Every other week, together with Sjiek / Het Belang Van Limburg, we propose a Limburg design icon, or one that is well on its way to becoming one. This week it is Belmar from Liane Castermans.

WHAT: Crockery with Belgian and Moroccan style features including a pie plate.

YEAR: 2015

With Belmar, Liane Castermans (° 1990) literally and figuratively mixed the food culture of Belgium and Morocco. She placed typical style elements in her hand in a functional and critical dinner set of plates and cups. Belmar awarded Liane the master’s degree in Product Design in 2015 to LUCA School of Arts in Genk, the city that inspired her to serve multicultural on a small scale.

SWEETS

“I found it remarkable how emotional factors keep appearing in mutual relationships between Belgians and Moroccans. That then inspired me to find a way to start the dialogue between those two cultures, “explains Liane Castermans. It was an excellent opportunity to show that as a critical and committed product designer she is also socially involved in her work.

In Moroccan tea ceremonies, hospitality through sweets is of the same order as a cup of coffee with a piece of pie from our region. “By combining those two cultures, I have come up with a number of very concrete designs,” she says. Belmar included fabric napkins with ‘unclean’ piglets on it, drinking cups made of white porcelain that dominate our Flemish kitchen cabinets – albeit in a Moroccan shape – and a cake dish with a glass bell jar resembling a tajine.

SCALE-ITEMS

When Liane Castermans submitted the design for the ceramic competition of Bokrijk’s BKRK label in 2016 (with which she also won the second prize!), It turned out to be so successful that she has been producing the tableware in her studio since then.

In any case, it has the potential of an evergreen: it is not only beautiful to look at, but also functional and innovative as a snack plate. Certainly with the striking serrated and glazed cake border with terracotta effects, you can proudly present all kinds of goodies to your guests. And put your dishes in the dishwasher without any worry after use. We predict that Belmar is going to be big. Literally too, because with eight points you already serve a whole cake. We are already looking forward to additional crockery from this designer. Because if Liane Castermans puts her mind to it, we think it will be in the pocket.

Set of 8 cake points in red or white, BELMAR x BKRK, 83 euros here on Wanderful.