A lot of memorable things have happened in the couple of months since I last wrote, and today being a stormy day at home makes it the perfect day for a new blog post 🙂 In time for my birthday last October, Ito and I took a Eurail trip through Belgium and Germany (with a day trip to Amsterdam thrown in for good measure), to discover a side of Europe we hadn’t visited before. One of our travel idiosyncrasies as a couple has been a long standing fascination with train stations, mainly because we don’t have many (any?) in Manila.

The first leg of our trip was a few days in design-savvy Antwerp–after flying in to Brussels it was a quick train ride from the airport to the Antwerp Central Station, one of the most impressive train stations in the world. The domed building seemed more like an elaborate cathedral than a station (it’s no wonder it’s known as the “Railway Cathedral”), with ornate, lacy grillwork and gilded accents that made me want to design a dress in its honor! Visually captivating on many levels (literally and figuratively), this station reminded me that ethereal form and hard-working function are not mutually exclusive and are, in fact, something to strive for in our designs.

L1140459Natural light and gorgeous industrial details

L1140460Domed roof, vaulted ceilings…

L1140466…and well designed efficiency

L1140470A beautiful station makes commuting a pleasure

L1140473Impromptu portrait thanks to the station’s dramatic lighting!

L1140288Where form and function, classicism and modernism, all meet

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