Mesa is a food sharing restaurant in Kloosterstraat by the team behind Tomorrowland. It’s also a special place for me because my husband’s architect’s firm, Dieter Vander Velpen Architects, designed the interior. You can enjoy flavours from around the world in a cosy interior, with plenty of wood and green touches. The menu is inspired by the festival’s “Tastes of the world” concept. You can tell from the design in the steel world map on the wall, but personally I think that the real eye-catchers are the very tall bar and the large window that looks out on the patio with the plant sculpture.

Kloosterstraat 99, 2000 Antwerp

Pilar is a hotel, restaurant and shop rolled into one. The perfect location for anyone who is planning a weekend getaway to Antwerp. On sunny days, you can have brunch on the nice terrace with a view of the Royal Museum of Fine Arts and watch the petrolheads drive past on the cobbles of Leopold De Waelplaats. You can also sit inside in the lovely design interior, where they serve breakfast, lunch, drinks or dinner. In fact, you can even spend the whole day there if you want. Don’t forget to take a peek in the shop, which sells smaller design accessories.

Leopold de Waelplaats 34, 2000 Antwerp

Antwerp is home to several good vintage shops, but one of the best is Modest Furniture, in Mechelsesteenweg, in my opinion. They sell a lot of Scandinavian design from the 50s and 60s, in addition to Italian and Swiss design from the 70s. Modest Furniture has an eye for unique items, that combine quality materials with delicious simplicity. If you’re worried that the armchair won’t fit in your luggage, buy a stunning lamp instead or have it shipped.

Mechelsesteenweg 255, 2018 Antwerp

Want to get away from the masses? Head to Middelheim Museum, an Antwerp classic that combines nature with art. Here you can find works by artists like Ai Wei Wei, Corey McCorckle and a pavilion by Renaat Braem, but I think John Körmeling’s Artists’ Entrance is one of the most remarkable pieces in the collection. When you enter the museum via the entrance at the corner of Middelheimlaan and Lindendreef, you run into this pink pavilion, which the artist named Artists’ Entrance. The design takes its inspiration from the petrol stations of the 1950s although its curves refer to nature. The canopy lists the name of the artists whose works you can see in the museum.

Middelheimlaan 61, 2020 Antwerp

Every home should be filled with green friends if it were up to me. The Plant Corner is a unique concept in Antwerp, focussing on all things plant-related. Here you can find a new cactus for your bestie’s birthday, as well as coffee table books for people with a green thumb, air plants, moss balls, or the most beautiful watering cans which you will be happy to leave in view after using them. Husband and wife Yannick and Sofie welcome you to their green oasis with a smile and are happy to share advice and tips on how to keep your plants happy. It’s always a pleasure to be here, whether for a workshop or to treat yourself to a new house plant.

Isabellalei 144, 2018 Antwerp

Espoo opened in 2009 and since then many Antwerp design lovers have found their way here. The showroom includes furniture as well as small home accessories, from Scandi brands like Menu, Hay, & Tradition and Ferm Living. It’s a great place to shop and find inspiration, ask advice and find the perfect gift. One of my favourite things to do on Sundays is to walk down Kloosterstraat, where Espoo is located. The (interior design) shops are open and you can take a walk through the pedestrian tunnel to Linkeroever for the best view of Antwerp’s skyline.

Kloosterstraat 75/77, 2000 Antwerp

Obviously, no visit to Antwerp would be complete without a stop in a beer pub. But not just any beer pub, because you won’t find any sticky tables or faded beer cards here. Instead Spéciale Belge serves local niche beers, in an industrial building, with impressive high ceilings, and one of the nicest terraces in the city. The guys behind the concept hope to open a microbrewery in the building soon and start brewing their own beer. Spéciale Belge is located on the Pakt site, a unique project in old warehouses that is home to various creative businesses, pubs and restaurants, and which is worth a visit in itself!

Regine Beerplein 1 (via Lamorinièrestraat 161), 
2018 Antwerp

Nives recently opened its doors in the renovated 19th-century orangerie in Harmoniepark. At Nives you can pick up freshly-baked bread in the morning or have breakfast, but they also serve lunch and pre-dinner drinks. A sourdough sandwich with muhammara and a home-made iced tea or a glass of rosé and some olives? It’s up to you. You can’t book but no worries: Nives has a large, sunny terrace, with a view of the park, making it the new hotspot in the neighbourhood.

Harmoniestraat 25b, 2018 Antwerp

FEST Amsterdam is next door to Marie-Marie. Femke Furnée founded this Dutch brand in 2013. She was just 26 years old when she launched FEST: an interior brand that combines high-end design with the best possible service, without breaking the bank. The collection features comfy armchairs as well as beautiful home deco items, which are all produced close to home. The furniture collection is produced in Europe, the majority in the Netherlands. FEST thus guarantees a high level of quality and you can always be sure that your new furniture was made in the best conditions.

Steenhouwersvest 16, 2000 Antwerp

Marie-Marie has been the go-to shop in Antwerp for more than 40 years, for qualitative bath and bed linen. The shop, which is run by sisters Valerie and Laurence, is a family business. You can tell by the warm welcome in the shop, because at Marie-Marie, the sales staff help you in a personable way and are knowledgeable about what they sell. The shop has a wonderful collection of bath and bed linen, cushions, plaids, soaps and accessories.  Besides internationally-renowned brands like Missoni, they also produce their own, stunning collection. A great place to shop for gifts or treat yourself to something more luxurious!

Steenhouwersvest 12, 2000 Antwerp