Gem of a shop for decorations

Antwerp in Belgium, best known for its diamond dealing, is home to one of the smallest but most thrilling Christmas decoration shops in Europe, writes ALANNA GALLAGHER

FORGET Christmas markets. One of the best places to buy festive ornaments is Antwerp. Amidst the art galleries, antique stores, the too-cool-for-school fashion concept stores and the hip 20th century design boutiques there is a curious little anomaly, a gem of a place, called Antiques Ornaments. The tiny shop is the size of a chocolate box and is one of the reasons why many Christmas crazy tourists make the pilgrimage to the world’s diamond capital.

The shop sells antiques as well as the best display of Christmas ornaments ever to grace such a small space. From Schiaparelli pink trumpets to grinning Cheshire cats and colourful pirates, all the pieces are hand-blown and hand-painted and range from the traditional to the totally whimsical.

Christel Dauwe, the woman behind the 10-year-old venture, takes the business of Christmas seriously. “I was born with this obsession,” she admits: “By the end of October I have put up all the decorations in my house.” Every window is garlanded. And in cabinets throughout her home sit some of her own private collection of antique ornaments. She has 5,000. She also decorates three Christmas trees, every year without fail. One measures two metres tall and stands in her cathedral hallway.

Christel set up her ornament business after searching for styles for her own family tree, adding: “I found the ones I wanted but I had to buy a minimum of 200 of each design to complete the order.” And so a business was born.

Ornament tourists from as far as Japan and Australia are glad that she took the plunge. The shop has a choice of some 2,000 styles that range from the kitsch to the ultra chic. All are designed by Christel with some help from her professional ballet-dancing daughter, Nini de Vet. Curiously, dancer daughter Nini prefers Alice in Wonderlandas a festive theme to the traditional Nutcracker.

Christel also sells antique lighting and old costume jewellery – which aren’t listed on the site – but her selection includes art nouveau and art deco designs, as well as pieces from the 1950s by Miriam Haskell, Juliana, Monet and Farhner and Swarovski.

Madonna’s personal shopper is reported to have bought ornaments from Christel, although it is unclear whether they were for herself or for pop’s first lady. Fashion designers Dries Van Noten and Ann Demeulemeester, two of the Antwerp six that first put the city on the global mode map back in the 1980s, are also fans.

And when you’re through repair to Ra, a cool concept shop that offers cutting-edge labels from Akira Naka through our own John Rocha to Yuima Nakazato as well as fantastic vintage from the likes of Thierry Mugler, Azzedine Alaia and Hermes. Ra Kitchen is a little cafe adjoining the premises where you can digest your purchases.

And if you want to bring home some stocking fillers then head to Del-Ra, the diamond standard in Belgian chocolates. Armchair travellers, it is worth noting that both ornaments and chocolates can be delivered to anywhere in the world.

Delivery to Ireland takes four to seven working days.

Antiques Ornaments, Kloosterstraat 85-87, Antwerp. Tel: 00-32-3238-3362 or anti ques-ornaments.com.

Ra, Kloosterstraat, 13, tel 00-32-3292-3780.

Del-Ray, Appelmansstraat, 5. Tel: 00-32-3470-2861 or visit its site at delrey.be/en/.