Sign
system
Motivational mottos, by
Space Popular, Point Supreme,
Bureau Spectacular, Colophon
and Émaillerie BelgePHOTOGRAPHY: FREDERIK VERCRUYSSE WRITER: ELLIE STATHAKIÉmaillerie Belge takes its craft very seriously. The
Belgian enamelling company has used the same,
time-honed skills and processes since its foundation
in 1923 – and this heritage is clearly visible in its
bustling workshop in the Forest district of Brussels.
Steel-cutting and welding facilities, enamel-mixing
counters, furnaces and silkscreen-printing surfaces
are surrounded by a colourful array of signage plates
and panels that date back decades and cover most
of the warehouse’s clean, white-plastered walls.
The company was built on creating household
products and later advertising, always working with
steel enamelling. Having weathered ups and downs
during the 20th century, including a decline in the
industry in the 1960s, when a local law limited signage
on public roads, Émaillerie Belge is today the only
enamel company still in operation within the Benelux
countries. After experimenting with materials such as
aluminium and neon in the 1990s, it turned its focus
back to handcrafted, top-quality pieces in steel.
‘The company is all about passion for the art and
craft of enamelling and silkscreen printing,’ says CEO
Vincent Vanden Borre. ‘To this day, enamelling is an
artisanal process, with many colour possibilities and
a very durable product – it has anti-corrosion
properties, resistance to scratches and ultra-violet light,
and graffiti can be wiped off in no time.’
Vanden Borre and his business partner
Tanguy Van Quickenborne, owner of Belgian natural
stone company Van Den Weghe, took over Émaillerie
Belge three years ago. They heard it was in financial
trouble and ‘within two weeks, we decided to go for it’,
recalls Vanden Borre, who is now the company’s sole
head. ‘The original Molenbeek headquarters were sold,
so production moved to the current base in Forest.’
Keen to experiment with the possibilities of
contemporary enamelling, Vanden Borre was the perfect
Handmade partner. He agreed to collaborate on a series
of enamelled plates bearing inspiring, motivational
mottos, designed by three emerging architecture firms:
UK-based Space Popular, Greek firm Point Supreme
and US practice Bureau Spectacular. Award-winning
type foundry Colophon, which has offices in London
and Los Angeles, was invited to be the project’s
font specialist, putting together the typefaces to
complement two of the designs. »ÉMAILLERIE BELGE’S CEO
VINCENT VANDEN BORRE
AT ITS BRUSSELS HQ.
BESIDE HIM STANDS THE
BASE STRUCTURE FOR
SPACE POPULAR’S SHELF
UNIT, READY FOR DETAILINGSee the
finished exhibition
pieces on page 170Making Of...