I’m in Amsterdam now, we wrapped up in Belgium which was a great shoot and here I am blogging from a cafe enjoying some quiet time before my appointment to meet with a designer at her atelier. I will interview her for the book and I am excited to meet up and see her place. I love the idea of doing in-person interviews so much more than the typical telephone or email chats that I usually have. If you have the chance to meet someone in their creative environment, on their turf, there can be that added layer of intimacy that chatting at a bistro just wouldn’t give you… Agree? I think that if I interviewed celebrities for a living that I would insist on going to their home to meet them. After visiting all of the beautiful houses that I have been honored to be welcomed into over the past several months I know for a fact that people are so much more themselves within their own four walls. Getting a glimpse of that person in action is a real honor, I think. And so, in a moment, I’ll be on my way to meet a talented lady on her turf here in lovely, inspiring Amsterdam.

In honor of being in Amsterdam today, I thought I’d post some photos from a home I saw recently on the 101Woonideeen blog. I met the editors of this magazine a few years ago, they showed up at a decor8 meet up in Amsterdam and passed out free issues of their magazine. They also regularly read decor8, in fact one of my friends in Hannover will be in their magazine because they tune in so frequently which is always nice to see — I like when magazines find content on blogs because some people would be hard to locate otherwise so blogs feed magazines and magazines, in other ways, feed blogs which means both are needed and both create a sort of energy that keeps this creative cycle turning.

Anyway, these photos from 101 Woonideeen above show a look that always has Dutch style written all over it — at least, to me. Of course there are many other ways the Dutch decorate their home that look nothing like this but I see this style as quite sweet and personal and very Dutch. It seems to be more about upcycling and recycling and less about designer pieces, doesn’t it? Many cannot afford uber expensive things (like me!) or they do not want to own them with young children in the house. This is a relaxed home environment that gives you lots of options to customize, make do and as needed, mend. :)

(images: 101 Woonideeen)

14 Responses to “Hello from Amsterdam!”

1 pilli pilli commented:
August 4th, 2010 at 9:43 am

I could totally live in that kitchen!
*hearts*
pilli pilli
pilli pilli´s last [type] ..pretty pink
2 Will commented:
August 4th, 2010 at 11:25 am

Enjoy Amsterdam! xo
Will´s last [type] ..Living Etc September 2010
3 Adventures in Dressmaking commented:
August 4th, 2010 at 12:19 pm

Lucky you! Sounds like a great trip. Those images are so lovely. I love Scandinavian modern, thanks so much for sharing!
Adventures in Dressmaking´s last [type] ..Sewing Circle- How to cut out the right pattern size
4 Torrie @ a place to share... commented:
August 4th, 2010 at 12:32 pm

My favorite idea here is the artwork hanging from clothespins. I have an absolutely perfect spot for this (shown in my latest post- the top picture with the ‘Happy Birthday’ banner). Right below this spot is my daughter’s art table, where all of her lovely creations are made, so the hanging artwork would be a wonderful entryway into the ‘spot of creation!’
Torrie @ a place to share…´s last [type] ..Recipe for a delectable cooking party
5 Nuit commented:
August 4th, 2010 at 1:25 pm

oh yes! feels very dutch =D I love the colors and the vintage feel of that mint green wall. I love it. Have fun Holly!!!
Nuit´s last [type] ..todays brittish place ❤
6 Coco commented:
August 4th, 2010 at 4:28 pm

how nice that you’re so close by! Have a nice time Holly!
7 jadeee_d commented:
August 5th, 2010 at 7:47 am

i love these interiors, they have such a beautiful clean, fresh, vintage vibe to them!

jade
jadeee_d´s last [type] ..fashion- 6 of the best LUXURY LEATHER
8 Theresa commented:
August 5th, 2010 at 7:55 am

Excited for the interview! I love your picks from 101 Woonideen and thank you for the inspiration. I am just thinking about redecorating my flat in Leipzig/Germany and glad about any input!
Theresa´s last [type] ..DressGarden 2 LEILA
9 Jules @ Lovely Las Vegas commented:
August 5th, 2010 at 10:00 am

It is a very cozy, real-life style indeed!
Jules @ Lovely Las Vegas´s last [type] ..Lovely Las Vegas- Fleur de Lys Tapas
10 Marianne commented:
August 6th, 2010 at 10:52 pm

I am Dutch, I am not sure what a Dutch interior is.
The home shown is from this lady
http://omstebeurt-eennieuwavontuur.blogspot.com/2010/08/vlei-vleier-vleienst.html
11 Kathryn commented:
August 8th, 2010 at 3:41 pm

Love this home, especially the art hanging from the ceiling. That is hard to pull off without it looking messy, but it certainly works here! I can’t wait to see your book!
12 nicole commented:
August 10th, 2010 at 12:02 pm

hey. I really love the wall paper behind the bed. i was just thinking about an idea that i would love feedback on.
i have a bed similar to the one in the photograph but is white. I also rent my apartment. Could i just buy large sheets of wood and put then together and place wallpaper on that and sit it behind the bed. The dimentions would be just below the roof and sticking out each side by about a 1m. do you think that would be too busy?
hmmmm……
13 desiree - Vosgesparis commented:
June 22nd, 2011 at 10:24 pm

I am wondering now in what cafe you are LOL….
14 desiree - Vosgesparis commented:
June 22nd, 2011 at 10:26 pm

I am feeling really proud you are in my town and find it inspiring ;)
For every one looking for nice places to go… check out my Amsterdam City guide… http://vosgesparis.blogspot.com/p/amsterdam-city-guide.html

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