'Choose only one master - nature'
- Rembrandt van Rijn -
May is a wonderful time of year to visit Amsterdam. Even if you don’t venture out into the tulip fields you won’t miss the flowers as the city of Amsterdam is ablaze with tulips. A visit to the Amsterdam Flower Market is uplifting, situated on the banks of the Amstel, with its cafes, shops and delightful gabled Dutch houses.
A well as the colourful displays of flowers the classic colours of the Dutch buildings are inspiring.
Papers and Paints in London’s Park Walk have an incredible range of traditional paint colours and will also mix and match tailor-made colours using a unique method called spectrophotometry to ensure complete accuracy and since 1995 have developed unrivalled expertise in this work. You can take a sample as small as a flake of paint or a small swatch of fabric and they will colour match for you. We couldn’t agree more when they say that colour is one of the most important choices we can make.
The Modern Dutch style shares many of the aesthetics of Scandinavian Style in terms of utilising natural light sources, an effective use of wood and a palette of gentle hues. Soft blues and greys against pale walls, sometimes with a signature wallpaper or colour, and an emphasis on the family dining table at the heart of the home all add to a harmonious living environment. The interior details and table linen below are from Designers Guild while the table setting and crockery are from John Lewis.
One of our favourite hotels to stay in Amsterdam is Hotel De L’Europe in the heart of the city overlooking the beautiful Amstel and a stone’s throw from the Rijksmuseum. The hotel exudes an air of sophistication and interestingly has used oversized images of Dutch Masters on the walls. These have been recreated from the collection of the Rijksmuseum.
Did you know....
Europeana Collections has, alongside other organisations and initiatives, worked with The Rijksmuseum since 2011 to make their public domain collection available online without restrictions. This has resulted in over 150,000 high resolution images for anyone to view, download, copy, remix, print and use for any purpose.
The occasional signature of traditional Dutch tiles and Delftware are used in a very understated way at Hotel De L’Europe but are cleverly combined with contemporary elements.
We also love to add accessories and textiles to ring the changes. Take a look at our Delft inspired mood board for a contemporary Dutch look - which includes accessories from Designers Guild. Their Delft Polonaise cushion and Murrine Delft fabric echo the blues of traditional Delft tiles.
As a starting point, we are often asked to take into consideration a client’s own personal collection of art and antiques when designing a new scheme or focus on a particular element they wish to incorporate. Our client in Ireland had an interesting collection of pottery and the inclusion of this very personal collection was a prime consideration.
