Vintage design shopping in Ghent – these 3 great stores are where it’s at
First you pass Antwerp and then it’s a whole lot of nothing until you get to the border at Lille. Let’s face it, that’s how the Dutch experience driving to France. What about Ghent, I hear exactly no one ask? After all, Ghent is the shy wallflower along the highway you…
Tadaaa…the Maison Berger Jonathan Adler collection is here!
Oh my, what on earth is causing that horrible smell? It’s a sentence I say to myself at least, ooooh, once a month. I come home, open the front door and it hits me. An unpleasant scent that permeates my 65 square meter apartment. As I hold my nose, I start…
SUITE702: I’m in bed with Shirley and Olaf – and yes, so could you!
Let’s face it – most of us sleep better at hotels. And if you’ve ever had the luxury of staying in an actual hotel suite, you’re a) one lucky bastard and b) you *know* you’ve slept even better than you would at home. If you’re like me and you like nothing…
Dunhill Aquarium Table Lighters – the number 1 way to burn your money
On the off chance I’m winning the lottery this month, I thought I’d do a little research into these rare Dunhill Aquarium table lighters I saw in Hong Kong a few years ago. I have the day off and don’t have anything else to do anyway. I was going through some…
The Braderie de Lille – You’d be navel gazing just as hard as I did
Now that I’m back in the mood for blogging again, I thought I’d move right along to part trois of my visit to the Braderie de Lille last summer. The world was a different place, I tell you. No masks, no social distancing, just miles and miles of antiques, vintage furniture and bric-à-brac. I took…
We’re going to hell in a handbasket…at the Lille Flea Market!
Right about now would have been the time I would have gone on a vintage shopping trip to the Grande Rédérie in Amiens. Unfortunately, a little something called Corona happened this spring. And so here I am, cooped up at home and wondering what to do on my day off. It…
Don’t worry! I got your back in the sack (together with Bedsupply.eu)
Question. And I want an honest answer here, so no fibbing. When was the last time you asked yourself, can I go to bed yet? If the first words that come to mind are either ‘no, never’ or ‘wait, what?’ then please move along. Nothing to read for you here. If,…
Silhouette Eyewear – Admissions of the number 1 Brand Lover
Look, I’m sure it’s something we all do. But even then, I’m still kind of embarrassed to put down in writing what I’m going to tell you. Deep breath, here it goes (oh and by the way, this article is about Silhouette Eyewear – but I’ll get to that later). The…
Philippe Malouin’s Kuru for Iittala – the PERFECT gift for the chronically forgetful
I lose everything. My gym membership card. My headset. My phone. My phone charger. The other month, I lost my driver’s license after it had apparently fallen from my wallet. I didn’t even miss it until a man who lived clear across the country contacted me on LinkedIn to say that…
Making the rounds at Morentz
In the end, how much does it matter if you go shopping at a place where you can’t afford anything? I’m not going to say that I’m going to be strapped for cash for the rest of my life, but I do have to admit that I have to be careful…
Object Rotterdam, Art Rotterdam and a Motley Crew
I’m a bit of a rush today, but that is not going to keep me from sharing with you this one tip: if you’re into art, design and all things visual, come to Rotterdam this weekend! There’s so much going on here at the moment with Object Rotterdam, Art Rotterdam and A Motley…
Art Rotterdam 2020 – 10 artworks I look forward to seeing IRL
Remember that scene in Manhattan where Woody Allen and Diane Keaton meet each other at the MoMa and keep disagreeing over which works they liked? Art is terribly subjective, which is why you’re probably not always going to agree with this listicle with the ten works at Art Rotterdam 2020 I’m most…
Gallery of Decoration: G-O-D exists!
Roos Schneijderberg is one of the most courageous women you will ever meet. She abandoned her successful and lucrative career, took all her life’s savings and created a stunning collection of art and high-end furniture. Under the eyebrow-raising name Gallery of Decoration, or G-O-D, Roos is now ready to conquer the…
Faas est.2016 means bauble trouble
I can’t be spontaneous on a moment’s notice. And that is exactly why I have to plan weeks ahead if I want to do something fun on a day off. A while ago, for instance, I went to the town of Leiden for an afternoon of Christmas bauble shopping at a…
Swoon! The Ceramic Fruit Topiary is *hot*
Forget Hollywood Regency, forget the pineapple and by all means, forget all Scandinavian design except for Svenskt Tenn – next year’s HOTTEST home accessory is…cue orchestra, cue show dancers…the ceramic fruit topiary! Yes, what your life is sorely lacking right now (and you didn’t even know it) is a vintage ceramic…
On a roll! Which pattern from Wallpaper from the 70s should I get?
There are dozens of ways you to divide Western society in two opposing camps. Are you a cat person or a dog person? Do you like the Beatles or the Stones? Want a Coke or a Pepsi? Do you support Trump…oh, never mind. The same cannot always be said for paint…
Restless at Riad Malika (that’s in Marrakesh BTW)
Back in 2018, before I started suffering from flygskam, I spent two weeks in Morocco. I explored Marrakech for a few days and then drove through the Atlas Mountains and along the Atlantic coast. I love traveling solo and seriously think it is something everyone should do from time to time….
A polar bear *will* drown if you don’t go to the Braderie de Lille
Yesterday, I gave a presentation about my book at the vt wonen&designbeurs in Amsterdam. I still can’t get used to the clumsy name for what is the Netherlands’ biggest interior design fair, but hey – you don’t hear me complaining. After all, it was a packed house and I had a…
Big Art 2019 – bigger, better and more beautiful than ever before
The past weeks I’ve been thinking about how we use our phones – and I think you should, as well. Funnily enough, what started it all was a new Dutch prime time TV game show that will start airing next month. I’m not allowed just yet to share any details, other…
The L’Isle-Sur-La-Sorgue antique market is like WOW.
Okay, OKAY, I know I’ve been beating all of you over the head on Instagram with the fact that I was at the antiques market in L’Isle-sur-la-Sorgue in the Provence last week – but it was all so freaking exciting (and sizzlingly hot, oh my GODDESS)! So, please bear with me…
Les Puces de Marseille
Paris might be for lovers, but Marseille is…well, I don’t know who it is for – but is definitely not for the faint of heart. I’ve been in France’s second city for three days now and can’t seem to make up my mind. Do I really love Marseille’s curious mix of…
Leandra Eibl’s Wanderlust – a cabinet to fall for
The day I stop wanting to change something at home, is probably the day I die. That thought crossed my mind when I finally took some time to go through the photos I took during last year’s edition of Dutch Design Week. I was lucky enough (again) to be selected for…
TV in your living room? How to make it work with Philips and Georg Jensen
I’m going to be brutally honest with you. And I just know you are going to agree with me one hundred per cent. I hate having a TV in my living room. There, I’ve said it. It’s big, it’s black, a rectangular vortex that demands your attention no matter if it’s…
The Philips Georg Jensen TV – behind the screen with designer Rod White
What do you really know about all the different items you have in your living room? Why do they look the way they look? What went on during the design process? And how do you make sure they look every bit as good as the designer had in mind? I was…
Edwardian Times Bloom at JEE-O / an interview with Lammert Moerman
You may not be aware of the brand name JEE-O, but I bet you know one product they have designed: the iconic original shower 01. I first saw it at the opening of the C-More Concept Store, which is owned by my good friend Iris. A while ago, she invited me…
Jacqueline Louter-Hoos recreates art history with artificial flowers
Even if we don’t see each other a lot, photographer Jacqueline Louter-Hoos and I have a lot in common. First, we both didn’t embark on our creative careers until later in life. Also, we both love making bold statements in our work, preferably with color. Lots of color. I met up…
And I’m telling you, IJM not going to Milan this year (but that’s okay)
I’ve lost count of how many designers I’ve interviewed through the years – but this I can tell you with absolute certainty: the most talented creatives are modest, forthcoming and don’t mind talking about the mistakes they’ve made along the way. But whenever I interview someone who automatically assumes you understand…
Ten items I would have bought in a heartbeat at Design Icons but didn’t
One of my favorite assignments of these past few years, is curating for Gevonden op Marktplaats, a blog run by the best Dutch tastemakers who share their best interior design finds on Marktplaats – which is the Netherlands’ biggest online marketplace. Believe it or not, but this is hard work. I can…
I’m telling you now so you’ll be ready when you need a bathroom: Alape!
The moment I bought my new bathroom, I just knew that I was going to get a serious case of buyer’s remorse at one point in time. Tiles, shower screens, faucets, cabinets and a wash basin – I needed them all and I needed them fast. It was early 2017, I…
I got two Vitra chairs for less than the cost of a cappuccino
In 2006, Nora Ephron published an essay called Moving On in The New Yorker about how she once fell madly in love with her apartment on New York’s Upper Westside. You may know Ephron as the screenwriter and director of rom-com blockbusters such as When Harry Met Sally and You’ve Got…