This month, squeezing myself into a subway car packed with commuters heading to work was, secretly, kind of enjoyable. For some people, that crowded little space might be a fleeting rest stop before the day's battle begins,

but for me, in that same window of time, I'd already traveled to Belgium and back. What am I talking about? Swept along in the crowd, dazed, riding the subway,

the moment I opened Belgium Design Trip, I instantly became a traveler following Eun-kyung Ji through Belgium.

If you could become a traveler like that every single morning, I think anyone's walk from waking up to heading out the door for work

could feel exciting.

Until I turned the very last page, this book was in my hand every single time I stepped out of the house. Honestly, I didn't want to

put it in my bag. Partly because I meant to pull it out again soon, but honestly, mostly because I wanted to show it off. The cover,

patterned after Belgian embroidery, is just that beautiful. With the front done in graphics

and the back in photography, just holding this gorgeous book tight in my hands made me feel, somehow, like I'd taken on

some quality of Belgium itself: beautiful without being excessive, practical without being cold, natural without being

unkempt.

Open the book and you can work through, step by step, the elements that make up Belgian design: architecture and cities,

food, fashion, spaces, art, and designers. At times while reading I genuinely couldn't tell whether I was reading a design travel book

or a magazine devoted to Belgium, the content was that current and that essential.

And beyond the substance of the writing, photographer Sebastian Stützer's beautiful photographs, included throughout,

lifted the whole book's flavor even further. On top of that, the meticulous design carried through to every small detail inside was, honestly, the kind of thing that made me want to own it

outright.

I knew the Smurfs, I knew Patrasche, but this book was the first time in my whole life I'd actually explored the country of Belgium

in any direct way. So the stories and scenery I met on every single page grabbed hold of me instantly.

Guy Chocarte, Jules Wabbes, Pompilio's hats, Diamond Street: all of it was new to me. If I had to put it into words,

I'd say three flavors created a kind of synergy: flavorful writing, the flavorful design scattered throughout Belgium,

and the flavorful shape of the book itself.

I love books enough that I don't tend to badmouth any of them, but I'm also stingy with praise. Still,

in front of Belgium Design Trip, I can't help myself. I'll admit that even writing this post, I got a little worked up.

But there's one thing I want to tell you: on the day I finished the book, my list of dreams

gained a new entry: "Travel to Belgium."

Belgium Design Trip