Peaceful interior, vibrant exterior

The walls of our houses and apartments offer a window into the many stories and life projects of our renters. How can you combine an urban pace with the peace and quiet you need for concentration? Gloria has found the answer.

When you enter, you can’t fail to notice the vintage pieces that decorate the living room. New properties have the advantage that everyone can imprint their own style on them. The ’50s furniture fits in perfectly. “I found it on Facebook marketplace,” explains Gloria, inviting me to sit down.

She tells me about her search: “My daughter is at the Tivoli school, a few streets away from here. So I was looking for a home in the neighbourhood.” But as she freely admits, there aren’t many good two-bedroom apartments in the area. The opportunity to move into Felicity, whose building works she watched as a neighbour, came just at the right time.

For this translator, who teleworks every day, peace and quiet is an absolute necessity.  “I’m able to concentrate here. When I want to unwind a little, I take a breath of fresh air on the terrace at the back.”

The young urban dweller did not move into this part of the capital by chance. “Brussels will never be Barcelona, but the neighbourhood is full of life.” And she tells me what makes the area so dynamic: Tour & Taxis, the new bars and foodtrucks, the ‘Be-Here’ sustainable village, the ‘Greenbizz’ project incubator and all the other developments around the canal.

Both inside and outside the apartment, Gloria has found what she was looking for: “The spaces are well organised in the apartment. It’s bright and well designed. And, last but not least, the communal areas are well managed.”