MiNiMONO FAMILY #23 - ELINE, NIKKI AND ABEL FROM MECHELEN

EVERY FAMILY IS UNIQUE, HAS ITS OWN RHYTHMS, ROUTINES, AND WAY OF CREATING HOME. THROUGH THE MINIMONO FAMILY SERIES, WE LOVE GETTING A GLIMPSE INTO THESE DIFFERENT WORLDS. THIS TIME, WE’RE VISITING ELINE AND NIKKI AND LEARNING MORE ABOUT THE PEOPLE, SPACES, AND MOMENTS THAT SHAPE THEIR EVERYDAY LIFE TOGETHER.

1- CAN YOU INTRODUCE YOURSELVES AND TELL US A LITTLE BIT ABOUT YOUR FAMILY?

HI THERE! WE ARE A FAMILY OF THREE: SIX-YEAR-OLD ABEL AND HIS TWO MOMS, NIKKI AND ELINE. WE LIVE IN THE BEAUTIFUL CITY OF MECHELEN, BELGIUM, WHERE WE LOVE THE MIX OF HISTORY, CULTURE AND A LIVELY, CREATIVE ATMOSPHERE. I (ELINE) AM A SECONDARY SCHOOL TEACHER WITH A GREAT PASSION FOR ART, DESIGN AND INTERIOR. NIKKI IS A COMMUNICATIONS MANAGER AND IS ALSO A FREELANCE GRAPHIC DESIGNER. CREATIVITY IS THEREFORE A BIG PART OF BOTH OUR LIVES. AS A FAMILY, WE VALUE CULTURE, CURIOSITY, EMPATHY AND POLITICAL AWARENESS. WE TRY TO RAISE ABEL WITH AN OPEN MIND AND A GENUINE INTEREST IN THE WORLD AROUND HIM, ENCOURAGING HIM TO BE CURIOUS, KIND AND THOUGHTFUL. ABEL IS SIX YEARS OLD AND HAS JUST STARTED THE FIRST YEAR OF PRIMARY SCHOOL. HE IS A WONDERFULLY CURIOUS LITTLE BOY WITH A HUGE FASCINATION FOR SEA CREATURES AND NUMBERS.

2- WHAT DOES A TYPICAL WEEKDAY LOOK LIKE IN YOUR HOME? ANY SMALL ROUTINES OR RITUALS YOU ESPECIALLY LOVE AS A FAMILY?

BECAUSE WE BOTH WORK LESS THAN FULL-TIME, WE HAVE DELIBERATELY CREATED A RHYTHM THAT ALLOWS US TO SPEND PLENTY OF TIME WITH ABEL AND TO BE PRESENT IN HIS EVERYDAY LIFE. THERE IS ALWAYS TIME FOR PLAYING, CHATTING AND ENJOYING GOOD FOOD TOGETHER. VERY REGULARLY, OUR LIVING ROOM TURNS INTO A LITTLE DANCE FLOOR. THE THREE OF US WILL PUT ON SOME MUSIC AND DANCE AROUND TOGETHER, USUALLY WITH ABEL TAKING THE LEAD. SOMEHOW, THESE SPONTANEOUS DANCE SESSIONS ALMOST ALWAYS END IN WHAT HE CALLS A ‘GROUP HUG’. AFTER SCHOOL, ABEL ALSO LOVES TELLING US EVERYTHING HE HAS LEARNED THAT DAY. IN FACT, SIMPLY TELLING US ABOUT IT IS OFTEN NOT ENOUGH: HE WANTS TO ACTUALLY TEACH US. WE BECOME HIS STUDENTS AND HE BECOMES THE TEACHER, EXPLAINING WHAT HE LEARNED AS IF HE IS STANDING IN FRONT OF A CLASSROOM. 

3- COMMUNITY AND CONNECTION SEEM IMPORTANT IN THE WAY YOU LIVE AND WORK. WHAT HELPS YOU FEEL GROUNDED AND CONNECTED IN DAILY LIFE?

ONE OF THE VALUES THAT IS REALLY IMPORTANT TO US AS A FAMILY IS BEING OPEN TOWARDS OTHERS AND APPROACHING THE WORLD WITH EMPATHY. WE BELIEVE IN KINDNESS, RESPECT AND TRYING TO UNDERSTAND DIFFERENT PERSPECTIVES, EVEN WHEN THEY DIFFER FROM OUR OWN. WE ALSO HAVE A STRONG INTEREST IN CULTURE AND CREATIVITY. WE LOVE GOING TO EXHIBITIONS, DISCOVERING NEW MAKERS AND FOLLOWING THEIR WORK, BUT WE ALSO REALLY ENJOY THE SENSE OF COMMUNITY THAT COMES WITH IT. MEETING PEOPLE WHO SHARE THAT CURIOSITY AND ENTHUSIASM HAS BECOME AN IMPORTANT PART OF OUR LIVES. OUR HOME IS A PLACE WHERE WE LOVE WELCOMING FRIENDS, FAMILY AND NEW ACQUAINTANCES, USUALLY WITH GOOD FOOD AND PLENTY OF CONVERSATION. LIVING IN MECHELEN, WE ALSO TRY TO SUPPORT OUR LOCAL COMMUNITY BY BUYING FROM LOCAL BUSINESSES, INDEPENDENT SHOPS AND CREATIVE MAKERS WHENEVER WE CAN. IT FEELS GOOD TO KNOW THE PEOPLE BEHIND THE THINGS WE BUY AND TO CONTRIBUTE, IN OUR OWN SMALL WAY, TO THE COMMUNITY AROUND US.

4- YOUR HOME FEELS BOTH CALM AND FULL OF PERSONALITY. WHAT MAKES A HOME FEEL SPECIAL OR MEANINGFUL TO YOU?

WHEN WE FIRST VISITED THIS HOUSE, EIGHT YEARS AGO NOW, WE IMMEDIATELY HAD A FEELING THAT WE COULD REALLY FEEL AT HOME HERE. IT HAD ALREADY BEEN LARGELY RENOVATED, BUT IT WAS STILL MISSING A SENSE OF PERSONALITY. IN A WAY, I SAW THAT AS A HUGE PLUS: IT FELT LIKE A BLANK CANVAS THAT I COULD COMPLETELY MAKE OUR OWN. IT DIDN’T TAKE LONG BEFORE THE HOUSE WAS FILLED WITH DESIGN PIECES AND ART, BUT EQUALLY WITH FUN VINTAGE FINDS AND LITTLE TREASURES WE HAD COLLECTED ALONG THE WAY. WE ALSO REALLY LOVE THE FACT THAT OUR HOME LOOKS OUT ONTO A GREEN BOULEVARD. IT GIVES US A LITTLE BIT OF THAT PARISIAN FEELING. THE ABUNDANCE OF SPACE FEELS LIKE A REAL LUXURY AND MEANS THAT WE CAN REGULARLY CHANGE THE FUNCTION OF THE ROOMS. THE POSSIBILITIES ARE ALMOST ENDLESS. SOMETIMES WE STILL DREAM OF A MORE ARCHITECTURAL HOME, BUT WE ALSO REALISE HOW LUCKY WE ARE TO HAVE FOUND THIS PLACE. I PARTICULARLY LOVE LIVING IN A HOME THAT CAN KEEP EVOLVING AND CHANGING. I NEED QUITE A LOT OF VISUAL STIMULATION, SO BEING ABLE TO MOVE THINGS AROUND, CHANGE ROOMS AND CONSTANTLY ADD OR DISCOVER SOMETHING NEW SUITS ME PERFECTLY.

5- ARE THERE ANY OBJECTS, CORNERS, OR FURNITURE PIECES IN YOUR HOME THAT YOUR FAMILY NATURALLY GRAVITATES TOWARD MOST?

I WOULD SAY THAT, FOR US, THE HUGE SOFA BY TYLKO IS REALLY A LITERAL CENTREPIECE OF OUR HOME. THERE’S PLENTY OF ROOM FOR ALL THREE OF US TO CURL UP ON IT, AND WE LOVE WATCHING A GOOD FILM TOGETHER. OUR HOUSE HAS LOTS OF LITTLE CORNERS AND SEPARATE ROOMS, SO THERE IS ALWAYS SOMETHING TO DISCOVER WHEREVER YOU LOOK. SOME OF OUR FAVOURITE PIECES ARE THE ARTWORKS BY NINA MINNEBO, WARD ZWART, EVA LYNEN, KRISTOF SANTY, BONDOSO BANDIDO, STEFHANY LOZANO,.. OUR PINK PIET HEIN EEK TABLE AND BENCH ARE ANOTHER FAVOURITE AND REALLY SEEM TO BRING PEOPLE TOGETHER WHEN WE HAVE FRIENDS OR FAMILY OVER. WE HAD A NEW KITCHEN INSTALLED JUST OVER TWO YEARS AGO, AND IT HAS QUICKLY BECOME ANOTHER PLACE WHERE WE FEEL INCREDIBLY AT HOME. IT TURNED OUT ALMOST EXACTLY AS I HAD PICTURED IT. ONE OF MY FAVOURITE THINGS, THOUGH, IS SEEING ABEL ADD HIS OWN CREATIONS TO OUR COLLECTION OF ART. HE LOVES HANGING HIS DRAWINGS AND LITTLE WORKS ALONGSIDE THE OTHER PIECES, AND HONESTLY, I VALUE THEM JUST AS MUCH. HE NOW EVEN HAS HIS OWN LITTLE GALLERY WALL IN ONE OF THE BEDROOMS.

6- WE KNOW THAT ONE OF THE ETERNAL QUESTIONS IN FAMILY LIFE IS SIMPLY: WHAT SHOULD WE COOK TODAY? SO WE ALWAYS LOVE ENDING OUR INTERVIEWS WITH A LITTLE FOOD INSPIRATION. ANY QUICK, EASY FAMILY DINNER IDEA THAT WORKS ON BUSY WEEKDAYS AND IS LOVED BY EVERYONE AT THE TABLE?

I COULD PROBABLY SHARE ENDLESS IDEAS WHEN IT COMES TO MEALS FOR NIKKI AND ME. ABEL, HOWEVER, DOESN’T HAVE THE MOST ADVENTUROUS PALATE, WHICH DOES LIMIT THE OPTIONS A LITTLE WHEN IT COMES TO THE IDEA OF A “FAMILY DINNER”. ONE THING ABEL ABSOLUTELY LOVES IS PASTA WITH ALL KINDS OF MUSHROOMS. HE’S NOT A BIG FAN OF VEGETABLES (AND THAT’S QUITE THE UNDERSTATEMENT), BUT FOR SOME REASON HE HAS DECIDED THAT MUSHROOMS ARE THE ONE EXCEPTION TO THE RULE. AND HE GENUINELY LOVES ALL OF THEM. SO, ON A WEEKLY BASIS, I FRY UP A WHOLE LOAD OF MUSHROOMS TO GO WITH PASTA: CHESTNUT AND WHITE MUSHROOMS, OYSTER AND KING OYSTER MUSHROOMS, SHIITAKE, ENOKI, CHANTERELLES… YOU NAME IT. LINGUINE IS OUR FAVOURITE TYPE OF PASTA FOR THIS DISH. FOR NIKKI AND ME, I ADD A SHALLOT, THYME, CREAM AND A LITTLE BALSAMIC VINEGAR. FOR ABEL, THE MUSHROOMS SIMPLY GO ON TOP OF HIS PASTA AS THEY ARE. AND OF COURSE, FOR ALL THREE OF US, A GENEROUS AMOUNT OF PARMESAN ON TOP IS NON-NEGOTIABLE.

7- AND FINALLY, WHO IN YOUR FAMILY HAS BEEN USING THE MiNiMONO, AND HOW HAS IT BECOME PART OF YOUR EVERYDAY LIFE?

OUR MiNiMONO TABLE IS USED REGULARLY BY ALL THREE OF US. YOU COULD EASILY CALL IT OUR CREATIVE TABLE. IT LIVES IN OUR STUDIO SPACE, WHERE WE SPEND QUITE A LOT OF TIME MAKING THINGS TOGETHER. ABEL LOVES SITTING THERE TO DRAW, PAINT AND MAKE LITTLE CREATIONS, BUT NIKKI AND I USE IT JUST AS MUCH. IT’S A PLACE WHERE WE CAN SPREAD OUT OUR MATERIALS, START A PROJECT WITHOUT HAVING TO TIDY EVERYTHING AWAY IMMEDIATELY, OR SIMPLY SIT DOWN AND MAKE SOMETHING TOGETHER. THE TABLE IS A PERFECT MATCH FOR THE ALREADY COLOURFUL CHARACTER OF THE ROOM. IT FEELS PLAYFUL AND INVITING, AND SOMEHOW IT REALLY SEEMS TO ENCOURAGE CREATIVITY. I LOVE THAT IT’S NOT JUST A BEAUTIFUL PIECE OF FURNITURE IN OUR HOME, BUT SOMETHING THAT IS GENUINELY USED AND LIVED WITH EVERY DAY.