New doors open!

When I want something, I go for it. That’s the attitude that lead to 2 x 2: two Sanseveria Bagel restaurants and two houses I rented out to guests from home and abroad. It’s also ambition and entrepreneurship that require and deserve choices. That’s why I close the door of the Airbnb at Frère Orbanstraat in Ostend gently, yet with great prospects and new challenges!

But first… a flashback to 2015!

I spotted a renovated mansion from 1932 which became the perfect operating base to scour Ostend: close to the centre, the beach, and green areas. Yes, we can be proud of what this seaside resort has to offer! It is a lovely mix of a rich history and new activity. And I wanted to take guests from home and abroad on a trip to discover it all.

It was the start of an ambitious hunt for unique pieces with a history. I picked up all kinds of bargains through online auctions and vintage stores, and filled travelling cases with finds: a vintage Carrara-marble table, a liquor cabinet on wheels, knickknack from London and Amsterdam, and personal souvenirs. I added family heirloom and combined it with new stuff that I deliberately bought at local stores. Hunting and collecting, love it! The result was a fresh, eclectic and slightly nostalgic interior.

A warm feeling

The house at Frère Orbanstraat was alive (read: peeped and creaked once in a while), it was a place to find peace or just prowl about. But most of all, a place where guests were looking for and found the feeling of home.

And like my grandmother used to say: “Bertje, a warm feeling, that’s what sticks”. That’s the thought I keep in mind in all my enterprises.

Written on 21/02/2020 by Bert