FRAGMENTS_ Ibiza

While I’m swamped with work this month, I’m fondly looking back at last summer, when Lies, Eline and I rented a camper for a few days and explored the island of Ibiza.  What started as a joke (“Hey, none of us have to work next weekend, maybe we should go to Ibiza?”), turned out to be a great decision.  We stayed away from the city and its notorious clubs and instead spent our time exploring empty beaches and wandering through cute towns.   Since you can drive from one side of the island to the other in less than an hour and camping in vans is allowed anywhere, Ibiza and campers can only be described as the perfect match.  Unfortunately I could only snap a few photos before my film camera jammed, so I only have a few fragments of the beautiful island to share, but that’s just another excuse to go back if you ask me…

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COLLECTION_ cleaning supplies

COLLECTION_ cleaning supplies with method

You may or may not know that I try to live my life as sustainable as possible.  I don’t eat meat or fish, rarely cook anything other than a plant-based meal (get yourself one of these cookbooks if you’re curuious), prefer public transport over cars, compensate my carbon footprint through Treecological whenever I take a flight, avoid plastic bags and take the production process into consideration whenever I buy something.   That’s why I switched to Method‘s cleaning products.  Made out of natural ingredients only and wrapped in 100% recycled plastic, Method doesn’t consider sustainability a trend but a necessity.  No green-washing here, these products are actually people and planet friendly.

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AT HOME_ brunch

It’s about time after ten months, but the interior of my not-so-new-anymore apartment  appears to be finally coming together this summer.  You might have caught a few glimpses of a new dreamy carpet and a fabulous sideboard on my Instagram already, but I still wanted to show you these photos I snapped in my dining room right before a family brunch a few months ago. As you can see, the furniture I took from my tiny apartment doesn’t really live up in this rather spacious new home of mine, but I’m working on it!  After all, creating a home takes time (and some saving up) and as this blog is as much about beautiful interiors as the way they grow and evolve (just dive into my INSIGHTS archives in case you don’t know what I’m talking about),  I wanted to share images of this in between stage as well.  Keep an eye on the blog for more updates on my home soon!

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FRAGMENTS_ pink hues of Sintra

Fragments_ pink hues of Sintra - Hannelore Veelaert for aupaysdesmerveillesblog.beIt took me a couple of years, but during my last visit to Lisbon, I finally made it to the neighboring city of Sintra.  This infamous town is mostly known for its numerous royal palaces and castles (more about that later), but today I’d like to put its countless shades of pink in the spotlight.  While Las Palmas already surprised me with its infinite supply of pastel facades and Lisbon’s amount of soft colored houses is pretty impressive as well, Sintra turned out to be devoted to one pastel hue in particular.  I’ll let the pictures do the talking, but can you spot the lurking grandmother behind the window?

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EXPLORED_ Rice ‘n Roll

EXPLORED_ Rice 'n Roll Antwerp - Hannelore veelaert for au pays des merveilles

When the people of Rice ‘n Roll asked me to shoot their brand new restaurant in Antwerp, the industrial meets boho interior quickly stole my heart. I didn’t expect anything else though, knowing that Nathalie Teugels is responsible for this interior with an underground Vietnamese takeaway twist.  However, Rice ‘n Roll doesn’t only please the eyes, its summer rolls are a treat for your tastebuds as well.  Think finger-licking good and no guilt needed, because these dishes are healthy as can be (and even gluten free).  At Rice ‘n Roll they are well aware that “sharing is caring” and “choosing is losing”, as their menu is perfect for those who want to try it all.   We had a go at all the vegetarian and vegan rolls on their cosy terrace and could only approve of Antwerp’s latest culinary addition.  So hop on your bike to try these tasty dishes yourself, or have them delivered straight to your doorstep, it’s up to you.  Bon appétit!

Rice 'n Roll - Scheldestraat 98, 2000 Antwerpen - website - facebook - instagram 

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FRAGMENTS_ a road trip through Jordan

FRAGMENTS_ a road trip through Jordan

It’s been only a few weeks since my friend Simon and I boarded a plane to Jordan with an open mind, five rolls of film and a lot of enthusiasm to make a road trip through this  country.  Before a good friend of mine moved to Amman, I never even thought about visiting Jordan, but I was curious to find out what made him pack his bags and move to a country that’s so different from our Western world.  Of course I already knew about Greening the Camps, the non-profit organization he founded in Amman with two friends.  (They design, develop, build and maintain rooftop gardens in Palestinian refugee camps.  While the Palestinian people have a thousand year history as farmers, the refugee camps leave little to no place for agriculture.  By building rooftop gardens, Greening the Camps wants to reconnect local communities with their cultural heritage of farming while growing their own food.  You can have a look at their website for more info or to support them.)

Even though I’d already seen images of Jordan’s beautiful landscapes, I wasn’t prepared for how they’d just keep coming, one after the other and how breathtaking they’d be in real life. It took us only three days to realize that five rolls of film was a grave underestimation of how enthusiastically we’d be snapping away at all those mesmerizing sights.  Apparently smartphones are all the rage while shooting film is considered very old fashioned in Jordan, so unfortunately we weren’t able to buy more. Otherwise, this post would have been at least twice as long…

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FRAGMENTS_ Lisbon in pastel

Fragments_lisbon in pastel - Hannelore Veelaert for aupaysdesmerveillesblog.be

A few weeks ago, I showed you some of Lisbon’s brutalist architecture, but today I want to share a few snaps that capture why I fell in love with the Portugese capital all over again during my last visit. Light blue, soft yellow, blush pink and that wonderful, wonderful light… my favorite city has it all.  If this wonderful weather that we’ve been having lately hasn’t catapulted you into a holiday state of mind, this pastel colored glimpse of Lisbon might just do the trick.  Oh, don’t forget: if you’re planning a trip to Lisbon – I’ve collected all the good stuff here.  In the meantime I’m off enjoying the sun again in our little Belgium. Até já!

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EXPLORED_ Santa Clara 1728 in Lisbon

Explored_ Santa Clara 1728 in Lisbon - Hannelore Veelaert for au pays des merveilles

It’s early in the afternoon when I cross Campo Clara, a square which is home to the famous flee market Feira da Ladra twice a week.  When I lived in Lisbon a few years ago, I spent many hours wandering this market, looking for second hand treasures, but today I have a different goal.  I’m heading to Santa Clara 1728, a hotel hidden in an old convent on the often busy plaza.  Once I step foot inside the majestic entrance hall, the lively city couldn’t seem further away though.  

Santa Clara 1728 - Campo de Santa Clara 128, 1100-473 Lisbon - website - facebook - instagram 

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COLLECTION_ Wonderplants 2

Collection-wonderplants 2 by au pays des merveilles

This week, Irene Schampaert and Judith Baehner launched Wonderplants 2, another book filled with urban jungle interiors and tips on how to keep those plants alive.  As I’m a big fan of both beautiful books and luscious plants, I couldn’t resist rounding up some Wonderplants inspiration in a COLLECTION blogpost.  You’ll discover a few that are also featured in the book, two interiors that are part of my INSIGHTS series and lots of inspiration from the world wide web.  Can’t get enough of these green interiors?  Get the Wonderplants 2 book here!

  1. Bathroom garden styled by Bianca Sotelo and photographed by Ashley Batz.  More images here.
  2. Architect Anouk Taeymans‘ lovely interior, shot by Jan Verlinde, is also featured in the book.  Get a sneak peek here and stop by her open days and stock sale next weekend if you like her style.  (I know I do…)
  3. Wonderful livingroom.  (source unknown, please tell me if you know the author of this image)
  4. The home of fashion designer Paloma Lana (from the appropriately named label Paloma Wool) is another interior that is featured in the Wonderplants 2 book.  Find a sneak peek of her home, shot by Cesar Degarra, here.
  5. Sofie Vertongen introduced the air plants in Belgium with her webshop Phyt and runs a very successful plant shop called The Plant Corner.  I featured her interior on the blog a few years ago, you can find it here.
  6. Clapton Tram is a plant filled film & photography daylight studio, based in a Victorian historic tram depot in London.  Shot by Haarkon here.
  7. Lovely dining room shot by Caro Langton & Rose Ray, see more here.
  8. Snapshot from Jeannie Phan‘s beautiful studio.  Find the full size image here.
  9. Plantlovers Miguel and Lisa’s apartment in Brussels, get all the insights here.
Lannoo kindly gifted me a copy of Wonderplants 2.  However, all opinions are 100% my own.  Thank you for supporting partners that allow me to provide you with new content!

FRAGMENTS_ brutalism in Lisbon

FRAGMENTS_ brutalism in Lisbon - Hannelore Veelaert for au pays des merveilles

The city of Lisbon might be known for its colorful facades and picturesque street views, that’s not all it has to offer when it comes to architecture.  Because I can never resist brutalist architecture with its geometric shapes and intriguing use of materials, I did a little research on brutalism in Lisbon before my last trip to my favorite city.  A google search led me to the Palácio da Justiça, the courthouse of Lisbon which was designed by Januário Godinho & João Andresen in the sixties.  This mastodont of a building ticks all the brutalist boxes, so if you’re a lover of all things architectural, it is definitely worth a detour from your average tour of the Portugese capital. In that case, don’t forget to checkout my Lisbon city guide for more must visits!

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