My friend Maxime Heirbaut (and boyfriend of Strutter View's Britt Valkenborghs) opened the HAY…read moreFlagship Store in Antwerp last week. I'm an interior design addict, especially if it's Scandinavian, so I had to go.
HAY is all about cozy minimalism: pure lines with natural materials and playful colours. The mix of furniture pieces and a wide range of accessories makes it accessible for everyone's wallet.
The location of the HAY store is remarkable too. You have to go through an ally to get to the shop, so there's no display window. A bold choice for a shop, but HAY already has quite a firm fan base, so I guess it won't be a problem in the end.
The building was an old orphanage, which iron cribs gave the name to the entire street, IJzerwaag (coming from 'ijzer' and 'wieg', which means 'iron crib' in Dutch). Now the building is light with lots of windows.
I especially recommend HAY for its office accessories. Colourful maps and storage items, pretty block notes, rulers and so on... The brand has turned the dull into the delightful.