It is all about craftsmanship

 

One of our clients contacted us with a rather unusual question. A few years ago he had bought a beautiful 19th century gothic styled architectural element for its beauty and the craftsmanship this piece radiated.

So this client asked my company LEFEVRE INTERIORS not only to restore this damaged wooden element but even to design a bookcase in which this element could be integrated! Not that simple!

First of all we had to restore the damaged woodcarving of the existing element and second we had to find the suitable gothic design details in order to start the design of the bookcase. I browsed into all the books I could possibly find about gothic ornaments and here is what we made of it.

Finally our client was most pleased with the result!

 

This is the bookcase brought in at our client’s home.

(picture by me)

 

It all started with this existing gothic element we used as the upper part of the bookcase.

(picture by me)

This is the new gothic paneling of the lower part of the bookcase.

(picture by me)

I can’t find a before picture of the existing element anymore, but you should notice that the wood was mostly uncolored. Our client wanted to have a ‘tobacco’ finish of the wood.

The bookcase now is ready to be filled with books!

(picture by me)

I do love working with antique elements and thinking about a way to integrate them in an interior design project.

As this French walnut 18th century double door I bought in France some years ago. I couldn’t resist its beauty!

The door is awaiting its final destination into a client’s home, or maybe brought in at my own home one day!

Can you imagine this door used in a design project as in these French styled paneled rooms :

(picture by me)

image source : The Neo Lifestyle

image source : www.miresparis.com

image source : Gypsy Purple

source : unknown

source : unknown

 

Isn’t the detailling of the hand woodcarving stunning?

image source : Lefèvre Interiors

One of our craftsmen at work.

image source : Lefèvre Interiors

LEFEVRE INTERIORS

 

Whether you like these shown antique elements or not, it is all about the craftmanship, don’t you agree?!

xx

IMPORTANT MESSAGE

 To the anonymous winner of my Beta-Plus book give away : please send me your name and address!!! If  I have not received it by Friday, March,4th, I will choose another winner.

The decorative art of a painter-artist

 

Earlier this week I was contacted by Christophe Biret-Jacques, a decorative painter from France, who recently installed his company in Belgium.

He wanted to introduce me to his beautiful decorative art : trompe l’oeil, murals, painted ceilings, marble and wood imitations.

I couldn’t withdraw you from the beautiful images he emailed me. So I asked Christophe permission to post them on my blog!

Christophe Biret-Jacques is an autodidact and is very passionate about his “métier”.

The artist’s references are multiple and international, in public or private sector.

Christophe’s recently started company DECORATIVE-EFFECT proposes diverse services, from interior design to decorative art, its notoriety.

‘Decorative-effect’ guarantees the most competent decorative art for all of your national or international design projects.

 

WWW.DECORATIVE-EFFECT.COM, an address to file.

 

Enjoy !

 

The website of Christophe Biret-Jacques www.decorative-effect.com is under construction.

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I’ll be back tomorrow to announce the winner of my Beta-Plus book give away!

xx

Only a few hours left to enter my Beta-Plus book give-away!

Untill midnight (centrual european time)!!

Click on Beta-Plus logo to enter.

Art exhibitions in Belgium - not to miss

Actually, there are 2 wonderful art exhibitions at the musem BOZAR in Brussels, which ar really not to miss!

From Friday 11.2 till Sunday 08.05 : VENETIAN AND FLEMISH MASTERS

Bellini, Tiziano, Canaletto – Van Eyck, Bouts, Jordaens,…

Following their initial collaboration in 2009, which focused on the collection of the House of Savoy, the museums of Flanders and of northern Italy are once again putting their respective schools of painting into perspective with a stunning selection of pictures. From the 15th to the 18th century, the exhibition presents four centuries of contrast between 15 masterpieces from the Royal Museum of Fine Arts Antwerp and some fifty paintings from the Accademia Carrara in Bergamo, one of the finest collections of Venetian paintings in existence. Venetian and Flemish Mastersis organised chronologically in four sections, one for each century; within each section, four major themes are highlighted - the portrait, saints in a natural setting, the sacred and the profane, and panoramic views. In thequattrocento Bellini's portraits influenced Van Eyck, while the northern painter exportedhis naturalism. In thecinquecento the Venetians moved beyond the techniques of the Flemish Primitives. Titian, Tintoretto, and Veronese created an explosion of colour and brought new light into the landscapes of Patenier. In theseicento, Rubens, in Italy, had an influence on Tiepolo. Thesettecento, finally,saw a proliferation of styles in a Venice in decline, from Canaletto's snapshots to the sarcastic genre paintings of Guardi, which influenced the love of excess in the work of Jordaens. In short: the Venetian and Flemish schools could not have existed without each other. (text source www.bozar.be)

 

            Jacob Jordaens, Bacchus (detail), 17th century     -     Giovanni Bellini, Portrait of a young man (detail), ca.1475-1480

source : here    

  

Jacob Jordaens, The Purification of the Temple (Louvre, Paris)

source : here

 

Giovanni Bellini,  Feast of the Gods (Washington, National Gallery)

source : here

 

Discover the exhibition with the curator Giovanni Gederico Villa.

Click on the video.

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A second exhibition at the BOZAR is the Retrospective of our Belgian artist LUC TUYMANS.

From Friday 18.02 till Sunday 08.05

F or the first time, Belgium is hosting a major retrospective devoted to its renowned artist Luc Tuymans. Following a series of US cities, Brussels is the first – and only – European city where the exhibition, a co-production by the San Francisco Museum of Modern Art and the Wexner Center for the Arts, can be seen. In their selection the curators have highlighted a number of series, each of which was conceived and developed as a coherent whole by Tuymans. These have been specially brought together again for the exhibition from (mostly private) collections all over the world. In total there are some 75 works in the exhibition, offering a chronological overview of 30 years of creative work. Via topics such as the Second World War, (post-)colonialism, and 9/11, subjects such as violence, history and nationalism, perception and surveillance are addressed. Tuymans raises the issue of the immediacy of the ever-present, consumable image. His subdued colour palette plays a prominent role in this context, as does his unique, deceptively impassive but expressive style. For the first time, the exhibition offers an opportunity to see the Super 8, Super 16 and 35 mm films that Tuymans shot in the early days of his career; alongside photographs and images from popular culture, these continue to bear fruit in his working methods today.
Luc Tuymans - Retrospective is organised by the San Francisco Museum of Modern Art and the Wexner Center for the Arts, Ohio State University, Columbus. Generous support has been provided by Bruce and Martha Atwater. Additional support has been provided by Carla Emil and Rich Silverstein, by Flanders House, the new cultural forum for Flanders (Belgium) in the United States and by the Flemish Government. (text source www.bozar.be)

Luc Tuymans, The Nose (2002)

source : here

Read more about Luc Tuymans HERE.

 

Luc Tuymans, De Schreeuw

source : here

 

FOR MORE INFORMATION ABOUT THOSE 2 EXHIBITONS : www.bozar.be

As an art lover and living in Belgium, be sure to visit these wonderful exhibitions! And all of you, my readers, who have planned a trip to Belgium within these coming months, be sure to not leave Belgium before a visit at the Bozar!

 

 

Don’t forget to enter my Beta-Plus book give-away before the 25th of February!

Click on Beta-Plus logo to enter the give-away.

Weekend News

 

KIM CLIJSTERS WINS AUSTRALIAN OPEN FOR THE FIRST TIME !!!

Congratulations Kim! We are so proud!!

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AXEL VERVOORDT OPENS ART GALLERY IN ANTWERP

Gunther Uecker “Black Rain”

source : http://www.axelvervoordtgallery.com

 

In the Vlaeykensgang, located in the city centre of Antwerp, Axel Vervoordt opens a new exhibition space.

He will focus on the ZERO and the GUTAI art, an international movement of the sixties, who sought harmony between man, nature and technology in which light played a dominant role.

For more information : www.axelvervoordtgallery.com

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Wish you a wonderful weekend!

xx