From Place To Space: Volkshotel In Amsterdam

It's been a few weeks by now that I went to Amsterdam for the 'Design Bloggers Tour', but for me it feels like ages. However, I wanted to share with you the fab hotel I was staying at in Amsterdam: the Volkshotel. A cool, urban hotel with a strong Urban Jungle Bloggers vibe. But judge for yourself!

The Volkshotel feels like an open place that welcomes all passers-by with its open door policy. The entry area is a vibrant café, reading nook, piano corner and coworking space in one. A real jungle of plants, vintage ceramics, flowers, vintage furniture and relaxed staff are there to make you feel very welcome and comfortable from the very first minute. 

The rooms are simple and reminded me of a cool, urban student's dormitory, but of course cleaner and a tad cooler. However, the hotel also features nine special rooms designed by various interior designers, architects and other creative minds. Another highlight is the hotel's spa area on top of the building with fantastic Amsterdam city views while you are sitting in a open air jacuzzi. Not bad, right? 

The hotel's last floor is reserved for a great restaurant featuring Dutch and international cuisine and a good breakfast buffet - again, the feeling is very convivial and easy-going, like eating with friends and family. 

Last but not least the hotel is located next to a metro station so it's pretty easy to reach every corner of Amsterdam from there. So, now you know where you should stay for your next Amsterdam trip, right? 

Happy new week, friends!

Photography by Igor Josifovic

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Happy Interior Blog Recommends: Fatboy

For many years the Dutch brand Fatboy used to be synonymous for bold, huge beanbags to me. But lately I've noticed that they slowly expanded their product range with new products like stools, cushions, rugs. But it was this year's bloggers' tour to Amsterdam that made me change my perception entirely. Fatboy was one of our sponsors of our design bloggers' dinner and we were seated comfy on their new concrete seats and Baboesjka cushion seats, enjoyed a dimly lit atmosphere thanks to the Edison lamp and we had the opportunity to meet their brand new product launching in 2015 - 'The Klaid', an oversized and super soft blanket for a snuggly evening.

The large blanket was a tactile highlight - it feels super soft and you instantly want to wrap up yourself in it - which some of us did, like my friend Susanna:-) But we also used the opportunity to ask the Fatboy representatives one interesting question: why is the brand called Fatboy? Now take this: It was back in 1998 that a creative Finnish guy named Jukka Setälä, a designer from Golla in Finland, was listening to the edgy tunes of Fatboy Slim (ha, I knew it) and designed the first original beanbag. Now everything makes sense and Fatboy has a quite cool vibe to it, right? And their new products are pretty cool, too!

Happy hump day and let's listen to some Fatboy Slim now!

Photography by Linda Elmin and Susanna Vento

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From Place To Space: Bloggers Tour Amsterdam

Lately I took you to our magic, coastal inspired bloggers dinner in Amsterdam and to the showroom of Moooi. Today I want to give you another insight into what our group of European design bloggers was up to in Amsterdam. Our 4-days bloggers tour was packed with design, bloggers, good food and lots of fun of course.

We kicked off our bloggers tour at the interior design fair 'Woonbeurs' where we were invited along with other Dutch bloggers by Dutch interiors magazine VT Wonen - we all contributed to their special blogger issue. We had the opportunity to discover the beautifully styled VT Wonen house at the fair and browse the other halls too. No wonder that I was absolutely happy to see lots of greens at the fair - a real Urban Jungle Bloggers playground!

The next day was reserved for the 'Meet the Blogger' conference where we mingled and networked with a huge bunch of international bloggers, listened to a Q&A session with Kinfolk Magazine and gave presentations/workshops. I teamed up with my friend Elena and we spoke about green trends and how to trigger a community - but I will blog about that in more details another time!

Apart from our appointments with local brands and designers, we also had time to roam the city and discover nice restaurants, cafés and sights - mostly we traveled in style with limousines and chauffeurs order through the easy Uber app.

One evening we were invited to dine at the fantastic Bluespoon restaurant in the Andaz Hotel - a real 5-star delight and a hotel design that makes you feel like amidst the bewildering beauty of 'Alice in Wonderland'! And we couldn't skip the compulsory canal tour in Amsterdam - thanks to the great 'I Amsterdam City Card' we had not to worry about getting tickets for the public transport nor the canal tour - it was all inclusive! A real recommendation if you plan a weekend trip to Amsterdam anytime soon!

I hope you enjoyed this little Monday voyage to Amsterdam. Have a great new week and let's see where I'll take you next Monday!

Photography by Igor Josifovic, Uber pic by Susanna Vento

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Happy Interior Blog Recommends: Libratone

Liberate your sound in style! That was my first thought when I was introduced to the stylish wireless speakers of Libratone during our Design Bloggers Dinner in Amsterdam. They sponsored our party by providing a beautiful and strong speaker system to keep our guests entertained with fine music. I was convinced by both design and sound quality so I had to get a closer look on their website and learn more about their wireless speakers.

I belong to the generation of people who have no radio at home. I only stream music (probably like most of us) and currently I am using a bluetooth speaker to stream the music from my iPhone to my entire apartment. But it is not as stylish as the cool Libratone speakers. Not to mention that the sound quality is rather poor. If only I knew Libratone before!

What I really like about the Libratone speakers is that they are covered in real wool and they come in a variety of colours to complement any kind of interior styling. My personal favorite is the Libratone Loop in Petrol Blue - it would definitely make a good appearance in my home. 

Which one would suit your home best? And do you use wireless speakers to stream music in your home? Just wondering...

Photography via Libratone

Libratone was a kind sponsor of our Design Bloggers Tour

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Design In Amsterdam: Moooi Showroom & Marcel Wanders Design Studio

Last week I spent four days on a design bloggers tour in Amsterdam. One of our first stops was a visit to an iconic Dutch design address: the Moooi showroom and the design studio of Dutch designer Marcel Wanders. Moooi sounds pretty fun but in fact it is the Dutch word for 'beautiful' with an additional 'o' to emphasize the brand's extra value in terms of beauty and uniqueness. Moooi is a venture by the designer Marcel Wanders and his business partner Casper Vissers.

My very first impression when I entered the showroom was sheer awe - a grand space full of design, from modern to Scandinavian inspired to totally quirky - and all with a huge dash of greens. A fantastic design urban jungle if you want so. Everything was much more clear to me when I heard the mission of Moooi: Making environments more beautiful, exciting and inspiring. And they showcase it perfectly in theirs showroom - Moooi shows interior ideas in terms of how a room can be transformed into a rich and colorfully dressed living area with a variety of patterns and colours. 

Apart from all the wild indoor plants I was particularly fascinated by their lighting solutions: the light Heracleum pendant, the dreamy Random Light or the glamorous Prop Light. Apart from discovering design, we were also asked to personalize the new Egg Vase for each of us - a really fun experience!

Later on we went upstairs to peek into the design studio of Marcel Wanders. Imagine conference rooms like out of an 'Alice in Wonderland' set-up, open, bright offices, eclectic details and a family like atmosphere. 

Even though this was just the first day of our Amsterdam bloggers tour, I felt already very inspired with a good load of original Dutch design. Stay tuned for more over the coming days!

Happy weekend everyone!

Photography by Igor Josifovic

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