Restoration Hardware Goes Belgian

 

Two years ago House Beautiful declared “Belgian is the new Swedish” – how prescient that statement was.  Today Belgian design IS the hottest thing with no signs of overkill or boredom setting in just yet.  Why Belgium?  Why Belgian design?  Such a small country that few of us could immediately point to on a map, and even less of us have actually visited.    The reason for Belgian design was explained to me by a designer from the Netherlands who said, that while the Netherlands is mostly a country of the middle class, Belgium has a very large poor population and a smaller, very extremely wealthy class of people.  People who can afford to and who do restore the many country manors that dot their flat landscape.  They fill up their newly renovated houses with beautiful antiques and art and they are courted by the eager designers waiting to guide them.    Yet, guided by this small handful of extremely talented designers, they chose not to exactly fill up their houses but instead sparsely and deftly decorated them, letting each precious piece speak for itself instead of becoming lost in a sea of fauteuils and bergeres.    This decade has indeed become the Belgian decade – the overscaled upholstery, the worm eaten, unstained woods, the linen textures, the large lanterns, the industrialized repurposed pieces - have all become a part of our lives without most even realizing that Belgian designers were behind it all.  The look is perfect for the younger generation, couples who don’t want their parents furniture have hungrily sought out the spare designs.  Weary antique lovers tired of frilly French and heavy English pieces are now flocking to Belgium to visit the warehouses and shops filled with things they have only seen before in pictures.    Whether you like this design, whether you loathe it, it is here and it’s not going anywhere soon.    In fact, Restoration Hardware has taken on Belgian design in a big way, betting the company’s future on a look so new, so foreign to the masses.    They are  predicting that America is firmly on Belgium’s side, as if this was a soccer match instead of interior design.     Will Restoration Hardware be successful?   I’m not sure, their pieces are stunningly gorgeous, yet pricey.    Let’s wait and see what Target does.   The ball is their court now.

 

 

 

BROWN, Houston’s Belgian Design Mecca.

 

 

At one time, everything I knew about Belgium and its design and antiques, I learned from the woman who owns this shop, Jill Brown,  a force to be reckoned with in Houston, 1st Dibs, and truly anywhere she goes.   Jill,  a charismatic trend-setter,  had lived in Belgium and returned to Houston where she promptly opened an antique store stocked with wares she brought back from her adopted country.    At that time – the legendary Axel Vervoordt had barely made a name for himself.  So, for me and countless other Texans, BROWN was Belgian Design for years and years and still is and always will be.    (See Jill’s wonderful house here.)   Our exposure here in the south to Belgian Design was made of small steps that quickly added up.

 

 

 

 

In the beginning, there was just Axel Vervoordt, the famous Belgian antiquarian first seen in Architectural Digest in 2002.   It’s truly amazing how far he has come in 7 short years.   Today, Vervoordt is credited, rightly or wrongly, with starting Belgian design.    What is indisputable is that Vervoordt did introduce the world to this type of design.  He authored several best selling books that helped spread the word about what was going on his country.  He lured people to Belgium to tour his private castle and shop while they were there.   His vision became everyone’s vision.   No one has yet knocked him off his throne yet, though there are several contenders in Belgium.   Here Vervoordt stands among the hallmarks of Belgian design – unstained woods,  furniture made from organic materials, white walls, and sparse, monochromatic interiors.

 

 

 

 

 

 

And then in Houston during the mid 2000s,   large, beautiful, and very expensive coffee table books began showing up mostly at the landscaping company, Thompson and Hanson.   Their pages were full mostly of  houses from Belgium.   The publisher, Beta-Plus, out of Belgium, has been in the book business since 1995, but their sales have really taken off these past few years since the world has gone Belgian.   Though hard to find, they truly are the definitive word on Belgian Design and a must-read to learn more about the style.   Available here.

 

 

A small collection of the Beta-Plus books.  I am trying to collect the entire group, I’m almost there!

 

 

 

Sparse exteriors match Belgian interiors.

 

 

In Austin and in Houston, gardening went Euro, Zen, French, Belgian – call it whatever you like.  But GARDENS in Austin and Thompson Hanson in Houston drastically changed the way many people thought about gardening.  It certainly wasn’t all azaleas and magnolias anymore.  Far, far from it.   It was gardening with a light touch, a spare quality, where emphasis was on texture and shades of green, not colors and mounds of flowers.  It was about gravel and boxwoods and biots filled with succulents. 

 

 

 

And, then there was THIS cover story – gee, was that really only two years ago?   Seems so much longer!  But look how gorgeous this is, the faux painted patina paneling, the ancient vessels.    Was there a prettier cover ever?

 

 

 

It was enough to make us ALL get up and move to Belgium, wherever that was!   When I was in college, my sister Melanie, my cousin Josette and I took a grand tour of Europe for a month – we went everywhere!  Everywhere!  But Belgium.   Now, people see that country as a destination, with a layover in Paris.

 

 

 

And then there was this light fixture – made from old wine barrels – it was copied everywhere.   

 

 

 

 

And there was this – the famous brick layer table.   Thousands of these slabs bought at a quarry were turned into tables that today are still the hottest thing going.       Until recently when Brooke from Velvet and Linen went to  Atlanta and visited Bobo’s Intriguing Objects – I had no idea that the same person was behind both the wood barrel chandelier and the brick layer table.  But BoBo and his Belgian partner designed both these objects which are the hallmark of Belgian design: organic and industrial at the same time.                                                                               

 

 

Listen to Brooke’s most intriguing interview with the force behind Bobo’s Intriguing Objects here

 

 

 

In late 2007, House Beautiful showed this Belgian styled house in America declaring Belgian is the new Swedish.   Lanterns, overscaled slipcovered furniture, light unfinished woods, white walls.  This room is a pretty faithful reproduction except for the tufted  contemporary chair – which is not Belgian at all.

 

 

 

 

 And Ina Garten’s new Hamptons barn was nothing by Belgian design for America.  Everyone raved without even knowing it’s origins. 

 

 

 

 

 

What exactly is true Belgian design?

It’s big rooms that are sometimes almost empty.   It’s huge lanterns and oversized pieces of furniture and spare, but large accessories.   

 

 

 

It’s long, lean sofas, sometimes with no cushions at all.  It’s huge coffee tables with metal bases and simple wood tops.  

 

 

 

 

Belgian Design is about a calm, quiet interior without much contrast.   It’s sparse with one or two dressy pieces mixed in with wicker or something dragged inside from the outside. 

 

 

 

Belgian design can be somber and dark with urns and vases and fabulous art work, but only one canvas per room, please.

 

 

It’s floors that aren’t stained or varnished, just limed and it’s wood paneling is also not stained.  It’s about texture and shapes, it’s matte, not shiny.

 

 

It’s about attic rooms with ancient rafters and a mixture of French and Swedish antiques here and there.  It’s not just about Belgium antiques at all.

 

 

 

Belgian design is about monochromatic decorating in either grays or beiges or taupes.   It’s about mirrors and worn terra cotta floors and kitchens filled with white dishes.

 

 

 

It’s about old houses in the country and in the city being restored for today with huge stone fireplaces and even older shutters. 

 

 

Belgian design is about wood – on the floors, the ceilings, the walls.  It’s about worm eaten antique furniture.  It’s about great art work and even greater architecture.

 

 

 

 

 

 

It’s about Belgian linen everywhere and light colored paneling.   It’s about lamps made out of vases and fancy crystal chandeliers used in places you wouldn’t expect them.

 

 

 

It’s about reclaimed building materials being used on every surface – ancient marble floors and old flagstones from generations passed are sought out and prized.

 

 

 

 

It’s about mixing velvet with chipped, worm eaten wood and dressy mirrors mixed with lowly tables.  It’s about a quiet, simple elegance that is accessible and down to earth – not fancy and untouchable.

 

 

 

Belgian design is about a mixture:  of high and low, of dressy and casual, of organic and industrial, of unstained wood and white washed wood, it’s about overscaled slipcovered furniture and small dainty antiques.   It’s about being quiet and subtle.  It’s about being modest, not boastful.

 

 

Which brings to me today.   Restoration Hardware, the store famous for reviving vintage games and old fashioned record players and deco fans has gone Belgian.  An upscale hardware store that sells, well, hardware and paint along with slipcovered furniture and beautiful lamps has changed – in a huge way.  Recently they partnered with the owners of Bobo and a few other select designers.  This renowned group of artisans was given artistic license to create their products – some brought their own lines, some are exclusive for RH.  The gamble is huge.  The new RH is no longer inexpensive like the old days – this new inventory is pricey – but it has to be.  It’s built to last a lifetime and it shows.   These are gorgeous pieces, exquisitely executed, faithful and honest to their designers.   RH started showing the next line slowly – a mirror here, a light fixture there.   But now, their web site is full of all that is new and it’s breathtaking!     It is the best in Belgian design for all of Americans to enjoy, along with the best of France and the other locales of inspiration.   I was stunned at the beauty.   I hope we are ready for this – to pay a little extra and get the best.  It’s a huge business gamble especially in this climate of cutting back.   RH is asking us to change our direction and turn down a new road.   I’d hate for this company to go under now.   It’s the best it’s ever been and their future is limitless, as long as people will be willing to pay the prices and buy the merchandise.  I hope so.    I’m dying to see what the next collection will bring!    

 

Be sure to visit the web site and read about Bobo’s designs and all the other artisans who contributed to the new Restoration Hardware.  Each person played an integral role in making this store the best there is right now. 

 

 

 

 

The Belgian camelback sofa is so beautiful!  Slipcovered in linen, it’s a standout piece – the core of the collection.    The industrial tables are Dutch.    The oversized map of Paris is another stunner.   And the lamp is gorgeous.  I would buy every piece in this picture and be thrilled to have it!   The wood cabinets are unstained just like you would find in Belgium.  What styling, what advertising, how can one resist it?

 

 

 

The English inspired sofa is slipcovered  with hot-as-can-be feedbag pillows looking fabulous on it.   Bobo’s brick layer table is here as are the two industrial side tables.      The mirror was one of the first pieces they advertised – it’s beyond gorgeous.   But the lamps are amazing – true works of art.    RH is now carrying a line of breezy Belgian linen curtains that look perfect against all the woods and metals. 

 

 

The photo styling for the catalogue is beautiful  - the rooms look like they could be in a Belgian house in the country.  The floors are light wood, unstained, the walls a light gray/taupe. And these 19th century styled French chairs are truly to die for!   No cushions – which is so streamlined and hip.   Just gorgeous.   I would pair these with the Belgian sofa, stunning!!   The chairs – a star in the line – were designed by Bobo.   And notice the cabinets in the lightly stained wood. 

 

 

This dining room shows great chairs and a large unstained trestle table – made out of 100 year reclaimed wood from Britain.   The gorgeous lanterns are repros made by Bobo.  And in the back is a mirror clock.   If you have the room for this huge table – wouldn’t it be wonderful?  I would put it in a large galley kitchen or in a long breakfast room or a beach house.

 

 

 

Gorgeous repro French chairs (and these are so cheap too!) and I love this smaller version of the above table.  BoBo’s famous wine barrel chandelier is shown, of course.     The clock is a station replica but the mirror is the real focal point here.   Belgian linen curtains.

 

 

 

The industrial styled Flatiron table – another wonderful casual table paired with medallion back Louis French chairs.  The botanicals are great!  But look at the light fixture !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!   Gorgeous!!!!

 

 

What a desk – from Restoration Hardware?  It looks like something you would repurpose yourself!    Again, this styling is superb. 

 

 

 

These unstained shoe cabinets double as towel cabinets.  I think these chairs make anything wonderful!    And the dressmaker form!  So cute!!!

 

 

 

In large old Belgian houses (and all over Europe really,)  bathrooms are carved out of whole rooms – so they are often quite spacious.  Wouldn’t it be great to actually have all this space to really spread out?   I love the medical cabinet and the Mansard mirror.

 

 

 This Portuguese desk is one of my favorite new items.  I would use it behind a sofa as a console table.  

 

 

 

 

 

Restoration Hardware has brought Belgian Design to the masses.    Will we accept it?  Will we buy it?    What stunning style it is – what looks better, where?   I am just amazed by it all.   Like I said, I hope Restoration Hardware makes it with this new direction.  The items are not cheap and some are downright expensive compared to Pottery Barn and what we have come to expect from places like these.  But, the quality, the style,  the majesty of the furniture really sets it apart from the competition.   Now, let’s see if Target jumps on the Belgian bandwagon and dilutes it of all it’s uniqueness.     Probably the only way for Belgian design to be accepted by the masses is if  Target does jump in the waters.  Will it?  Do we want that really?   Does Restoration Hardware need the masses to accept Belgian Design?  

Jill Brown and Her Lighting Store: brown

  brown, the lighting and antique emporium

After approaching Jill Brown for an interview, she graciously suggested that we talk over lunch at her house.  Jill is the owner of brown, Houston’s most distinctive lighting and antiques store.  She is an extremely interesting woman and someone I have longed admired.  A true visionary, ahead of the trends, Jill has created a brand that is uniquely her own.   To be sure, there no other place quite like brown.

Jill Brown’s house.  Instead of a concrete sidewalk, slate chips make up the path that leads to the house.  

                                      

As soon as I pulled onto her street, I knew immediately which house was hers.  In a neighborhood filled with 50’s ranches, Jill’s facade quietly announces someone with style lives within its walls.   After a wonderful lunch of homemade soup and baked pie, we got down to business:   her childhood was spent in the Ohio farming country, where her love of Americana began.   She says she born with a gift for merchandising and her early work was in that field.  Along the way, she married and had two sons who are now both in college.   At one point, the family transferred to Houston.    Soon after settling here,  Foster, her husband, announced one day that they were all moving to Belgium.  At this point, Jill had become a “picker” – someone who, before the days of the internet, would scout out antiques in attics and basements and sell them to the design trade.   Could an antique picker be happy in Belgium, of all places?    Once there, Jill at first felt quite lost, until that is, she discovered the country was filled with antiques.  She quickly began buying - stashing her loot in the basement and in every available inch of space.  To her husband, she said only, “trust me” – which he did.   Jill found she was especially drawn to lighting fixtures and industrial goods – little did she realize at that time, that she was at the forefront, nay, even before the forefront, of several major design trends.  

 “Welcome Joni” was written on the chalkboard.    As Jill’s sons grew older, she decided to sell the family home and move to this slightly smaller house in a nearby neighborhood.  The house was totally remodeled to suit Jill’s aesthetic, but a few parts were left untouched, such as the original metal casement windows with their hand cranked hardware. 

The Browns spent four happy years abroad and Jill’s business took off.   Tragedy struck unexpectedly when her beloved Foster suddenly passed away.   It’s been five years since, and Jill is only just now beginning to feel ready to get back to the business of life.   She has since raised her sons alone, and used her store to escape from  sadness.   Through lots of very hard physical work and mental stress, her business has grown beyond her dreams.   Where she once rented space in an antique store, Jill now has her own prominent location on a tree-lined street filled with other specialty shops.  

brown is stocked with all the things that Jill loves.  Indeed being in shop is almost like being in her home  – there are her lighting fixtures, both old and new, some designed by others, and many designed by Jill herself.   Old mirrors and new brass cooking pots share space with metals – iron, pewter, and zinc.  Large industrial pieces fashioned into useful furniture are juxtaposed against charming, vintage teaching charts.  Though Jill has never been one to follow trends, brown finds itself at the epicenter of two major design styles that has swept the country:  the Belgian and Industrial looks.  Perhaps, Jill was just lucky to be in Belgium before it was hot, or perhaps she is a genius at merchandising.    Either way, there is no denying  that the lanterns she has been selling for years is now THE one  fixture to own, or that the teaching charts she has collected for decades are now being massed reproduced, or that the Industrial look she has lived with in her home is now favored by the younger, hipper crowd.  And certainly, Belgium, the country where she once bought and hoarded everything in sight, could not be any hotter today.   Amazing foresight, Jill!

The first things you see when entering Jill’s house are these two charming folk art paintings.   Old?  Actually, no – these were commissioned by Jill’s mother.  The one on the right commemorates Jill and Foster’s wedding.  These two paintings set the tone of the house:  a mixture of Americana and Belgian,  antique and industrial.  The tones are muted, there is nothing bright nor shiny here.  The colors throughout are a blend of khaki, taupe, sage, mustard, and of course, brown.   There is a masculine feel to the collections – Jill certainly doesn’t go in for frou-frou.  The interiors are as unique as she is and are a direct reflection of her style.

In the family room – open to the kitchen and eating area – a large, file cabinet brought back from Belgium is typical of the industrial pieces found at brown.

Interesting vignettes are at every corner, on every wall – here, a pair of lamps are made from 1950’s l’art populaire.

 

The breakfast table – with our empty lunch dishes - sits in front of a built in banquette.   Hanging on the wall is a fractions teaching chart, one of many found throughout her home and store.  Can you see what I drank with lunch?

Wonderful, oversized linen cloths are used for napkins.   Everything in the house – every item – is handpicked by Jill.  Nothing ends up here by chance.   It is all, down to the smallest detail,  an expression of Jill’s style.

For instance – there are no cooking pots that just “happen” to be here.  Instead – all pots are these gorgeous, glorious copper ones – which she sells in her store.  These are seriously beautiful  - and I have my eye on them!  Too bad I don’t cook!!!!

 

Jill pays her bills at the bar in her kitchen – notice the charming vintage chair and metal bin.  She has an extensive pewter collection – a few pieces of which sit on the windowsill. 

 

The laundry room is separated from the kitchen/breakfast area by a curtain made of linen.  This linen is found in every room – as curtains, as pillows, and on upholstery.  The linen serves as a continuous theme throughout the home.

The main living/dining room is filled with the hand-picked items that Jill collects for her house and store.  The striking rug is American – hand hooked - and sets the color scheme for the house.    The sofa is antique, upholstered in the same linen that hangs at the windows throughout.  Two oversized pieces capture the eye:  the cabinet on the left and the large, custom lantern over the dining table behind the sofa.  

Jill designed the oversized lantern that is the focal point in the room.  She likes the tension that is created by large and small scaled items.  American chairs surround the table. 

In the dining area – a wonderful antique French-Canadian bench sits underneath a beautifully framed, large teaching chart. 

Another interesting vignette features an old folding table  - a piece Jill particularly likes.  Notice that one picture on the left hangs up high on the wall, and on the right, one hangs very low.  Throughout the house – Jill hangs her extensive collection of art both extremely high and low.   Also, notice the lamp cords which sparked an interesting discussion.  As a lighting fixture designer, Jill sees beauty in each part of the fixture, including the cords and prefers not to hide them.    Indeed – many  bloggers have written about the  beauty of vintage lamp parts – i.e. silk cords, etc. – so Jill is not alone in her opinion.

Another shot of the symmetrically laid out dining area with its wonderful lantern.   The two portraits appear to be old, but were painted in the 60s.  The wonderful casement  window is original to the house.

The opposite end of the living/dining room boasts floor to ceiling built in bookcases filled with treasures that caught Jill’s eye.  Sconces from Jill’s own lighting line, Far-Fetched, hang from the shelves.  Between the bookcases, you can see Jill and Foster’s wedding painting, with a charming chest below it. 

 

Another vignette, with yet another vintage iron folding table and oversized teaching chart – this one is about coral!

The hallway leading to the bedrooms is a gallery-like space, filled with the vintage juried art school pieces that Jill collects.

The sink counter in her sons’ bathroom was fashioned from a scrap piece of metal found in the backyard.  Notice the heavy-duty racks, holding the linen towels.

 

This armoire hold bath towels in the boys’ bathroom.  More graded art school pieces and framed work from her sons’ youth line the walls.  There is very little wall space left available anywhere in the house, so extensive is Jill’s collection.

Each son has one of a pair of these very high twin beds  -  painted a chalky, deep red.    This son’s walls are lined with the beautiful vintage diplomas of homing pigeons – another genre of art that Jill collects .  Very rare, she might be the only person who does collect them!  

 

A corner filled with the homing pigeon diplomas and portraits.  Judging homing pigeons is a  popular sport in Belgium.   I must say, I had never before seen this genre of art – yet it is quite beautiful and I can truly understand Jill’s obsession.

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Jill’s bedroom is the most colorful room in the house – I love the fabrics she has chosen to use on her bed!  Again, a very symmetrical arrangement with corner windows identically covered with tortoise shades and the linen curtains found throughout.

Continuing the colorful theme, Jill’s bathroom curtains are made from vintage fabric.  I love the hat box on the old stool.

Landscape architect Mark McKinnon designed this area between the house and the garage.   I love the crushed slate and the concrete slabs between the row of shade trees.  McKinnon also landscaped Jill’s store.

At the back of the yard, another seating area, this time with a fountain.

So, what does Jill’s store look like? 

 

brown is located on a busy corner.  It’s distinctive landscaping, again designed by McKinnon, is similar in feel to that found at her home.   Notice the different materials used in front of the shop:  slate chips, Zoysia grass, Bermuda grass, mulch, and Ruellia form a grid, not unlike a Mondorian painting.

Inside the front main room.   The floors are wood and very echoing, adding a pleasant, solid sound to the shop.  The two main rooms have soaring ceilings up to the rafters that are lit by large sky lights.   Besides lighting fixtures of every imaginable kind, brown sells antiques and soon-to-be antiques. 

Of course Jill sells old teaching charts – from the extra large to the small.

The second showroom.

 

Here, a display of bottles.  In her home, Jill’s bedroom lamp is made from one of these. 

Here is just a small selection of the many lanterns for sale. 

  

Sconces – you need sconces?   brown has a huge assortment of sconces.   Also for sale are the beautiful copper pots Jill cooked my soup in  -  I want these!!!

Antique mirrors stack up along one wall. 

One of my favorite fixtures in the store is this antique crystal chandelier.  The crystals, especially the small round ones, are so beautiful.

So what do you do if want to buy something from brown, but you don’t live in Houston?  There is always the web site, of course, but brown is now listed with 1st Dibs.  I love these sconces found on brown’s 1st Dibs site.

 

A great set of chairs, available from 1st Dibs.

One of the many mirrors available from brown on 1st Dibs.

  

And of course – there are all kinds of teaching charts for sale!  This one really caught my eye.

 

A while ago, I decorated a high rise apartment for a woman who loves to play cards.  We turned her dining room into a part-time poker parlor – the table had to be round,  seat eight,  and the lighting had to bright enough to read cards.  I looked for months for a special light fixture for the space – which is open to the apartment.   The colors in the room are a deep grey-green with terracotta accents.  When I walked into brown and saw this fixture – I knew immediately it was the “one.”  The oversized fixture came from Belgium, it’s brass had a very heavy and beautiful patina.    My client was almost as thrilled as I was,  just almost, though.  There is nothing that beats the thrill of the hunt – when successful.  Thanks to Jill Brown – her ability to pick the best – made it a most fortuitous day.

For more information on Jill and brown, go to the web site here.     Also – be sure to visit her store on 1st Dibs, here.  Paloma from La Dolce Vita wrote a fabulous blog about brown, here.