Belgian Design | Universo Positivo Furniture

During our Function+Form Design Tour in Antwerp, we were introduced to three Belgian furniture brands - Ethnicraft, Universo Positivo and Notre Mond inside one of the oldest buildings in the city. Located just off the Kloosterstraat (which is the place for antique and vintage shopping by the way) and dating from 1541, this beautifully higgledy-piggledy building is now home to seasonal concept store Quatuor. Across three floors, each room stems from a narrow staircase, leading through to other smaller spaces all styled for the winter season with pieces of wooden furniture from these collections. Unfortunately, as the light was somewhat lacking, I'm sharing my picks from Universo Positivo's Look Book instead. I promise you won't be disappointed...The brand was initiated by Ethnicraft (to be featured next week) and husband and wife design team Jan and Lara who collaborate on each collection with eight other European designers. In 2013 the team debuted their collection at Maison & Objet in Paris with its contemporary, minimalist style, featuring warm oak combined with lacquered metal. How could I not fall in love with the simplicity of each piece and how the materials are celebrated for what they are.Jan and Lara wanted to create multifunctional, affordable furniture with a focus on timeless aesthetics. Most importantly though, Universo's products are all produced within Europe, using sustainable materials. I could really see my personal favourite, the Gabbia chair, at the head of a table or as a feature piece in the bedroom - it has such a striking form with its black metal curves.Check back next week to take a look at the Ethnicraft collection, particularly if wooden furniture is your bag...Our Function+Form Bloggers Design Tour to Antwerp was organised in collaboration with Pentacom PR, City Of Antwerp and the Design Centre Winkelhaak.Check out our hashtags on social for more: #BloggersTourAntwerp #WeAreFunctionAndForm.