Chatou Is Where I’m Living My Best Life
I am not exaggerating when I say that I am really, really happy about where I am in life at the moment. I’m genuinely happy to be single, I have a dog who I love very much and I LOVE my side hustle as an interior stylist at Dutch Seating Company….
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…
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…
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…
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…
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…
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…
Hardcore antiquing at Anterieur Leiden
Take me to a good antiques store and I am a happy man. My friend Bianca knew this all too well when she took me along to Anterieur in her hometown of Leiden. On my own, I would have never found this shop myself. In fact, I think I would have…
SWEETS Hotel Amsterdam – I slept in a bridge-controller house and am dying to tell you all about it
It is a fantasy that every Dutchman must have had at one point in their lives. I know I’ve had it and I’m sure you have it, too. And if you’ve never been to the Netherlands, hang in there…it will all become clear to you in a few sentences. The hypothetical…
Pestana Amsterdam Riverside – Glamour! History! Interior Design!
Can I just come out and say that I love luxury hotels? As far as I’m concerned, they are the pinnacle of glamour. I don’t care about money or being rich, but give me a night at five-star hotel with all the trimmings and I am a happy man. The latest…
Via Antica – The Brussels vintage design store that made me go —> HOT DAMN!
For years and years and years, I used to go to Brussels and come back disillusioned. Where was the nice part of town? How come I didn’t find any cool vintage shops? I’m lucky to report that those years are OVAH because on a recent trip to the capital of Belgium…
Is this burning an Eterne flame?
If I’ve said it once, I’ve said it a thousand times: your home should have an eclectic mix with accessories you’ve collected during trips to faraway countries. But what if it turns out the hand-crafted occasional table you’ve *just* bought at that souk in Marrakesh doesn’t fit in the overhead luggage…
My first time on a Geberit AquaClean shower toilet – this is how it went down
I’m a morning person – in more than one sense. I get up at 5:30 in the morning, make a cup of coffee and walk through the websites that are on my browser’s bookmarks bar until I get The Urge. I’m a bit of a political junkie and enjoy catching up…
Hotelnacht Amsterdam – PARTY HARDY and then catch some zzz’s
Amsterdammers! Do you ever wonder what it would be like to be a tourist in your own city? Sure you do! Like it or not, Amsterdam is one of the world’s most popular tourist destinations – and not without reason. As many tourists can tell you, you can PARTY HARDY and…
Hästens – I’ll sleep on it!
Thanks to Hästens, I had the worst night of sleep in ages. I tossed and I turned, woke up at least once an hour wondering if it was time to get up yet and dreamt at least twice I slept through the alarm clock. I don’t know about you, but after…
Svinging by Svenskt Tenn in ten minutes tops
What if you only have one and a half hour of free time in Stockholm? Well, you sving by Svenskt Tenn before you do anything else! At least, that’s what I decided to do after an exciting press trip to the Hästens factory and flagship store had come to an end….
Tales of the Unexpected
If you had told me before I drove to Arnhem that I would end up in a total stranger’s living room admiring a skeleton dressed in a velvet cape, I would have laughed in your face. But there I was, and I was in total awe. So why don’t you sit…
C-More Concept Store…it’s all happening for my friend Iris!
Did I ever tell you about my good friend Iris Havekes? This woman is going places! To be honest, I don’t even remember when or where I first met Iris. A couple of years ago, she was just there. At least that’s what it felt like. Iris is not only a kick-ass interior…
Michelin stars shine at the Timothy Oulton instore dinner party
Dinner tonight will be served by Erik van Loo from Parkheuvel in Rotterdam,” my host for the night says – and I nearly fall off my chair. A chef from a restaurant with two Michelin stars who will be cooking for me at at the Timothy Oulton flagship store in Amsterdam…
Ink Hotel Amsterdam – Style written in Ink
Give me a new boutique hotel with an interesting history and I’m a happy man. It’s as simple as that. As you may have seen on my Instagram feed, I’m taking a much-needed break in Cascais, Portugal. But did you know my trip started out in style last week at the…
Khotinsky makes sparks fly at Energiehuis
Taking pictures for Interiorator was the last thing on my mind when I was in the Dutch town of Dordrecht earlier this month. In fact, all I could think about was how excited (and nervous) I was to see my husband star in a play at a local theater festival held…
Gevonden op Marktplaats Salon – part 2
Like shooting fish in a barrel – that’s what it felt like when I was taking pictures last Saturday at the Gevonden op Marktplaats Salon in Amsterdam. Everywhere I looked, there were unique vintage design pieces – all styled to absolute perfection by Julien Rademaker and his team. In case you’re…
Gevonden op Marktplaats Salon – part 1
Mosterd na de maaltijd – mustard after the meal. It’s a Dutch saying that is just perfect for today’s blogpost about last weekend’s Gevonden op Marktplaats Salon in Amsterdam. I had planned on going to the opening last Wednesday but alas, something suddenly came up and I couldn’t make it. For…