O M A R C I T Y . W O R L D

À Anvers, le duo fondateur d’Omarcity nous ouvre les portes de son lieu de vie hybride, à la fois guesthouse, maison familiale et espace de création. Un intérieur vibrant, inspiré de leurs voyages et façonné par les rencontres qui s’y succèdent. 👉🏽Après avoir parcouru le monde, Heleen et Pieter ont choisi de poser leurs valises, avec leurs trois enfants – Omar, 9 ans, Louisa, 7 ans, et Ray, 4 ans – au coeur du quartier populaire et en plein essor de Borgerhout, à Anvers. Derrière la porte cochère rayée de bleu et de blanc, cette maison de maître du 19ème siècle, ancien bâtiment industriel et demeure familiale, abrite désormais un projet singulier baptisé Louisatown : une galerie, un showroom et un espace événementiel, ainsi qu’un atelier de co-création et une maison d’hôtes, réunis sous le même toit que leur vie de famille. Au moment de repenser l’espace, le couple a tenu à préserver l’histoire du bâtiment : vitraux colorés, coupoles de verre et ancien bureau du directeur dialoguent aujourd’hui avec un aménagement contemporain et lumineux, pensé comme un écrin pour accueillir la création sous toutes ses formes. 📷 : @eefjedeconinck & @sennevanderven / mots : @anne_aziliz #milkmagazine #viedefamilledumilk #milkfamily #anverslife

HAVE A SEAT - MEET... strange to say OMARCITY STUDIO :) As a studio we specialise in co-creation, design and curation. During winter we settle in Portugal, where new ideas flourish and connections with local artisans grow deeper. Our work bridges geographies and disciplines, blending global inspiration with local craftmanship. For Have a seat we unveil a brand-new collection: IGNEO SARDÃO. A sculptural chair and side table in one, created in collaboration with Tucurinca for the seat 'Igneo', with Portuguese weaving studio Fabricaal for the 100% wool cushion on top and a table top made with recycled plastic from Bel Albatros. #thisisantwerp #haveaseat #expo #creativehubantwerp #omarcityworld #omarcity #BarOmar #Omarcitydesigners #Omarcity #tucurinca #fabricaal #belalbatros #handmade #woven #sustainabledesign #slowdesing #collectibledesign #handwoven #recycled #table #outdoorfurniture #interiordesign #eyecatcher

PULL A FACE — ANN RIKKERS Vernissage 29/05 — 4–10 PM 31/05 — 10 AM–4 PM On view until October ’26 Te Boelaerlei 69, 2140 Borgerhout At Bar Omar, we show what moves us — what sparks, shifts, or opens new paths. Sometimes things don’t feel planned; they simply unfold. This exhibition grew exactly like that. Eight years ago, a yellow smiley balloon announced Louisa’s birth. Since then, it keeps returning — a small sign that lingers. A year ago, Ann created a small smiley tabouret. It was sold, yet never really gone — it instantly brought back a smile. Because that’s what art should do. It should move something. A smile, a frown, curiosity, discomfort — something that makes your face respond. Ann Rikkers didn’t plan ceramics; ceramics found her. What began by chance became her language: color, form, play. Her work is direct, energetic, fun and alive — an extension of her drawings, made tangible. That’s the magic of Ann Rikkers. It makes you feel, it makes you “pull a face”. #baromar #omarcity #omarcityworld #omarcityexpo #antwerpart

Remember our upside-down Summer-in-Winter sale? ☀️❄️ It got us thinking about one of the biggest questions since day one at Omarcity: do we keep stock… or create each piece only when it’s truly wanted? For us, handmade furniture is all about intention. Every lounge, bench and love seat takes time, space, craftsmanship and a whole lot of love. So instead of endlessly restocking, we’re choosing to grow a little more consciously — creating pieces that are truly meant to find a home. ✨ That’s why this summer’s stock is super limited: • only 10 lounges • 1 bench • and 4 love seats Once they’re gone… they’re gone 👀 BUT — until the end of May, you can still order your own custom piece for July delivery 💛 So… be quick or be sitting on the floor 😏

If you have the perfect chair, finding the perfect table is sometimes harder than expected. Our standards were high: beautiful design, easy maintenance, outdoor proof, suitable for seaside living… the list kept growing. But impossible? Apparently not. Meet the ALU table — the winner of our search for “the one”. Clean design, indoor & outdoor friendly and made to pair perfectly with our Tucurinca chairs, or the rest of the ALU family if you feel like mixing things up. ☀️

DEZE ZONDAG ZIJN WIJ EEN CANDY SHOP VOOR DE MAMA’S 🍬 Al tien jaar mama … Voor ik mama werd, leefde ik alsof elke dag geplukt moest worden. Ik zocht avontuur in verre horizonten, lange nachten, nieuwe plekken en eindeloze beweging. De wereld moest groot zijn, bruisend en vol verhalen. Een dag zonder herinneringen voelde als een verloren dag. En toen kwam Omar. Het stilstaan kwam vanzelf. Ik vond rust in het gewoon samen zijn. In wandelen zonder haast, koffiemomentjes in alle rust, kijken hoe Omar groeide — en daarin alles vinden wat ik nodig had. Plots werd mijn wereld kleiner. En tegelijk voller dan ooit. De ontdekkingsdrang bleef gelukkig bestaan. Alleen anders. Niet meer altijd groter of zotter (oké… soms nog wel 😅), maar dieper. Meer natuur. Meer eenvoud. Meer kleine, grote avonturen. En eerlijk: met drie kindjes is er vaak al avontuur genoeg. Als mama wil ik vooral liefde doorgeven. Zelfvertrouwen. Zachtheid. Positiviteit. Creativiteit. Ondernemerschap. Het gevoel dat alles kan en dat er altijd meerdere paden zijn. Of we nu onderweg zijn met Blinkie, in ons kleine huisje in Portugal, of gewoon thuis in Louisatown — die drang naar carpe diem is gebleven. Alleen wil ik vandaag van het gewone iets bijzonders maken. De tafel mooi dekken. Ons kleine huisaltaartje verzorgen. Geurkaarsen aansteken. Ons ochtendmomentje met koffie en chocomelk koesteren. Samen in de zetel kruipen om voor te lezen. Knuffelen. En ja… mezelf onderweg ook niet vergeten. Die kleine dingen probeer ik vast te houden. Er bewust tijd voor te maken, waar we ook zijn en wat de dag ook brengt. Want uiteindelijk zit geluk niet in grootser of verder. Maar in samen. Omarcity groeide eigenlijk uit dat mama-zijn. Uit het verlangen om iets betekenisvol te creëren — voor onze en dé next generation. Een plek vol design, kunst en kleine dingen die van een huis een thuis maken en van momenten herinneringen. Een beetje alsof alle mama’s hier even Alice in Wonderland mogen zijn. ✨

WE’RE BACK — OPEN DOORS EVERY SUNDAY IN MAY (10:00-16:00) Starting May 3rd, Bar Omar opens its doors again. Sometimes simply for a drink, a chat, and a slow sunday vibe. Sometimes with something extra — something to inspire, surprise, and spark new ideas in art, design, and life. Always ready and happy to guide you trough our (outdoor) collections and showroom. After Portugal, one thing stayed with us: the power of connecting people. So here we are — creating space for exactly that. ✨ FIRST EDITION — MAY 3 Discover our latest expo still on view “Our House” — a heartfelt expo and book by Katrien Hendrickx, Mieke Verbijlen & Renilde De Peuter. A project rooted in a shared love for children’s art, nature, collecting, photography, and play. “Our House” is a safe place — a nest for creativity, imagination, and inspiration. Expect a poetic mix of children’s drawings, paintings, bricolage, travel photography, and visual stories inspired by art history and craft. A book for dreamers, makers, and anyone who remembers endless childhood afternoons lost in play. Bring your inner child. Come wander, discover, connect — and stay a while. We’ll be here. 🖤

We went quiet for a while — and this is why. We’re back in Belgium now. Still arriving, still settling, still figuring out how we feel. It’s a strange in-between. Are we happy to be back? Yes, in a way. Are we sad to have left our life in Portugal? Also yes. Living between places, year after year, shifts something in you. We’ve built a life across two worlds, and we embrace that fully. It feels rich — like having the best of both. But it’s not always easy. We don’t really choose one over the other; instead, we keep stepping into different rhythms, opening ourselves to new perspectives, again and again. In Portugal, there is space. Not just physically, but mentally. People take their time. They talk, they support each other, they don’t rush or push. There’s room to think, to feel, to stay connected. We built a community there that truly feels like home. Nature is always close, grounding us in a way that’s hard to explain, but easy to feel. Belgium is different. Life here can feel almost like a perfectly staged set — everything works, everything is possible. Ideas come quickly, plans grow fast. We have to stay mindful: not to take on too much, not to say yes to everything, even though we love to connect and create. Our roots are here — our network, our people — and that matters deeply. And then, this year, there was a third place. A third home: Calipo. Somehow, everything came together there. Our worlds, our people, our ways of living — meeting naturally through art, design, music, and life itself. Surrounded by the Portuguese landscape we love so much, in a region where tradition meets new energy, it felt special. At times, almost unreal. And even without owning it, we feel deeply grateful for what we were able to build there. With “O Vagar d’Omar”, we wanted to share all of this with you. We hope those who joined could feel it too — and maybe carry a piece of it back home. Share it. Pass it on. It’s our way of bringing these worlds together, and inviting others to experience it as well. Pay it forward — and the rest will follow.

Today it’s Revolução dos Cravos in Portugal… Or how a Flower Became the Symbol of Portugal’s Revolution! Cravo embraces the ideas of love, devotion and fascination… it’s the symbol for freedom and peace for the Portuguese people. The Cravo rug is a collaboration between Omarcity and Ana María Gómez (Studio Amgs). The rug was designed during a residency in Portugal in 2023 and the production is carried out in collaboration with the Belgian company Bomat. Cravo, challenges traditional tapestry boundaries with its organic shape, waves, and dynamic colour saturations achieved through tie-dye techniques.The colors we used are an abstraction of the colors of the beautiful Alentejo coastline. It’s a very unique pallet of unexpected and unusual, yet harmonious and kind color combinations. It’s like they speak their own language.

Silence. Wow. So much has happened over the past weeks that we didn’t quite know where to begin. But it feels right to start with the heart of it all: *INTERWOVEN*—the expo and outcome of a one-year residency with ten designers from Belgium and Portugal, set in the palácio of Calipo. Thank you, @almeida_felipa , for being our partner in crime—our wingwoman. We complement each other in a way that simply works. What we created together feels like poetry. Thank you to the ten designers—for your talent, ambition, creativity, and strong presence. It was an honour to shape a space where your work could truly shine. @silvanovelletto @fanta_sque @m_a_c_h_e_i_a @liaraquelmarques @margaridalpereira @lerry_ceramics @partine__ @atelier.balance and Laure @pillars_pillars_pillars Thank you, @filipapintodasilva , for translating this story into images. Your energy and engagement made a real difference. And thank you, @calipo_alentejo , @lionelbensemoun and @matildeomf —for holding it all. The palácio, the gardens, the horses, the people, the atmosphere. It wasn’t just a backdrop; it became part of the story.

🌞 It’s tomorrow 🌞 Our Interwoven exhibition curated with @omarcity.world is opening at 3pm at @calipo_alentejo We look forward to seeing you with Ysaline Ophoff @atelier.balance Lucie Schweitzer @fanta_sque Helena Novelletto @silvanovelletto Laure van Brempt Lerry Ceramics @lerry_ceramics Lia Raquel Marques @liaraquelmarques Iany Gaio and Lucrezia Papillo @m_a_c_h_e_i_a Margarida L. Pereira @margaridalpereira Tine Peeters @partine__ Tapestry by @fantasque in collaboration with @liaraquelmarques 📷 @filipapintodasilva The exhibition is also opened on Sunday from 11 to 7 pm.

Discover creativity on Sunday afternoon at our INTERWOVEN festival. We’ve prepared three inspiring, hands-on workshops, each led by one of the exhibition’s designers. Please RSVP by replying to this message or emailing [email protected] so we can plan accordingly. BRAIDING WITH PALM LEAVES- Atelier Balancê Learn a variety of braiding techniques using 3, 5 or 7 leaves—straight, spiral, zigzag and more—while enjoying a free, creative flow. Small groups (4–12 participants) ensure a personal experience. The workshop begin with a short introduction to the palm leaves (Chamaerops humilis) and the harvesting process. Open to adults and kids. Price €25 Duration: 2 hours. (14h-16h) UPCYCLING FOAM - Margarida L. Pereira. Dive into the playful Upcycling Foam Workshop. Experiment with textures, shapes, and imagination while transforming discarded materials into something unexpected. Open to adults and kids (children welcome with an adult) Price: €25 Duration: 2 hours. (14h-16h) MAKING BY UNMAKING - Laure van Brempt What happens when you try to create from existing materials by examining their structures and patterns, and responding to them by pulling out threads? Discover how this process not only reveals hidden knowledge, but also opens up new rhythms, patterns, and other material qualities. Open to adults and kids (from 10y). Price: free Duration: 2 hours. (12-14h)