Design shopping tour in Amsterdam

Last Thursday I had the pleasure of guiding a group of 16 international interior design bloggers through Amsterdam together with Dutch magazine Eigen Huis & Interieur. The group of bloggers, Americans and British, were taking part in the Modenus blogtour. Modenus selects small groups of bloggers and then travels to design capitals, exhibitions, and showcases. After a six day visit to Cologne and IMM, the international furnishing show, they spent their final blogtour day in Amsterdam.

Together with Eigen Huis & Interieur we created a sightseeing and shopping tour with some of the best home interior stores and design stores in the city. You can download the tour here.

We started our unofficial pre-tour with a little fun and photo sessions at the Rijksmuseum and I Amsterdam sign. After a quick brunch in the PC Hooftstraat and swiftly run through Zara Home and the Conservatorium Hotel, we started the official design shopping tour.

First stop was Hotel Droog. Hotel Droog is an unique hospitality experience with only one bedroom. The other spaces in this historical building house a beauty shop, a concept store with designs by upcoming designers, a gallery, a fashion store and restaurant.

After a cold but picturesque stroll through the historical city center we paid a visit to concept store The Frozen Fountain.

Next stop was Gallery Moooi, my personal favourite. At gallery Moooi we were welcomed by renowned designer Sjoerd Vroonland of Vroonland & Vaandrager, who gave us a presentation about his world-famous designs.

Gallery Moooi is a showroom exhibiting work by designer Marcel Wanders, and other established and internationally recognized designers. Most of the designs are daring, colourful and playful. I was mesmerized by the designs inspired by English China with soft pink roses.

After a short stop at my favourite shop Store without a Home we made our way to concept store Sukha.

Sukha is a small warehouse in the Haarlemmerstraat carrying warm knits, home accessories, crockery, and unique furniture designs. All of their items are eco-friendly and they have a preference for hand-crafted products. Sukha is famous for its doodles and short poems that adorn the shop window, walls, and floor.

The shopping tour ended at concept store Hutspot, where we were welcomed with drinks and snacks and had a little meet up with Dutch bloggers Wendy, Sabine, Souraya, Desiree, Patrick, Iris, Ulrike and Sonia to compare notes and extend the international blogger community. I organized this little meet and greet in support of and as a representative of Meet the Blogger.

After spending the day with this energetic group of like minded people, I can honestly say that I feel blessed to have met each and every one of them. I made some new online and offline friends. One of my new friends Courtney made a great write up of the design tour with more stunning photos. Go see it here.

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