#rueblancheportraits
A series of conversations with friends and customers of Rue Blanche who inspire us in the way they dress, live and look at the world.
SARAH NIELS
It’s an autumn morning in Auderghem, Brussels, and we’re sipping jasmine tea in the kitchen of fourth-generation restaurateur and wine merchant Sarah Niels’ modernist home. Together with her brother Louis, Sarah co-runs the Canterbury, a classic Ixelles brasserie equally known for its interior and cuisine. Accompanied by Roy, the Niels’s small ginger dog, we talk about the soothing power of art and design, working with your family, and parenting two young boys.
Photography © Cécile Hanquet
What’s your home like?
Home is where my family is, and because we’re a family of five, including two energetic little boys and our dog Roy, it’s a lively place to say the least, warm and happy. The kitchen is the heart of the house, where things happen. But my favourite spot is the living room, where we come together when everything’s done. We hang out in front of the fire. My husband and I have a glass of wine and talk. When we’re at home at the weekend, we like to sit and read a book by the living room window, because it has the nicest light. We rarely have the time, though (laughs).
What’s the best book you’ve read in the past year?
Christophe Gevers by Jean-Pierre Gabriel, a recent book devoted to one of the greatest Belgian interior designers of the second half of the twentieth century.
I see a lot of design furniture and modern art in your home. Are you a collector?
My parents have always been avid collectors, and it rubbed off a bit on me. In terms of interior design I admire Christophe Gevers. His work has surrounded me my whole life, since he designed both my parents’ home and the Canterbury, the restaurant I work in. I was lucky to assemble some furniture produced by him.
Gevers has been working with my family for decades. He designed the Canterbury in the 1990s. My family always believed in the importance of design and art to make people feel good, and the way he worked with materials, volume and colour created spaces that were unique, warm and welcoming.
What’s your favourite object in your home?
A plaster lamp by Christophe Gevers. Literally a rare beauty: all the other prototypes were broken when he took them out of their mould.
The natural light in our house is something too, though! I believe a successful building is always a good collaboration between the architect or designer, and the people that will use it. The architect of this house [George Baines] built it for a couple of art dealers. For them light was essential, and you really feel that!
A view into the dining room.
Inside Le Canterbury.
What is the item you will never part with?
A small painting by Karel Appel — Drie beestjes in de nacht (Three little beasts in the night) — that was given to me by my father when I was a young child. Like every child, I occasionally had nightmares, and he told me the animals would keep me safe. Ever since, it moved when I moved.
How does your work affect the way you dress?
For work I try to be elegant and discreet, as a mark of respect to our customers. When I spend time with my family, my clothes have to be comfortable, and I like timeless fashion.
Who do you think has great style?
Lauren Bacall, Charlotte Rampling, Jane Birkin, and Carolyn Bessette. It’s perhaps strange that I am nostalgic for an era I don’t even know. I have it with music too. When I was a child, we used to watch a channel that only broadcast old movies in English, all day long. Perhaps that rubbed off on me too (smiles).
In which garment do you most feel yourself?
A pair of 501 Levi’s and an oversized blazer with generous shoulders.
The kitchen is the heart of the house, where things happen. But my favourite spot is the living room, where we come together when everything’s done.
Living room.
Living room.
You and your brother are the fourth generation of restaurateurs in your family. Quite a history!
Indeed, it dates back to my great-grandfather in 1926 and we are very proud of his legacy. The Canterbury – named after my great-grandfather’s first restaurant – has always been more than a restaurant to me, because it was my father’s and he put his heart and soul in it. Perhaps it’s also why it came naturally to me want to study hospitality in Switzerland.
Of course you genuinely have to like working with your family, but we always had a strong connection. Coincidentally, my brother and I have complementary strengths, which makes working together almost logical: we fill in each other’s blanks. My brother is the more creative one – like my father – and my strength is looking after the organisational side of things. I also believe that working together made it possible for both of us to have a normal family life. When one is away, there is always the other one to rely on.
In the Canterbury.
The Canterbury, The Niels' restaurant in Ixelles.
What ’s always in your fridge?
My mother-in-law’s orange marmalade!
Aside from running the restaurant and Nielsvins, you’re a mother to two young children. How do you manage it all?
I have a lot of help. My husband Charles is a wonderful father. When my husband and I are both working, my mother helps us out with the children. At home there’s the wonderful Rosa, and at the office nothing would work quite so smoothly without madame Nancy. When you’re busy, being surrounded by the right people is essential.
Living room.
What kind of mother are you?
I believe you can only grow if you get love, but loving always comes with boundaries. Our household has a strict no-screen policy, for example. I talk a lot with my children. I love listening to them. When I understand they like something, we try to give them the opportunity to pursue it. For instance, when it became clear to us that George loved music, we bought him a small Casio keyboard and booked piano lessons. Now he takes the keyboard upstairs, into his room, draws the curtains and dances and sings together with his brother!
As a busy woman, what keeps you from going mad with stress?
Basically, I learned that if I want to cope with everything I want to do and be, I need to sleep enough, eat well, and keep moving. Sport is essential for my wellbeing. It has always been a pillar in my life. I used to be a ballerina as a kid, after which I switched to yoga and started swimming frequently. During the summer, we cycle a lot. We love going on cycle holidays with the kids.
The Canterbury – named after my great-grandfather’s first restaurant – has always been more than a restaurant to me, because it was my father’s and he put his heart and soul in it.
Autumn morning in October in front of Sarah Niels' home.
Who do you admire?
I truly admire my parents. It might sound corny, but it’s the truth. They’re really nice people, and funny. Their energy is great. They form a great team and have been together for forty years with love and respect.
Talking about respect, I was wondering: as a restaurateur, how important is etiquette for you?
Perhaps there’s a distinction to make between etiquette and respect. They are both important to me, but I feel that respect might be a more global and wide concept. Respect means listening when it’s your time to listen. It means being kind to people. It means you don’t judge people, whatever your own tradition or education. Etiquette is more dependent on what your specific culture sees as polite and educated.
What do you like to surround yourself with?
I love having art around me. I have a very pragmatic job: every day I measure, prepare, check. There is not a lot of room for movement: it’s all very square. Surrounding myself with art adds air and space.
For me personally, being creative is simply making a nice meal, inviting friends or family, and having a nice afternoon, so I don’t think I have a deep creative streak, but I admire creativity in people. I’m so impressed by my children’s drawings for example. My husband Charles is also very creative! The way Charles thinks is very open and playful. Charles always has new and interesting ideas. When we married he said: “All I can promise is that you will never be bored.” I was really happy when he said that!
Sarah Niels outside her home, wearing Rue Blanche AW24. (Red knit, navy skirt and red hat.)
I love having art around me. I have a very pragmatic job: every day I measure, prepare, check. There is not a lot of room for movement: it’s all very square. Surrounding myself with art adds air and space.
Which artist do you admire?
The Cobra artists.
What is your favourite distraction?
In Brussels: a nice restaurant with my husband, followed by a good movie in town and then maybe a drink or two. At the seaside: a bike ride along the coast and a lunch on the beach with my family.
What is the place you can’t wait to return to?
Our holiday home in Zeeland.
