to an art and design-filled holiday apartment by local agency Club Paradis
-
Bar Magritte in Brussels is the world’s only bar dedicated to the Belgian Surrealist artistBar Magritte, located inside Hotel Amigo in Brussels, offers expert mixology and René Magritte’s inimitable quirkiness
-
Fine dining and environmentally friendly shelters define La Roseraie ModaveChef Marie Trignon’s La Roseraie Modave adds these cabin-style shelters to its acclaimed dining offering, on the edge of the Ardennes in Belgium
-
Hotel August offers a modern-day sanctuary in Antwerp's Green DistrictHotel August is a former Augustinian convent quirkily reimagined by Belgian architect Vincent Van Duysen
-
La Réserve, Knokke’s grand dame of hospitality, is back with a bangLa Réserve in Knokke launches its luxurious redesign by Glenn Sestig, bringing the iconic Belgian hotel icon into the 21st century
-
Brussels' Mix Hotel opens in the former headquarters of La Royale BelgeFor the new Mix Hotel, Lionel Jadot completed the interior overhaul of the former headquarters of La Royale Belge in Brussels
