DreamBoat

garden office

2012-02-10T06:52:00.001-08:00

One of the things that I've recently finished is the conceptual design of an office for an Amsterdam based PR company, Het PR Bureau. They were moving from three smaller offices, scattered around the centre of Amsterdam, to one big space. They were looking for an interior that expressed their core values, an interior that was light, welcoming and warm. And office that people would love to work in. Because most of the staff isn't working at the office all day, they also wanted to motivate flexible working, so less fixed desks and more different types of working spaces. Suitable to work alone in, but also enable working in groups.

The fashion and life style brands that Het PR Bureau represents, needed a good, well lit, showroom, so stylist would easily find the way to the items. Het PR Bureau wanted to make a connection with this more visible part of their work and the work that is a bit less visible, like

writing, creating and all the work 'in the field'.

Another wish was to give space to their other company, PR Stunt, and brining those two offices together. PR Stunt works with a smaller group, and works on lively events and experience types of assignments. This lively, active feel should be expressed in the interior as well.

The big area is is surrounded by a few smaller offices, and a kitchen, and one smaller office is on the front of the street.

The core values and their wishes inspired me to the words garden office. The old meaning of these words are the opposite of a space you would want to work in. But if you translate it literally, you bring the outside in, the garden in your office, where you can breathe and be creative, let ideas grow, and be inspired.

The big space in the middle, the heart, was connected to one of the rooms in front, the room next to it was more separate. To connect all these spaces a wall was knocked out, a door was removed, and I designed a 22 metres long table to connect the front room to the middle room. This table would be suitable for working alone on, but also to work in groups on, to use as display and even as a catwalk.

In the next post I will show you the images of the result. The conceptual design is made by me, DreamBoat. Architect Jasper Westebring made the technical drawings and was there for technical (and moral) support, Maaike Koorman made the visualisations, and did the presentation together with me (next to supllying moral support). Orpheo Jungst did the production of the interior, so he did the styling and the actual buying of all the interior, the translation from concept to reality.

long lost friend

2012-02-10T06:49:00.000-08:00

It's been such a long time since I've last written, I hardly dare posting. It feels like a friend that you haven't called in such a long time, that you hardly dare to call. But I have so much to tell, so much to share and so much to show, that I will start posting as of today!

how it's meant to be

2011-10-29T13:01:00.000-07:00

A few weeks ago, I was working on a styling/photography assignment with Maaike Koorman for a roof garden in Amsterdam, built by the Dakdokters. It was agreed upon that I could borrow furniture and accessories at a shop in Laren, Kerkhof, and a shop in Baarn, Nijhof. The drive through Laren reminded me of a beautiful, insprired, and inspiring shop that I used to visit a lot when I was a stylist for an interior magazine, back in the olden days. I was curious to know if it still is as nice now as it was then, 10 years ago. It was, and it was even better that I remembered. This is a style that I love, and that I hope to be able to one day put in a house, for myself or for a customer. I love the balance between modern and authentic, rough and sleek. The image next to the green chair is made by Mirjam Bleeker.

The shop is called Meker Atelier and the addres is: Mauvezand 2, in Laren (NH).

before and after

2011-10-23T14:00:00.001-07:00

before

after

To let in the light that comes in through the front door, I replaced a closed wooden door for a glass door with a steel, powder coated frame. The railings around the stairs were replaced with cabinets on each side, with a powder coated railing, to make it more slim and elegant.

To keep look of the floor, that was originally concrete, a layer of colored and lacquered cement coating was put on, after the floor heating system was put in. The extra heater is an old design, and gives a bold statement to the living room.

In the kitchen (which was not finished yet when I took the images) one wall is covered with a lot of cabinets, in different shapes, sizes and depths, but all painted in the same color. It hides the oven, it sort of embraces the window, it plays with the light and it creates a lot of storage space. The pink cabinet, around the corner, in the space between the living room and the kitchen, is where the freezer has found its space, and has room for storing cleaning stuff and supplies.

To create more light downstairs we knocked down an wall to create a studio where a separate bedroom was, and we created a room in the bathroom so the light from the master bedroom would also reach the bathroom.

The color scheme is mostly tender hues like soft pink, a lot of different greys and beige, with a few bold colors like the pink of the freezer cabinet, the mustard yellow in the studio and the petrol colored wall in the guest room.

Next step is the curtains and the garden.

I've been working on...

2011-10-23T13:46:00.001-07:00

...a house in Ede, in the east part of Holland. The beautiful house, kind of a house boat on land, has a ground floor with open spaced living room and kitchen, and a floor below sea level with two bedrooms, a studio, a bathroom and storage rooms.

I had the honour to decorate the house, from scratch. That meant deciding on the floor, the kitchen, toilets, sinks, made-to-measure furniture, bathroom, colors, the works. A big job, and a very exciting one.

For a job this big, I take a lot of time with the customer to decide on the style, and the floor plans. I translate the choice we make in mood boards. With these as a hand book I start sketching, that means technical drawings (with help from architect friend Jasper Westebring, of course). With a few options I go back to the customer, and together we decide on a master plan.

I will show you my mood boards first, after that I will show you some images of the result, before all the furniture was moved in. It takes a lot of time to settle in, always, and I can't wait any longer to show you the results.

off the wall

2011-09-17T11:59:00.001-07:00

Sometimes people send me comments on and questions about things that I write on my blog. Unfortunately, I haven't figured out yet how to answer those questions directly. So from now on, I will answer them through my blog. Maybe other people will be inspired as well!

One question I was asked was about the tiles in my kitchen. Our kitchen was featured in Nya Rum, images by Paul Barbera (haven't seen it myself yet), and someone wanted to know where to find them. They were bought at a Dutch tile manufacturer, Mosa. These specific tiles were designed by Koh Liang Ie, originally in the sixties. My parents also had them, in the toilets, and only the ones with the four circles. A few years ago they were brought back to life. They are only available in white, unless you order a lot, like a Concrete did when the designed the beautiful interior for restaurant Envy in Amsterdam.

The first 2 images are made by Paul Barbera.

back in Buenos Aires, in my mind

2011-08-26T12:52:00.000-07:00

Today I took a little trip down memory lane, when I was showing some pictures of our trip to Argentina a few months ago. And I realized that I didn't show half of the better things that I discovered in Buenos Airs. Like this amazing shop in Palermo, Amores Trash Couture. A curious name, and the fact that you have to ring a bell, next to a big white, iron gate, only adds to the curiosity. Once inside, you enter a kind of dreamworld shop where, if it was in a dream, Abba, Andy Warhol, Jacky and Joan Collins, Debby Harris and Madonna would come and shop (or party). The clothes are eccentric and the accessories: I wanted to have them all. But especially the interior was something that will stay in my memory for ever. It's not about fashion, it's about style.

flowers

2011-08-05T03:03:00.001-07:00

This weather, this month, is making me long for fields with flowers. Until my next holiday, France this time, I make do with the work of landscape architect Anouk Vogel.

busy busy

2011-06-15T07:07:00.001-07:00

I'm a bit busy on the design of a house, so I don't have a lot of time to write a lot now. It's a good thing that these images speak for themselves. Interiors and stunning lamps designed by Workstead. Go see for yourself on their website.

new work, new inspiration

2011-06-08T02:01:00.001-07:00

I still owe you my last reports from the best of Buenos Aires, including a visit to a beautiful poloclub with a hotel. But in the mean time we have returned to our beloved Amsterdam. And I'm already working on some exciting new projects. I have been asked to decorate a new house, from scratch, and I'm very happy with this new project. While I was going through some magazines for inspiration, in Marie Claire Maison I stumbled upon an extremely talented, inspiring group of designers/architects in France: Ciguë. They do big projects, like renovating old barns and designing new houses, in breathtaking countrysides. But also smaller houses for which they invent very clever, and cheap solutions. I wish I was them!

Good bye BA, part 5: La Maison

2011-05-11T12:31:00.000-07:00

At the moment, for a few more days, we’re living in a part of Buenos Aires, Palermo Hollywood, that’s famous for its restaurants. You only have to turn a corner, or walk a few steps down the street to have your pick of all the flavours of the world. And lucky us to live quite near La Maison, our favourite restaurant for a cosy night out, with the two of us or with friends. La Maison is run by Fleur, she’s French (or Canadian, I’m not sure), and she and her staff make sure you have a pleasant night.

You can sit outside in the garden, and enjoy the funny drawings on the shutters, or inside where it’s more quiet and formal. Lovely, elegant food like toast with poached egg yolk and truffle, tarte tatin with goat cheese, and gambas au Pastis. Maybe I should go back one more time and make sure that this time I have room for dessert.

Good bye BA, part 4: Voltaire

2011-05-11T11:29:00.000-07:00

One of the things that I like best when I'm traveling is when I've stayed long enough to have a favorite place for coffee at walking distance. And at the moment it's Voltaire, around the corner from where we live, at Carranza y Voltaire. The two friendly owners make the perfect coffee, have the best little chocolate cakes and don't mind if our lively twin girls open all the bags of sugar. That's what I call home!

Good bye BA, part 3: El Arevalito

2011-05-11T11:18:00.000-07:00

When I was planning my trip to Buenos Aires, a lot of people warned me that you really have to be a passionate meat lover because everybody was supposed to be eating meat night and day. Not true! Maybe as a reaction to all the meat, there are a lot of restaurants that excel in vegetarian and/or organic food. So you can choose wether you want to eat meat or be a vegetarian, even for a day.

One of my favourites is El Arevalito. The owner of the restaurant used to live in Amsterdam in the early seventies, where she ran a restaurant in a squat, called Kosmos. She’s a respectable lady now, but she has a free spirit, and her little restaurant breathes her energy and colorfulness. Plus, she and her team of cooks make the loveliest dishes. The menu changes twice a day, for lunch and dinner, so you can be absolutely certain that everything is fresh. A pick: stir fried organic rice with vegetables, toast with caramelized sweet onion with a fried egg and cheese on top, fresh salad with wafer thin sliced radishes, avocado and cucumber, spinach pie. And that was only for lunch.

Sweet Colonia

2011-05-11T10:45:00.000-07:00

Now that we’re almost leaving Argentina, we are very busy finishing our to-do-list. One of the items on it was visiting Colonia del Sacramento, in Uruguay. It is across the river from Buenos Aires, it only takes about an hour by boat, so an easy journey to a lovely, old, romantic little town. Like our first experience with Uruguay, we were enchanted by the sweetness of the people, the respect for nature and culture and the easy pace. And the view on the river, from both sides of the old town, is stunning, especially at sunset.

We had a lucky shot with our hotel, Colonia Suite, which we picked from TripAdvisor, and it was the perfect choice. Colonia Suite is a bed-and-breakfast with three rooms in a lovely house, where we had the big garden room, with our own balcony with stairs to the beautiful garden. The owner, Fred, was the sweetest man, who made us feel really welcome, and prepared a big breakfast for us every morning. He also arranged a wonderful dinner in Energais, a private restaurant in town, where we had drinks before dinner in the garden under the stars, between giant cactuses (which we incidentally had been admiring during the day) and a view on the river and Buenos Aires.

Bikes with passion

2011-05-11T07:09:00.000-07:00

I love people that work with passion, I love elegant, sexy, clean designs, and I especially love it when they are environmentally friendly.

And, being Dutch, the easiest form of transportation is going by bike. Even in Buenos Aires, where buses and cars rule the world. And that’s where those four things come together.

Because industrial designers Nata Burta and Alejandro Sanguinetti from Monochorome recycle bikes that result coolest ones that I have ever seen, produced in the most ecofriendly way and using the best materials, which is also ecofriendly because they last longer. The beautiful leather saddles are handmade, so regional craftmanship is also sustained. They encourage, even invite, people from all over the world to copy their way of producing, so eventually those bikes don’t have to be flown all over the world. Until that moment, you can have it shipped to where ever you want.

I whish I could take one home! I guess I will have to wait untill someone opens a shop in the Netherlands.

Good Bye, part 2

2011-05-07T08:14:00.000-07:00

One thing that I'm really going to miss is the beautiful park in Palermo, also known as Bosque de Palermo. A beautifully landscaped big park, with a enormous rose garden that seems to be in bloom always. Especially Saturdays afternoons are good, when everybody is there to have a good time, skate, ride a bike or a horse cart, or just to sit and see the sun setting and the leaves turning. A bit like Central Park.

good bye, part 1

2011-05-03T12:56:00.001-07:00

I can't believe that we're almost leaving Buenos Aires, to go back to our beloved Amsterdam. (absence makes the heart grow fonder) And I still have so much to tell! I'll try to keep it short, here's one of the little pearls in BA, the cemetery of Recoleta, where the rich families of the past and the present are put to rest, so to say. Beautiful, touching and even romantic.

Get you paintbrush

2011-04-20T08:01:00.001-07:00

Every six months Maaike Koorman and I develop six color forecasts for Kleurinspiratie, a website made by Sanoma. Sanoma publishes some of the best read interior magazines in the Netherlands, like VT Wonen, 101 Woonideeën, Eigen Huis & Interieur and Ariadne At Home.

On the website you can find ideas and tips for paint and painting, you can upload an image of your own house to see if a color would work for you, and you can get new inspiration for colors and see how new combinations of colors can create a totally different mood. On Kleurinspiratie you can read how it works. It's in Dutch, but if you're interested in a translation in English, send me a message.

For the summer we made these six forecasts: Berlin Blues, Ceylon City, Pink Cyclamen, Oriental Industries, Cupcake City and Dusty Boulevard. I'm really happy with these new moods. I hope someday soon people in the Netherlands will overcome their fear to use color, because I can see where I am at the moment, Buenos Aires, that it works just great. More of that later...

And it's also good to see that you can still work together even if you are both on a different part of the world, thanks to Skype.

Be brave

2011-04-13T08:15:00.000-07:00

Buenos Aires has a lot of creative people running around, working a lot, and making a whole bunch of beautiful stuff. I love the way they present themselves to the world. Either they open up their own shop, or they join hands and show their wares together. So you can find a lot of unique pieces and unique shops here. Catalogue does more, it not only provides a space for Argentinas best individual designers, it also shows their best pieces in an inspiring fashion magazine. I couldn't find a website, but you can find the shop, where they also sell the magazine, at Honduras, around the corner from Carranza.

for the love of lavender

2011-04-13T07:23:00.001-07:00

I'm addicted to the scent of lavender, so I'm unconsciously always drawn into shops that sell lavender soap, lavender bath salts, lavender satchels, dried lavender, what ever from the lavender is presented in. Like Epoca Bella, in the street that I live in now. They sell all sorts of scented things, all in beautifully wrapped and presented. Next to a big bottle of lavender bath salts, I also found some other nice, handmade gifts (that I can't show now, without spoiling the suprise). And some inspiration, like the built in cabinet made from old wood, and a lovely old display made of wood and glass. If I ever open up my own shop, I would like one of those. Plus the old fashioned till.

paradise

2011-03-25T12:25:00.001-07:00

I've found a new place that will be given a high number in my list of Favourite Places in the World: La Pedrera, in beautiful Uruguay.

When I was a child, we used to spend almost all our holidays in La Guimorai s in France, and I still dream about that about once a week. And now I've found a place similar to it, on the other side of the world. And, like in my childhood, we've found a place where you can sleep in the dunes, so you can hear the sea in your dreams as well. Only this time no cold water showers and little tents.

In Pueblo Barrancas, you can choose for Glamping, beautiful, well furnished big tents or, like we did, big wooden cabins on stilts. Pueblo Barrancas has eco-friendlyness high on their priority list, they make sure the stunning dunes and nature are reserved. I'm all for that, especially if I can sleep 20 meters from the sea, and I'm welcomed by all those wonderful people that work here. We loved the place and the village, and the whole country so much, it needs further investigation!

and everywhere!

2011-03-16T13:14:00.000-07:00

I’m also really proud to tell you that our house will be featured in Holly Beckers first interior book. Holly Becker is talented founder and editor of the blog Decor8, a inspiring blog on interior decorating, that is read by at least 35000 readers, a day (!). It will be published by Jacqui Small in London and Chronicle Books in the US, and will be officially launched April 13, at Liberty in London. I’ve received some spreads of the book. Our kitchen is shown on the little image. I don’t know how much of our house will be shown in the book. But the images Debi Treloar took of it, as you can see, are really beautiful. I was very much honored to be asked, and really enjoyed seeing two talented people like Holly and Debi at work. And if my design is in a book that is described as such: 'Clever, creative and quirky advice from the world’s best designers and architects; a gorgeous source of essential expert guidance, featuring both quick fixes for small budgets and indulgent ideas for more ambitious projects."

I’m really very proud indeed, even if only the kitchen would be featured.

my house in Sweden

2011-03-16T12:57:00.000-07:00

Well. I’m very proud. Our house, that I designed myself (with some help of SoapAteliers), is on the cover of a Swedisch magazine, Rum (or Nya Rum, can’t figure it out completely)! The images were taken a few years ago by Paul Barbera, and were featured in the Dutch edition of Glamour Magazine. The images have been circling around on the internet quite a lot, and now they’re here in Sweden. Because I’m in Argentina, I can’t go and buy the magazine myself. Luckily I found a Swedisch blog, Finikanten, that showed some of the pages on her site. Thank you, Anaewa!

And wait! There’s more…

what's in your bag?

2011-03-16T12:43:00.001-07:00

You know the feeling: with interesting people you pass on the street, you wonder who they are and what their life is like. And try to memorise what they’re wearing, how they behave. Barbara Iweins, an art director, who divides her time between living and working in Amsterdam and Brussels, has taken this habit that some of us have, a nice step further on her blog Au Coin de ma Rue (around the corner of my house).

She takes pictures of those inspiring, surprising and interesting people. That might remind you of the Satorialist, but she does more than just see and report. First she made a lovely memory game of the pictures she took, that was published about a year ago. And now she’s not only taking pictures of the persons, but also of the stuff they tag along with them, and the things they have in their bags, and have them tell a bit about it. Like most of us are dying to do. (I also secretly think it’s an art in itself to find all these wonderful people).

In the meantime

2011-03-09T12:21:00.000-08:00

The house that I have been working on last year is finished! On the first floor the changes are the most dramatic, something like 30 m2 were added, so the kitchen is now very light, big and bright. My brother sent me some images, so I can give you a quick view. It has been a real co-production, my sister-in-law did a lot of research and had a lot of great ideas herself (it is her and my brother's house). My friend and architect Jasper Westebring, who also works at SoapAteliers, did a lot of the drawings, and of course gave a lot of good, creative and technical advise. My loyal contractor Cor from Tools did the building, and ever clever Douglas van Vugt made the beautiful walnut doors in the kitchen. The small images show the house before the renovation.

Sweet tea

2011-03-03T11:18:00.001-08:00

I mentioned this shop in the post before this one, but it was so nice, it deserves a post of it’s own. What started as only a cheese shop, with a fine selection of quality cheeses, El Baztán is now a good choice for tea and sweet treats. Lovely décor, really delicious fruity cupcake and good strong tea. It has a little terrace in front, which is nice, as it is in one of the few quiet streets in San Telmo, traffic wise.

my 'best of San Telmo'

2011-03-03T11:08:00.000-08:00

Well, we have left San Telmo and moved (uptown, so to say) to Palermo Hollywood. A lot to discover, and of course you’ll get a long report. But now that we’ve left San Telmo, I can remember better wich things and places I loved best there, aside from the addresses I already mentioned. Sunday mornings were my favourite.

If you start reasonably early, you’ll find the streets still empty and calm, so you’ll have the time to discover in a gentle pace. Good to walk the big round, and if you reach the end of your round, (if you start from the side of AV. San Juan, that is) the streets are bustling with people, couples dancing the tango, finally!, musicians playing the music to go with it, and shops open that are closed on weekdays. And the street markets are at it’s best, with beautiful lace table cloths, old earrings, flowery tea cups and plates, stuff you would hope to find in your grandmothers’ attic.

My favourite stall was in a little doorway at the beginning of Defensa, near Av. San Juan. I bought some lovely old lace and velvet flower corsages there. If you are more interested in stuff from the now, not to worry, they’re opened as well. I liked Vicky Otero’s designs, and fortunatly there was a sale going on. A few blocks down there was a nice tea-cheese-shop, El Baztán, nice to have a quiet cup of tea and to get away from the crowds. Origen was also a favourite, but I mostly went there to work (1 day a week), Origen, because it was close by, the food was fresh and healthy(-ish), and it has big terrace in front. Around the corner from Origen, I finally found a good massage place, if you’re ever in San Telmo, go to Solemia System at Carlos Calvo 606, and ask for Eva.

Restaurant Caseros

2011-02-25T10:31:00.001-08:00

Quite close to where we live at the moment, there's a lovely restaurant, called Caseros. Especially nice to go there for lunch, because the interior is nice and clean, and the food they serve fits the atmosphere: nice and light, with lovely grilled vegetables, salads, marinated salmon and shrimps. I also enjoyed the grilled Provolone. Go here if you happen to be in San Telmo, Buenos Aires, and you're looking for a nice alternative for the grill restaurants (who are also mostly very good, by the way).

My big dream...

2011-02-18T10:36:00.000-08:00

One of the (many) reasons for this sabbatical-holiday is to find out what exactly I'll be shaping my company in. I'm getting closer and closer to the answer. Being in Buenos Aires helps a lot with getting new ideas for interior design, color schemes, design and living happily in general. But The Selby, one of my favorite websites, helped me along a bit more. I know now that I don't have to move to the country have a green dream come true. Annie Novak, founder of Eagle Street Rooftop Farm shows the way. A lovely green haven, with a view to a beautiful city, and a wonderful shop to go with it, also one of my big dreams. I want that as well! And I even know who can build the perfect roof top garden for me: De Dakdokters, an Amsterdam-based company that's specialized in green roof top gardens. Getting closer and closer to my (and the rest of my family's) big dream.

San Telmo, my new neighborhood

2011-02-15T10:58:00.000-08:00

So... we're in Buenos Aires. All the stories I heard about this city are true: alive, vibrant, inspiring. I'm still in the middle of exploring our new neighborhood, San Telmo, where will be living for one months. Because we have two small children, it probably takes a bit longer before we have seen everything. But because we walk in a slow pace, we won't miss a thing! San Telmo is divided in two parts by a big high way. We live in the more quiet part, in an amazing house (more about which later). Actually, we're surrounded by beautiful architecture, old and new. Run down or rebuilt. Near us is a small park, Parcue Lezama, some colorful shops, and two fantastic restaurants. Hierbabuena is good for lunch, with or without children, because they have great salads an the most delicious fresh raspberryjuice I have ever tasted. Nicely decorated with sparkling green tiles. A few doors down is Caseros, a sparsely decorated restaurant, very stylish and chic. We had a beautiful lunch there with family and friends, and we'll go there for dinner tonight. More about that later.

colorful dreams

2011-02-08T05:39:00.000-08:00

In Tanti, near Cordoba, we rented a beautiful house, with a giant garden, close to the river. It's owners are Dutch, so you get an interesting mix of Argentinian architecture and Dutch classic furniture, Argentinian nature and Dutch landscaping. With a very beautiful and calming result. There was one room in the house that was absolutely my favorite. It was semi-separate from the house, and the stairs to it already gave me a good feeling. Fresh, tangy but still soft yellow-green walls combined with green tiles, and on top of the stairs a nice promise for the room. It was painted in a lovely soft pink-orange tint, walls and ceilings. On the bed a nice, handmade, quilt, a lappendeken we call it in Holland. Nice idea for boring winter evenings (next year). Even the closets gave a new inspiration: a small little round metal screen to let in some fresh air. The flowery curtains were a bit faded, but that only adds to the romantic atmosphere.

color inspiration from Carlos Paz

2011-02-05T16:24:00.001-08:00

Milky white, blue-ish white, grey white, pink-white, green white, yellow white, with a touch of caramel, black, green and pink. The houses and walls in the streets in Carlos Paz are probably not intend to be an inspiration for a color palette. But they give me new ideas for a raw, but still calming color combination anyway.

inspiration from Carlos Paz

2011-02-05T15:26:00.000-08:00

Before I report on the wonderful things that I'm seeing in Buenos Aires, where we are now, I want to show you the beauty of Tanti, Carlos Paz and other small towns and villages that we visited near Cordoba, Argentina. Carlos Paz is a strange little town. At first glance not beautiful at all. But if you take a closer look, fascinating. Beautiful houses next to the ugliest buildings you can imagine. Trees and flowers everywhere. Amazingly beautiful rivers and streams, where everybody gathers on a free afternoon or to spend a sunday. And everybody cleans up after they leave. And even the pavements, or a hand painted sign on a car, are a joy for the eye.

inspiration point: Tanti, Argentina

2011-01-23T04:26:00.000-08:00

Now that I'm not surrounded by high tech design, fashion and architecture, I can focus on other sources of inspiration. Tanti, a charming little village in Argentina, an hour from Cordoba, is a good starting point. The nature is breathtakingly beautiful, and is well respected by everybody. and the people that live here, with their calm and gentle, and funloving nature, are teaching lesson or two in how to live your life. Now that we're on a sabbatical, just the thing that I'm looking for. Besides that, I have time to explore more settings and techniques on my camera, like Diarama and Black and White Grainy images.

happy christmas!

2010-12-22T11:20:00.001-08:00

Almost exactly three years ago, we moved into our new home. The day before the move, our house was clean, empty and ... white. A perfect setting for a nice Christmas shoot. Time to do a productions together with Patricia Hessing, an architect and a designer at Soap Ateliers. To give an answer to the question: how to celebrate the perfect christmas production even though you're surrounded by boxes, paint and other moving stuff. The beautiful images were taken by James Stokes. We called it Take Away Christmas, but now it's shown in VT Wonen, called Out of The Box. And now, because we're moving to Argentina in two weeks, we're surrounded by boxes again! How convenient. (I hope I have time to show some more of this production, I still really love it).

christmas mini-market in my street next Saturday

2010-12-02T05:24:00.001-08:00

Looking for the perfect Christmas gift or a last-minute Sinterklaas-gift?

Coming Saturday, december 4th, I'm organising a Christmas mini-market with and at Mondo Mediterraneo, next to my house. Mondo will be selling their lovely food and culinairy gifts, I will be selling some of my beautiful styling accessories, fabrics and materials, but also some baby clothes (girls, size 50 - 80). As we speak (or rather: read) I'm working on some home made Christmas decorations with Maaike Koorman, who is also a designer. I'm also selling some beautiful hand made stuff made by my sister Pauline Rammeloo. And probably some other friends will join in as well, amongst whom Jeske Weel. So, if you happen to be in Amsterdam (or if you live here) next Saturday, drop by! The address is: Czaar Peterstraat 174, we'll start at 11:00 and it will (probably) end at 18:00.

I love books

2010-11-30T06:20:00.000-08:00

I received a beautifully wrapped parcel in the mail. I saved it for a while, because I loved the wrapping so much that I wanted to have a picture of that as well. Today I had time to do some picture taking and unwrapping, assisted by my two lovely ladies. I loved the parcel, but I love what's in it even more! Three beautiful, leather covered diaries, in soft pastels. They are hand made by Marjolein Delhaas. The leather covered diaries are a limited edition, a perfect Christmas gift (I hope that the two persons I'm giving it to are not reading this) (I'm keeping one for myself). You can find more beautiful books, dairies and journals on Marjolein's webshop I love Book. Me too! Jeske Weel gave this tip to me through Facebook, thanks Jeske!

snow

2010-11-30T05:59:00.000-08:00

I'm still so very happy with my camera, the Olympus Pen E-P2, because it allows me to capture magical moments like these, first snow, in such a beautiful way.

redecoration of a showroom, part four

2010-11-26T15:01:00.001-08:00

To give the sunglasses a better display and give the stylist an opportunity to try them on, I designed these mirrored shelves, and Douglas van Vugt made them. They sort of wrap themselves around the pillars in the showroom. Normally those pillars just take up a lot of room, not anymore! One of the shelved walls I covered with sackcloth and painted white, like the front desk in the entrance. In the area where all the clothes are processed, curtains were made of raw linen. They give a calm, pure look in an area that is normally quite cluttered. And they match the white, beige and black palette perfectly.

redecoration of a showroom, part three

2010-11-26T14:55:00.000-08:00

..so the wall can function as a clean and neutral background for brochures, booklets and small items. The walls in the entrance were painted white. The front desk was also painted white, and I stapled sackcloth over the light boxes and painted that white as well. Now the entrance is clean and welcoming and it gives a preview of what you will find when you turn the corner.

redecoration of a showroom, part two

2010-11-26T14:48:00.001-08:00

With Richard from Tools, I made this wall, using only old timber (except from frame).

And then the painters painted everything white...

redecoration of a showroom, part one

2010-11-26T14:32:00.000-08:00

A few years ago I worked on an intensive redecoration of the showroom of the PR-company Unlimited PR in Amsterdam. Because it celebrated it's 10th anniversary this year, I did some finishing touches to enhance the festive feeling. The showroom is huge, on the ground floor of a big loft style building. I'm really happy with the result, the owner made the wise decision to have all the floors repainted by DRT vloeren. The big building jobs were done by the men of my favourite contractor Tools and carpenter Douglas van der Vugt built the beautiful mirrored shelves. I'll lead you through the story in a few posts.

the images above show the showroom before the latest renovation and the design that I made for the wall in the entrance.

food for joy

2010-11-26T06:22:00.001-08:00

My friend Maaike Koorman told me about this (fairly) new lovely place in the centre of Amsterdam, Two for Joy. They roast their coffee beans themselves, so you'll find the best coffee in town. But their sandwich with chicken and tarragon, on real, crunchy French bread is to die for. I want it for breakfast, lunch and dinner.

I quite love carnations/preview

2010-11-19T08:44:00.000-08:00

here's some left overs from the party from yesterday, more later (next week!)

some inspiration for the house

2010-11-01T01:25:00.000-07:00

While I'm at it, here's some of the images that I'm using as inspiration, which I found on Danielle de Lange's blog Style Files. The combination of dark wood, cement, concrete and natural colours was exactly what I had in mind for the house. The look boards that I put together a few months ago show the same athmosphere.

quick update

2010-11-01T01:18:00.000-07:00

What with all the preparations and the finishing touches of some interiors, and the start up of a big renovation of a house, I hardly have time to post new things. And there's so much to tell! I will try to snap some images of the PR office I redecorated recently. But I have to show you this fantastic stove that I saw on Designboom, a very inspiring website about architecture, design and art. The stove is designed by Wuehl Yanes and was first shown during the interior biennale in Kortrijk. The stove would fit perfectly in the house that will be renovated the few coming months.

off to Buenos Aires (in a few months)

2010-10-12T11:15:00.001-07:00

Normally I'm not a big fan of the days after New Years' day, but now I can't wait. Last week we booked our tickets, it's definite: we're going to live in Buenos Aires for a few months. I'll be posting blogs from there, I look forward to the inspiration I'll be getting there! That means our beautiful loft will be for rent. Anybody interested? Send me an e-mail or check Amsterdam Beautiful for more information.

to satisfy your eyes

2010-10-04T06:11:00.001-07:00

there are always plenty of nice things to look at if the men from Weltevree set up their shop somewhere. Weltevree is a Dutch designcompany, well known from their Dutchtub and their beautiful, sturdy iron heater. It is designed for use outside, but could also work inside if you make sure the surface of your floor is fireproof.

and some more

2010-10-04T05:19:00.000-07:00

One room was decorated with all sorts of eco-friendly products and designs, also known as sustainable luxury, brought together by blogger Annouk Post, creator of the blog Hiphonest.

some (late) news from Lloyd Hotel

2010-10-04T05:12:00.000-07:00

Because I'm a bit late with my news from the InsideDesign fair, I'll make it short. The rooms of Lloyd Hotel (my favourite office away from my house), were decorated by different brands, designers and artists. In these images you can see the many possibilities of the cabinet units of Montana . Like a bench with space for books and magazines under the seat, and a slim lined kitchen work counter.

more at Ijm

2010-09-28T05:34:00.001-07:00

Ijm is created by Frank Visser, but he always shares is work, ideas and his studio with a lot of other creative people. During InsideDesign you could also have a look at the drawings of Charlotte Koopman and Veronik Willems (below) and visit Mieke Willems a shop that is set up by Mieke Verbijlen and Veronik Willems. Lovely work that puts a smile on your face.

Marlein at Ijm

2010-09-28T05:27:00.000-07:00

People that visit or work with Frank Visser's studio Ijm, are always spoiled with Marlein Overakker's food. This weekend, during InsideDesign, she cooked in the evenings, that was served inside Frank's studio. So you could feast your eyes as well as your stomach. I still dream about the dessert: whipped cream with crushed raspberries, dark dark chocolate and cookies. Served from a big jar...

If you ever visit Ijm, don't forget to sneek a peek at Marlein's kitchen, a dream for every food and style lover.

a weekend at Ijm

2010-09-28T05:08:00.001-07:00

Busy times again! I haven't even posted all my Paris-inspirations yet, but now that's all blown away by the things that I saw this weekend. On friday InsideDesign opened, a three day-design fair organised by (the Dutch version of ) Elle (Decor). Frank Visser, color king and creative brain of IJm, always partakes in this fair and shows his magic in his studio. The good news is that they have developed their own brand of paints: IJm Colourspots. Finally! It's not in the stores yet, byt the story behind is is beautiful, very logical and very Frank. Send an email to paint@ijmcolour.com if you want to know more about it.

Also check wongema.nl, a story behind a story.

an office away from the office

2010-09-23T04:12:00.000-07:00

Working from the home can be nice (for instance, if your own coffee and sandwiches taste best), but also a bit lonely and not so time effective if you are as easily distracted as I am. I was always thinking of maybe setting up a place where all free lancers can meet and work, with nice coffee and food. The Cool Hunter, the website for the cool, collected and amazing projects, showed a place that has set the perfect example: Urban Station in Buenos Aires. A big office space, beautifully decorated, where you can work for a day, plan meetings or meet with fellow free lancers if you're doing a project together. Now it only has to open an office in Amsterdam. Or maybe I should move to Buenos Aires...

that English feel

2010-09-22T05:17:00.000-07:00

Although some of these images mightn't even be taken in Great Britain, photographer Debi Treloar has put the typical English feel in it that I love so much. A touch of romance, nobility and old, sometimes faded, glory. I've had the pleasure to meet her a few weeks ago, and she is very kind and gentle, and very very focused. Inspiring!

Sweet Paul...

2010-09-22T02:09:00.000-07:00

... thank you for softening the blow from the fact that is autumn again! I don't care, as long as I get to make this lovely food, or a funky pumpkin and these beautiful decorations for Haloween, or just get to look at the beautiful images and styling. I read first about Sweet Paul, a fantastic online magazine on Bloesem, a blog that I follow with great pleasure. Thanks for the tip!

Maison & Objet for children

2010-09-21T04:28:00.001-07:00

At the fair Maison & Objet I also found some wonderful companies to realise the decorating plan that I made for a childrens' room for a 2,5 year old boy. As you can see on my mood board, I chose lot of different shades of blue, with a little bit of black for a cheecky touch. At Mimi Lou I found the best wall stickers, like a collection of cool old timers or moon walkers, Donna Wilson had beautiful blankets and pillows for a softer and dreamy feel, and at Fred the Dog I saw funny duvet covers and was bags, with dinosaurs, robots or cranes.

News from Maison & Objet: escapism or optivism?

2010-09-17T07:34:00.000-07:00

Against a lot of beautiful and tender designs in muted colors, ecofriendly fabrics, and natural materials, there were a lot of cheerfull, over the top and sometimes almost hysterical (but always cheerfull) stands.

With wild designs, all the colors that you can think in one design. And lots and lots of accessories crammed in one room, that remind you of holidays far, far away (and a long time ago) or fairy tales and magical realistic novels. You can call it escapism, to get away from the sometimes grey and harsh reality, but I call it optivism and the celebration of the imagination (running wild!).

pictures show the designer of the bags from Trinity Knot, presse papiers and postcards from Astier Villages, life sized animals made of vintages tapestry and the furniture collections designed by Jean Paul Gaultier for Roche Bobois.

News from Maison & Objet: eco - deco - grey

2010-09-17T07:27:00.000-07:00

It is good to see that so many designers try to be as eco friendly in their designs as possible. And I'm happy to see that eco has long left behind her gritty, dusty feel. You can even say that eco has become a style of it's own. And that designers are inspired by it's authentic, pure, unbleached look. With colors like the soft greys of pure cotton and linen, maybe sometimes colored with herbal and mineral colorings, accessories made of pure clay and stone, combined with black and white. Some add a feminine, more decorative touch with lace or padding and even sequins. It is soft and tender, and easy on the eye, but still interesting, exciting look.

pictures show work from Poterie des Guimards, pillows by Margarete Häusler, pillows by Nicolette Brunklaus, curtains by Beatrice Laval and a chair upholstered with linen from Leitner.

2010-09-14T05:01:00.001-07:00

That's why it takes so long to work out my stories about Maison & Objet. Something new and exciting always comes along to get my totally distracted. I recently discovered Pinterest, a social catalog to which 'people with great taste' can assign and pin things they love. If you don't fall in that category (or you don't have time to pin things) you can browse through other peoples pinboards. Perfect for new inspiration and ideas. Here's some samples, one made by Ms Sheperd, and one called Things I love. I love them too!

My holiday

2010-09-14T04:40:00.001-07:00

As promised, I will be giving my impressions of the Maison Et Objet, you can read them soon! But first, let me tell you about my holidays, and the inspiration that I picked up there.

Our 'base camp' was at a beautiful gîte in the middle of Brittany, near Guingamp. The gîte is in an old barn that is beautifully restored by the owner. (Who happens to be my sister, which doubles the fun). Her website and her blog are in Dutch but she speaks fluently English and French. It is a great place to stay, to have a rest or discover the rest of Brittany, like St Malo (my favourite area in Brittany) or Dinan.

You can rent the gîte or put up a tent (or a caravan) on the camp site under a pear tree. Lola, the donkey and her two goat friends will keep you entertained all day.

In Dinan I found the best shop to spend a rainy afternoon, which sometimes can happen in Brittany. Fleur de Lin et Bouton d'Or is filled to the roof with ribbons, lace, antique fabrics, old buttons and colourful yarns. The perfect spot for some new colourfull inspiration.

I'm back!

2010-08-25T06:50:00.000-07:00

Sorry to have kept you waiting for new posts, I was on a long, lovely holiday with my family. I'm working on new posts so I can show you were I was, what I have been working on, and next week I'll be going to Paris for Maison et Objet again. So there's a lot to tell.

More later!

Stephanie was here

2010-07-14T13:49:00.001-07:00

Phew, I've been busy! But working 'behind the scenes', like trying to get some building permits (boring) (and complicated), shopping with and for clients (very nice!, but I already wrote about the shops I wanted to bring them to), working with the carpenter who's making some nice benches for a garden and a basement, watching paint dry and making some new paint samples. Nothing is finished yet, so there's nothing to show yet.

So it was time to reload my battery, as they say. And I chose the perfect spot to do that: B&B In de Aap, a beautiful Bed&Breakfast in a little village near the coast in the North of Holland.

Even if you don't go for the breazy seaside style, there's plenty of decorating ideas that work for any style. I like the wooden floors that are glued to the floor. You have the lovely feel of wood on your bare feet, without creaking that can wake you up in the middle of the night. And not the cracks where most of the dust and crumbs go when you're not watching. I also love the egg shell-paint, that gives the wood a nice gloss.

The walls have wall heating, which prevents the dust from flying around. And I like it better than floor heating because that always gives me the feeling that I have a fever. The chalky paint on the walls and the ceilings are perfect for walls that aren't completely straight, and it gives a nice nonchalant feel to any room. It can also work beautifully for a more loft style-house, because of the unfinished, raw look it can create.

The bathroom is a dream, with a nice big bathtub and a beautifully tiled shower and a tadelakt floor, a lime plaster that is traditionally used in Moroccan hammams. Beautiful and nice and soft to your feet.

All in all, a lovely place, (with a lovely big breakfast) that I will visit more often. They also have a nice and cosy family house, nice for a next visit.

Foam with The Girls

2010-06-26T04:37:00.001-07:00

Last wednesday evening we joined Penny and Celia to the opening the exhibition of Inez van Lamsweerde and Vinoodh Matadin at Foam. The exhibition is called Pretty much Everything, a title well chosen. Because the museum is filled top to bottom with what seems like all the images this creative photography couple ever made. I especially like almost their over-the-top and coulourfull images. And they suit Penny and Celia, another coulourfull, ballsy, funny and frightfullly creative duo who just started their own company, The Girls (tm) just perfectly.

a factory full of furniture

2010-06-26T04:16:00.001-07:00

On my hunt for some furniture for a project, I paid Fabrieknl a visit, in the south of the Netherlands. It's been a while since I last went there, but it was worth the trip again. I bought my couches for my own home here.

The old shoe factory is big (5000 square metres) and packed with the most beautiful vintage furniture. Some parts of the factory are set up as tastfully decorated living rooms or dining rooms, so you can get a feel how the furniture will look in your own house. The rest of the factory leaves room for your own imagination.

sleek, fragile and sexy designs

2010-06-16T04:08:00.000-07:00

And while we're at it (or at least, I am), I also love the tender, fragile ceramic designs by Laura Pregger (images below)...

and the sleek lined, kind of sexy designs by Nika Zupanc. I saw some of her designs a few years ago at Satellite in Milan, the 'corner' for young designers at the big furniture fair Salone del Mobile. Glad to see she's doing so well.

Rawwwwwwr

2010-06-16T03:39:00.000-07:00

No need for a lot of words with a beautiful collection that Jochem de Wit made for his garduation project. It is called Raw Table Ware, quite appropriately. The cups and jugs are made of brick, the bowl of enamelled concrete, de glasses of raw glas and the spoons of beech veneer. For sale at The Frozen Fountain in Amsterdam.

Amsterdam: Made by hand

2010-06-14T04:33:00.001-07:00

The ever inspiring Pia Jane Bijkerk has made a new book: Amsterdam: made by hand. A book about all the shops, studios and workspaces of beautifull objects made by hand. Or shops that sell all the products you need to make those objects yourself.

Pia a stylist that works for several magazines from all over the world, and I love her warm, feminine and authentic styling. She also has a blog that I frequently visit (or rather: whenever I think of it) for inspiration, or just a good feeling.

Good luck with your new book!

2010-06-11T02:16:00.000-07:00

For a client I'm on the hunt for black-and-white accessories, to make a nice blend of her feminin modern-country taste and his more masculine preference for design. Black-and-white works quite well in those cases, especially when there's some kind of organic images mixed in it. I'm thinking of designing a wallpaper for the bedroom, that can be printed by Wonderwand.

For the living room, or the bedroom even, pillows and rugs will look nice. I found some really nice ones designed by a young design team from Australia, Pony Rider, who also have a webshop. I might even choose to use the wall dot, but I think a wall-to-wall covering of a leafprint will also look nice.

Hotel De Goudfazant

2010-06-10T01:36:00.000-07:00

Yesterday we spent a nice evening with friends in Hotel de Goudfazant. That may sound a bit strange, but eventhough the name suggests it, it is not a hotel. It is a restaurant, one of the nicest in Amsterdam. It is quite remote, way up in the northern part, but worth the trip. Even though the weather was a bit dull, we still enjoyed the view of the city on the other side of the canal. And the lovely food, the inspiring interior and the friendly staff, of course.

Jan

2010-06-09T04:36:00.001-07:00

Jan is an old fashioned, masculine and typically Dutch name for a boy, and that makes it so funny that a small, feminine, elegant shop like this is called the same. It is one of my favourite shops in Amsterdam, it is in the Utrechtsestraat, and I go there mostly when I do a styling job for the finishing touches, like a nice bowl, a beautiful bag or a lovely toy. And I almost never leave the shop without buying something for myself. Which is not as bad as it sounds, because the prices are reasonable as well. Maybe that explains the name, because we're known for our money handling skills...

Twins

2010-06-09T04:31:00.001-07:00

Eddo Hartmann is a Dutch photographer who does projects all over the world - he even took pictures in a Russian fake space ship that they use to test future astronauts (and photographers) on their abilities to function in zero or double gravity, a cooperation with artist Bradley Pitts.

His images are mostly of strong, impressive, empty environments with strong lines and big horizons, like White Sands.
Currently he is working on a very special project called An unsuspected visit to a very familiar place. A touching and beautiful series of a house, with a very special story. It will be published in a book, for which he is now very busy looking for funds. (If you happen to have a a sack of money lying around: this is the perfect destination.)

And since yesterday we're the proud owners of three beautiful images made by him of our two lovely little girls. It was the gift that he gave us when they were born, and finally in May they were old enough to do the shoot. He used this technique once before for Volkskrant Magazine (art direction by Heike Gülker). Our twins have completely different characters, even though they are identical twins. And he captured it exactly, and that is a gift by itself. Thank you!

over to phase two

2010-06-03T06:01:00.001-07:00

Now that the first steps are taken in the assignments that I'm working on, I'm doing some research on furniture, wall papers, tiles and kitchens. The big work, so to say, to later on fill it all in with accessories and smaller furniture. On my search I discovered a beautiful furniture brand, Seven Salotti. Italian, naturally. Clean, stylish and comfortable at the same time. The images themselves are inspiring as well; I love the dark grey-blue on the walls of the first and the last image. Nice chair as well, of course, the Sella. The couch in the last image is called Nap, quite appropriate, because it looks like a big, comfortable bed with a fresh, crips linnen. Myy favourite is the one in the middle: Naviglio. And I think it will look beautiful in the living room of one of my clients. Tomorrow we're going to have a look at it in the shop in Amsterdam that sells the brand: Mardonio - Home.

finishing up phase one

2010-05-27T13:46:00.001-07:00

This week I'm finishing a lot of 'phases one' of most of my assignments (that's why there's not as many posts as usual). I measured up some rooms with the carpenter Douglas van Vugt, for new cabinets that I designed for a beautiful old house. Tomorrow I (hopefully) will be finalising the drawings of the house with a new kitchen, first floor and attick, so the contractor Cor from Tools can make his calculations. And today I made the (semi-)final selections of a colour scheme of another beautiful house that was designed in 1921 by architect F.A. Warners.

I made the mood boards last week, and also the first selection of the colours that we will use. Today we went to the house to check the selected colours in the house itself. Because you always have to check if the colours that you select actually fit with the light and athmosphere of the house.

I selected a lot of colours from The Little Greene Paint Company and Farrow & Ball, because they have such beautiful, intense colours and because of their good quality. The price is worth it, and you cover much more square metres with one can than with one of a cheaper brand. I usually buy these paints at De Ru, a paint and wallpaper company that is specialised in the better paint brands. I always have to brace myself a bit before I enter the store, because sometimes they can be a bit patronising, with that typical Amsterdam attitude, but they really know a lot about paint.

Christian Borstlap

2010-05-25T04:29:00.001-07:00

Dutch art director Christian Borstlap used to work for advertising agency KesselsKramer, where he made a lot of (award winning) campaigns that most of Dutch people know.

He invented Artis de Partis, a sock puppet that has a lot of adventures in Artis, the Amsterdam Zoo. So the zoo became even more famous, and every child (great and small) wants to own the puppet.

He also made a beautiful campaign 'For the Birds', again for KesselsKramer, who would like us to know as many birdnames as we know sneaker names. The illustrations are made by Stuart White.

He also made a film for Clutchy Hopkins, the mysterious funk artist.

And the good news is: he's started his own business, so he's no longer working solely for KesselsKramer. Welcome to the freelancers' league! Now you have all the time for your beautiful random paintings. (just kidding, he's probably covered in assignments)

T

2010-05-20T07:57:00.000-07:00

While waiting for my prints to be printed at the copy shop, I'm taking a break at T, a sweet little teaplace in the Roeterstraat. Big shame I didn't bring my camera, there's a lot of nice things to see here. But my phone will do.

Dream away-photography

2010-05-17T07:02:00.001-07:00

Photographer Karen Rosetzsky was born in Denmark, but moved to the Netherlands when she fell in love with (and later on got married to) a Dutch guy. Lucky for us, because now we can enjoy her beautiful images to dream away on. They remind me of warm, romatic holidays. They are romantic and femine, but always with a nice edge.

toilet drawings

2010-05-11T03:05:00.000-07:00

Yesterday I finally remembered to take pictures of our toilet while the sun was shining. "Why?", you may wonder. Because recently Olga Scholten made some beautiful, funny little drawings in a corner near the ceiling, because I designed a closet for her.

Olga Scholten is a graphic designer based in Amsterdam, and works for several companies like Het Zuiderzeemuseum and Het Concertgebouw. She also make really funny animations, if you have a moment to spare, check her website and play.

Two years ago she was invited by Dave Eggers to be a part of his exhibition at Apexart 'Lots of Things Like This' in New York, and now she's organising an exhibition like that herself with drawings by different artists from all over the world, to open sometime next year.

She also published a book with lovely, poetic and funny (and also sometimes sad) drawings, that you can order through her website.

And she made some cute little drawings with edible ink for some cupcakes for the book Happiness is a Cupcake, that I made with Sanne Dirkzwager.
Happiness is a cupcake set
Stephanie Rammeloo & Dirkzwager, S.

Julie Cockburn

2010-05-10T12:09:00.000-07:00

Today I was working on a colour scheme for a beautiful house that a new client bought. I started with collecting images for a mood board, and I refound this beautiful image of a nice, cool and sleek toilet, in an Elle Decor from a year or two ago. The atmosphere would fit nicely in the house, which is already breathtakingly beautiful. But what caught my eye especially was a lovely artwork on the wall by Julie Cockburn.

Julie Cockburn makes touchingly beautiful sculptures and paintings created out of printed image, or books, and other objects she found. Like Plasticine Flowers, from a still life painting, or An Attempt to Copy a Drawing I Made When I was 5 (like the title explains: a drawing she copied, in embroidery). Or, the one that made me curious about the artist, a sculpture of pages of a book, the Keats Flower book. More recent work you can find with Re-Title.

Sur Place

2010-05-09T04:03:00.001-07:00

One night you do this and another night you do that. Yesterday we went to the opening of Sur Plus, in Mediamatic in Amsterdam.

It is always inspiring to get an insight of how some people live and their passions and now we could explore the world of the fixed gear subculture (a lot of couriers). Our neighbours DUS architects (who are always good for inspiring projects) built a big indoor track, so you can cycle past the portraits made by riders that had really cool accidents (at least, it looks like they feel that way), documentaries, rare fixed gear bikes, wall paintings and installations.

Loft

2010-05-04T04:10:00.000-07:00

It is nice to see how things come together. I still remember the first time that I discovered products by Aveda. More than twenty years ago, when I bought a jar of bath salt in a little shop in Antwerp. The scent was heavenly and I wanted more! Unfortunately it took a while before Aveda was sold in the Netherlands. And, a whole different story (hang in there): few years ago I thought: why can't you buy empty bottles that you can refill with water, instead of buying those plastic bottles that you throw away when you've finished the water? Now you can buy beautiful re-usable bottles at Aveda, and the money goes to Join the Pipe that wants to build the longest pipeline in the world, so clean water will be available for everybody. And, to make the story complete, my friend Nathalie has taken over an Aveda lifestyle salon Loft in Bussum with two friends. Now I can visit her, buy a beautiful bottle AND buy my favourite products in one go. Congratulations and good luck!

kleurinspiratie.nl

2010-05-03T04:31:00.000-07:00

A few weeks ago I mentioned the website I was working on: kleurinspiratie.nl. My work is online now on this website. You can find six colour forecasts for the coming season for inspiration for you own house, plus a tool with which you can test these colours on an image of a room in your house. It is in Dutch, but if you don't speak the language, you can still look at the images. I made the colour forecasts with Maaike Koorman, plus I wrote the texts.

mood boards

2010-05-03T04:06:00.000-07:00

When I'm working on a design for a house, or a cook book, or an interior production, I like to work with mood boards. They they give me inspiration before I start working, they really make me happy and excited about my work when I'm making them, they make sure I stick to the idea that I first have (which most of the times is the best idea) and they give other people a general idea of the direction your working in. Plus they look nice. At home I just stick them to the walls in the spaces that I happen to be working in at that time.
The images are taken by Paul Barbera

styling production for VT Wonen

2010-05-03T03:59:00.001-07:00

While I was cleaning up my computer, I found some images of a production I did last year for VT Wonen, a Dutch interior magazine. I did the styling with Maaike Koorman, I designed the ideas for the bird cage, the mirror inside a picture frame, the clothes hanger made of a piece of leftover fabric and lace. Tjitske van Leeuwen (www.tjitske.com) was the photographer. The production was called Intstant Styling, to show everybody that a nice atmosphere can be created in a short time.

Virginie Besançon

2010-04-30T05:07:00.001-07:00

One of the things that I'm looking forward to when I go to the south of France this summer, is meeting Virginie Besançon again. I made a cook book with her a few years ago (see below), and she is a lovely, colorfull and inspirational person. Originally she is a costume designer, and she still does some designs for theater groups. And she joined a theatre group and circus to cook for them twice a day, every summer. Only because of all the work an admirable job! And then she still finds the time and energy to make beautiful pictures of her 'everiday life' with the theatre group.

a discovery in my own country

2010-04-30T03:50:00.000-07:00

To my big shame I have to admit that only last weekend I discovered that my country has a part that is at least as beautiful as parts of France (Brittany) and England (Cornwall) that I love visiting so much. So now I don't have to travel all the way there anymore. It is called Het Groene Hart, the green heart (quite appropriate) and it is a perfect area to go if you want to have a break from the big, busy city. We took our camper for a little testdrive, because it has got a new motor, and stayed two nights on an eco-friendly campsite that is part of a small farm, in Snelrewaard. We became a member of www.natuurkampeerterreinen.nl so now we can visit all kinds a beautifull, green small campsites in the Netherlands.

food of the season

2010-04-30T01:30:00.001-07:00

Now that the weather is getting better and better, I'm reminded of the time I will be spending this summer in the south of France. And that again reminds me of the work I did there a few years ago for the cook book Mijn Keuken van de Zon, which is translated in French, German and Finnish. We even won a price with it! The book shows images by Anna de Leeuw and recipes by Virginie Besançon. She cooks only seasonal food, and it all tastes even better than it looks. The book has only recipes for vegetables and fruits, so perfect for vegetarians and people that want to cut back on eating meat. I did the styling, part of the production and edited all the recipes.

Mijn keuken van de zon
V. Besancon

crocheted art

2010-04-18T11:21:00.000-07:00

I really love these children's clothes that are made by www.teenytini.com. They are a perfect example of authenticity in creation and art, that so many people are looking for these days. As am I. And luckily imperfection is sort of a trend, because the one time that I have knitted something, it also looked really authentic like this.

gardens bij XandL

2010-04-13T05:21:00.000-07:00

For me, the interior designs by XandL are amongst the best I have seen. They are timeless and at the same time way ahaid of their time. They transform an ordinary house in a beautiful piece of art that is practical at the same time. But what I admire also is that they not only design beautiful interiors but can work their magic on gardens as well, as you can see in the images.
Check their website for more beautiful and inspirational images www.xandl.nl.

new shop: Sketch

2010-04-11T10:31:00.001-07:00

There's a great new shop in The Hague, in an old cinema at Lange Poten 41. The brothers Oosterom, who already own two interior shops in Rotterdam and The Hague, opened the shop in December last year. This time they bring more than just furniture. They sell everything that they like, and that can be anything. From shoes, chairs and paintings to fashion, great organic food and jewellery. From high end brands like Acne, Stella Nova, Raf Simons, Volta and Missoni Home, but also new, young designers and artists. The collection changes all the time, it is dynamic and conceptual, like a sketch.
www.sketchstore.nl

spring scene

2010-04-11T04:24:00.000-07:00

Spring really is my favourite season of the year. And I especially like all thos beautiful spring blossoms. They cheer up the dulles, glummest days. I bought some branches a few weeks ago, and first I could enjoy the blossoms, and now they are growing little leaves. They combine well with Rosie and Viv's Stek-chairs (www.aboutstek.nl), that I wrote earlier about. The little blackbird's skull is made by Dutch artist Jeroen Kuster (.nl), and makes this little scene a bit edgier.

In the background you can see two beautiful images that are made by Stephen Gill. They are part of a series called Buried. He took pictures in his old neighbourhood Hackney Wick, and buried them on the spot. After a few weeks he dug them up again, to give a beautiful, weathered effect. We bought the images at Foam, the museum of phogography in Amsterdam (www.foam.nl). There's also a book about it, but I'm not sure if it is still for sale.

Paul Barbera, again

2010-04-09T07:27:00.000-07:00

You can see in Paul's work that he loves how people work, live and create. And I love how he is a contemporary master of light.

Paul In Holland

2010-04-09T07:23:00.001-07:00

Paul Barbera, the photographer from Australia that I wrote about earlier, is in the Netherlands again. I can't wait to work with him again. That counts for other people, because he's flying to Milan for the design fair on monday. But after that, I hope to do some work with him. Here's some examples from his beautiful work, that you can also find on his website where they create (see my links).

Clemens & August

2010-03-30T10:44:00.000-07:00

Finally they are visiting Amsterdam, one of my favourite brands: Clemens & August. I love the clean cut clothes, crisp fabrics and special use of colour. The clothes are not for sale in shops, they have a webshop and they tour Europe with one (or two or three) day shops. They will be in Amsterdam from friday 9 to sunday 11. Check for more cities and information on www.clemens-en-august.com. (ps: check out their initials).

kleurinspiratie

2010-03-30T10:28:00.000-07:00

This week I'm putting the finishing touches to a project I'm working on with Maaike Koorman. She's also a concept designer, and together we're taking care of colour forecasts for the webiste www.kleurinspiratie.nl. On this website, which is in Dutch only (sorry), we give you six colour forecasts for the coming season, for your house. The new forecasts will be online in two weeks. Here you can see some of the preparations, the end result is still a secret!

Lenneke Wispelwey

2010-03-25T12:51:00.000-07:00

You can find more examples of Lenneke Wispelwey's beautiful ceramics on her website www.lennekewispelwey.nl.

Restored

2010-03-25T12:40:00.000-07:00

Yesterday I had a little time to spare while I was in the Jordaan, which is one of the most beautiful (and therefor well known) areas of Amsterdam, my home town. It was a beautiful spring day, so I decided to take a walk down Haarlemmerdijk. This street has with a unique combination of beautfiul shops, dodgy coffe shops, old fashioned drugstores and the best food shops in town. And every week a new shops opens. Restored has been there for a while already, but is getting more beautiful everytime I visit it. The shops sells stuff made by young designers, like bags, jewelerry, porcelain and clothes. A very inspiring shop, I especially like the beautiful, elegant ceramics made by Lenneke Wispelwey. www.restored.nl

About Frank Visser

2010-03-24T12:57:00.000-07:00

I promised to tell some more about Frank Visser. I can tell you about how I love his imagination, his styling, his set designs and all his other creations, but the images with his work tell it all. The first image is taken by Josie Sykes, the second and third by Mirjam Bleeker.

spring lunch last sunday

2010-03-24T02:26:00.001-07:00

Last sunday I organised a spring lunch, to celebrate the new season (amongst other things). I put together a little menu with Marlein, who cooked and filled in the missing links. Marlein cooked, as only she can, so we could all experience what spring tastes like. As an appetiser she made little salty tartlets filled with pea-mint-ricottacream. Then watercress soup with radish-toast, followed by torta verde, salad with grilled haloumi. pink grapefruit and pomme granateseeds, grilled chicken with lavender and lemon. The best part came last, as always. She made the most beautiful and best tasting cake made with almond cake, whipped cream with raspberries, decorated with real roses.

The lunch took place in the perfect setting: Studio IJm. This is the studio of Frank Visser, a Dutch stylist, who creates the perfect dream world, in real life and as a set designer/stylist for interior magazines as Elle and Vogue Interior. Fedor van der Valk, who also works at the studio, makes string gardens, hanging plants, that made the whole spring look complete.
check for more of their work on www.ijm.nl and www.stringgardens.com

details

2010-03-15T08:33:00.001-07:00

One of my biggest dreams (now) is to open my own shop one day. And then I will sell the beautifull accessories designed by Nest.
Check www.nestprettythings.com for more of these lovely, sweet necklaces and bracelets.