Trip to Amsterdam to see the Design Icons fair

This weekend is all about design and modern art. I received tickets to the ‘Design Icons Amsterdam’ This fair takes place annually in the beautiful venue of De Kromhouthal. The former marine engine factory has been restored into a charming event location. Situated on the North shore of ’t IJ, with a beautiful view to the city center. The industrial atmosphere of De Kromhouthal is the ideal setting to showcase design icons of the past century.

75 quality dealers from all over Europe have returned to Amsterdam to bring their finest vintage design pieces from the 1930s – 1980s.

A diversity of interior objects are offered for sale from well-known classics to anonymous designs, with Eames next to Mies van der Rohe and from Italian-chic to raw industrials.

We enjoyed a lovely lunch at the cozy restaurant next door: Stork. A lovely fish restaurant in a industrial but cozy atmosphere.

We also got to meet Suus in her beautiful art gallery. She told us that her mother is an artist. Jaqueline Bozon. she is coming with Suus to Knokke soon to exhibit at Absolutely art, so I’m sure that we’ll meet up. I just loved the pictures of Jimmy Nelson and his book: Hommage to humanity and ‘Before they pass away’. So impressive. And of course the black and white erotic photographs of Helmut Newton and some pop-art and pieces of Hirst. Food for the soul…

But art is everywhere in Amsterdam, so we just wandered around on this crisp, sunny day and enjoyed the art and each other….

About the NHow Amsterdam, a brand new funky art hotel

Located only a few steps away from the RAI Convention Center and created by famous architect Reinier de Graaf is the brandnew art NHow hotel. It opened in 2020, but had to close again because of Covid-19. Since we are going to the Design Icon fair, I thought we were to stay in our artsy bubble. Therefore I chose the modern NH sister NHow. The hotel is well located. There is a metro stop right outside … we could easily get to the city center in 10 minutes, to Schiphol airport in 15 minutes….a screen with real-time public transport info in the lobby was very thoughtful.

If you have an artistic bent of mind then you are going to love the interior design. Funky, bold, playful, colourful, with a warm vibe…..

The NHow Amsterdam hotel really impressed me. It somehow manages to provide comfortable modernism into its iconic structure…With 24 floors and 650 rooms, all with floor- to-ceiling windows it takes the title of the largest newly built hotel in the Benelux region. It has 6 different styles of rooms that you can choose from. Asian, Mexican, Scandinavian, African, Indian or Scottish…The breakfast that the lovely Ivgenia from Lithuania talked us into was also a real treat! Views from the 17th floor over Amsterdam, while crazy coloured teamed all over the walls. The thing I will remember the most though, is that the staff was so charming and easygoing…and the the coffee machine in the lounge was always missing out on cups 🙂

We also went back in time when we stumbled on a ‘roller skate club’ with everything in pink (up till the pink creamy scones!). It was so lovely…being transported in the 80s…We were tempted to put on a pair of rollerskates and danse our part in ‘Grease’, but decided to stay sensible:)

After the obligatory boattrip on the Amstel, it was time to check out of our lovely hotel and to head back to reality. But it was a fun trip!