populuxe

I discoverd this fantastic modern jewelry designer named Christa Reniers. She is Belgium's top jewelry designer. Her workshop and flagship store are located in the trendy downtown Brussels. She also has 2 other stores located in Antwerp and Ghent.

Her designs are taken from organic shapes beautifully crafted into modern, sculptural forms. Her collection includes sterling silver and 18 k gold jewelry as well as decorative objects.

More photos and interview with Christa after the jump

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Christa was kind enough to answer a few questions for Retro Info...

I really love your jewelry designs. Your bio says you are a self-taught designer. How did you teach yourself to design jewelry?

----- Since I was little I was always making things and in my twenties I started to make jewelry in cernit and polyester. Back then I didn't know how to make jewelry in silver or gold. In 1989 we decided to open a shop with some friends. There I sold jewelry from Tom Binns, Robert Lee Morris, Jacqueline Rabun, Hervé Van der Straeten and so on. For reparations we worked with a local very classic jeweler who knew a caster and with the material I got from my father-in-law who was a dentist (a lot of the tools dentists used back then ,like the waxes, the abrasives,..were similar) I made some simple rings that sold!

How did you get your start?

----- During the beginning of the Gulf War my first son was born, business was very bad at that time and the friends who had started the shop with us retired, so we decided to stop too.
Some months later I made my first collection, my husband went on the road with it and we sold in the best Belgian clothing shops.
In 1995 we opened a very small shop and in 1999 we moved to a bigger and better location and we are still there. Now we have shops in Antwerp and Ghent.

What inspires you?

----- I'm inspired by a lot. Mainly books and magazines of the 50's, 60's and 70's about design and architecture.

Your stores look very sleek and modern.
Did you design your stores?

----- The stores are designed together with our architect Frank Degroeve. We choose the furniture, a mix of mid century design, vintage and reproductions. All the displays I use are vintage. They are Belgian ceramics from the 50's and 60's, Scandinavian candle sticks of the 60's, white porcelain vases from Germany with beautiful textures.

What is it like to live and work in Brussels?
Is modernism a big trend there?

----- Brussels is not that big and it is still possible to live generously, you can really eat very well here, there are a lot of delicious restaurants. You will find a lot of beautiful Art Nouveau houses in Brussels. Modernist houses are more difficult to find especially in the center, they are mostly situated outside the center in the greener parts of the city and of course we don't know them all, there are probably some hidden treasures. One really beautiful bungalow somewhere in the fields some kilometers from the center is by the late Belgian architect Willy Van der Meeren who built it in 1962.

Have you ever been to the Atomium?

----- There are also some pavillions of Expo 58 left in the neighbourhood of the Atomium but unfortunately not a lot. The Atomium is something we see a lot but don't really notice anymore. It has always been there.

My husband and I plan on going to Brussels for vacation. What are some of your favorite places in Brussels?

----- My favorite place in Brussels is downtown, I live there with my family, there is a flea market everyday, several secondhand bookshops, thrift stores, shops with vintage design, good restaurants and clothing shops.

More more info about Christa Reniers Jewelry, visit her website.
Brussels store
rue A. Dansaertstraat 29
T 0032/2/ 510.06.60
open from Monday to Saturday,
10.30 - 13.00 and 14.00 - 18.30

Christa looks a lot like American acress Drew Barrymore, don't ya think?

We are very excited to go to Brussels, hopefully within the next few months. We are looking forward to seeing the Atomium, downtown Brussels and especially Christa's store. Christa was kind enough to offer to be our guide! Thanks!