Pures at the ready: these tempting stores will have you reaching for your credit card.
Hôtel Droog
What:
Dutch Design collective Droog, the brain child of product design- er Gijs Bakker and design historian Renny Ramakers, has extended its Amsterdam show- room featuring beautiful furniture and gift items to include fashion and cosmetics, a café and even a (single-room) hotel with ‘fairy-tale garden’.
Interior:
Detailed and inventive, as you’d expect from a design collective. The historic 17th-century build-ing has been transformed into a ‘house’ with themed rooms. On the ground floor you’ll find a gallery, furniture and gifts; up-stairs are rooms for food & drinks, fashion and cosmetics.
Collection:
Droog furniture classics are displayed to be bought or admired, including classics such as the Shady Lace parasol by Chris Kabel; Tejo Remy’s Milk Bottle Lamp and Joris Laarmans’ Heatwave Radiator. The gift shop stocks smaller products by Droog and ‘Friends of Droog’ (designers of whom they approve), from stylish ceramics and pillowcases to smile-inducing children’s beakers. Upstairs, fashion store Het Kabinet specialises in high-fashion brands such as Isabel Marant, Rick Owens and Avelon. Further down the hall, Cosmania sells exclusive beauty products from all over the world.
Must Have:
The Chest of Drawers by Tejo Remy is a classic design object with a foreboding ‘price upon request’ tag. For those with a smaller budget, there’s a lot of nicely designed stuff to be found in the gift shop.
Conclusion:
A place where design junkies and fashion-lovers feel right at home. You can hang out for hours, enjoying a homemade organic lunch before scoring those extra special gifts to take home.
Staalstraat 7b
Candy
Papabubble
Witness the creation of designer candy at Papabubble, made right in front of you in one of the two lovely shops. Choose artisan multicoloured sweets in hundreds of flavours – including eucalyptus and mojito – or opt for customised candy. You can even order a batch of sweetness with your own name or company logo on it.
Haarlemmerdijk 70 & Staalstraat 16
Pet shop
Vovnjau
In the stylish southern district of Amsterdam you’ll find an original pet boutique, with the unusual name Vovnjau (‘woof’ in Danish). Here they sell luxury goods and fashionable accessories for cats and dogs whose owners have an eye for design: think essentials such as a faux-snakeskin collar, a Fatboy dog bed and ‘Jimmy Chew’ toys in the shape of stiletto heels…
Willemsparkweg 68
Classic
HEMA
Ask a Dutchman abroad what he can’t do without, and there‘s a big chance he’ll say HEMA, an affordable department store that only sells its own brand (like M&S five years ago, but half the price). Designs range from minimal to Cath Kidston-esque, and are invariably well thought through. You’ll find everything from kitchen tools and toys to beauty products and even food (try their famous and slightly greasy sausage, putting the Dutch name, worst, out of mind if you can). Read more on page 15.
Kalverstraat 212 and throughout the city
