Wallpaper 12

Photography (Wunderkammer): Tim Van de Velde

PHOTOGRAPHY: JACK WILSON WRITERS: ELLIE STATHAKI, DAVEN WU

Designed by Erik Van Biervliet in the 1960s, the

Museum Dhondt-Dhaenens is one of the most stylish

private art establishments in Belgium, with a treasure

trove of a collection to match. Now, a new project

by artist Hans Op de Beeck, in collaboration with

architect Mo Vandenberghe of Studio MOTO, has been

added to the grounds. The Wunderkammer Residence

transforms an existing 1930s villa on the estate into

a Gesamtkunstwerk to house the museum’s library,

including the personal book collection of Belgian

curator Jan Hoet (1936-2014). The EPDM rubber-clad

DARK MATTER

A black rubber-clad villa in Belgium is in our good books

structure will also host artists, curators, researchers

and writers as part of a residency programme organised

by the museum. ‘The black casing creates an abstract

version of the original, almost kitschy, cottage-style

villa, transforming it into a sculptural, monumental art

piece in the idyllic Leie landscape,’ says Op de Beeck.

The monochrome MDF interior follows the same

approach and provides the perfect backdrop for an

immersive experience, especially orchestrated to

spark dialogue and discovery.

studiomoto.be; hansopdebeeck.com

Tea connoisseurs have long known that

a superior cuppa depends just as much

on the shape of the teapot and cups as

it does on the tea leaves. The Paris-based

founder of Maison des Trois Thés, Yu Hui

Tseng, believes she knows the secret of

the perfect infusion. A collaboration with

porcelain brand Ruyi has resulted in the

Aroma collection of tea accoutrements.

‘An oolong tea will never brew in the

same way as a green tea,’ Tseng says.

Which explains the varied shapes of the

teapots in the collection, each designed

to control oxygenation, moisture and

temperature according to the tea leaf

being brewed. Even the bijoux cups

follow a speciic shape, not least the

angle of the rim, which Tseng designed

to mould just-so with one’s lips.

‘Aroma’ teacup and stand, €70 each; tea

decanter, €75, both by Desmond Chang

and Yu Hui Tseng, for Ruyi, ruyi.global

CUP WINNERS

TEA-PAIRING TIPS

Not only does vessel shape afect how

diferent teas taste, so too does the food

they are served with – so much so that

top restaurants, like Fera in London and

Clooney’s in Auckland, have rolled out

tea-pairing menus. We’ve concocted

our own tea pairings to get you started.

Cup A

Serve: deep roasted oolong, pu’er,

aged oolong. Pair with: steak

Cup B

Serve: green, white and yellow, lightly

fermented oolong. Pair with: seafood

Cup C

Serve: aged pu’er (sheng cha),

pu’er (shu cha). Pair with: foie gras

Cup D

Serve: red, fermented oolong, irst

lush darjeeling. Pair with: chocolate

A

B

C

D

Newspaper

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IN THE RUBBER-CLAD

STRUCTURE, THE LIBRARY,

WHICH COVERS THE FOUR

WALLS FROM FLOOR TO

CEILING, FEATURES

SCULPTURES THAT FORM

A THEATRICAL SETTING

FOR JAN HOET’S PERSONAL

BOOK COLLECTION