The making of a magical Christmas with Daniel Ost

It’s the most wonderful time of the year! Lights twinkle in the background while loved ones gather with raised glasses and high spirits, when thoughts turn to delighting those we love most and decorating the house becomes a family affair.

Nodding to the familiar festive nostalgia, this winter, we’ve collaborated with internationally renowned Belgian flower house Daniel Ost to transform the Village into a twinkling wonderland – one that ushers in cosiness, festive cheer and the immense love that‘s felt at Christmas time.

With a treasure trove of sparkling installations, floral decorations and a ten-metre-high fir tree as the pièce de resistance, the Daniel Ost team have created a magical Christmas at Maasmechelen Village for all to enjoy.

When Daniel and Marie-Anne Ost founded their business 'Floreal' in 1978, no one would have dared to hope where the company stands today. What started as a small, local flower shop in Belgium has grown into a leading, globally renowned flower house and is home to its very own flower academy.

Today, it’s headed up by his daughter Nele Ost and son-in-law Yann Callaert, taking roles as creative and business directors. Together with their international team, including landscapers and seasoned florists trained in-house, they create bespoke floral installations, top-level gardening and landscaping designs – including the decorations you’ll find in the Village.

In the Ost family home, the Christmas period has always been dedicated to tradition and cosy times spent together with family. As a child, daughter Nele and her brother decorated the family tree – always classic in design – annually, adorned with ornaments they collected and treasured over the years.

This sense of nostalgia is translated into this year's decorations at Maasmechelen Village, with greens, reds and golds splayed across the Village, together with natural materials such as the berries and branches of various flowers and shrubs.

There’s, of course, a traditional ten-foot Christmas tree, as well as a small forest that’s peppered with thousands of twinkling bulbs – the perfect spot for your next selfie.

At Concierge Services, you’ll find our alternative tree, adorned with non-conventional decorations. And in The Apartment – home to our private shopping suites – you’ll find Japanese-inspired designs, reminiscent of our first collaboration with Daniel Ost just over a year ago, where the team created a serene Japanese-inspired oasis in The Apartment’s gardens.

Where possible, Daniel Ost works with environmentally conscious suppliers who ensure the flowers, plants and trees used in their displays are obtained sustainably.

As an example, for this year’s decorations, the Christmas tree supplier has committed to compensating their 'footprint' as much as possible. This includes ensuring that the trees themselves are native to Denmark and sourced as locally as possible.

Plus, for every tree that ends up being cut down, a new one is planted to keep the greenery in balance.

The collaboration with Daniel Ost forms part of Boldly Belgian, a campaign which honours Belgian creativity with curated collaborations that celebrate the quirkiness of Belgian lifestyle, art, design, and gastronomy.

So far, the initiative has seen high-profile campaigns like A Cartoon Village, an exciting collaboration with renowned Belgian cartoon and comic artist Kim Duchateau, and most recently, Love Imperfection, a bold and empowering Village takeover by Her Royal Highness Princess Delphine of Saksen-Coburg.

As an internationally renowned flower house with years of experience creating flower arrangements and botanic art projects all over the world, Daniel Ost is the ultimate representation of Belgian style and savoir-faire. We can’t wait to share their magic with you this holiday season.