“God created earth, but the Dutch created the Netherlands”. That’s what people say and you can actually experience this when you approach the country by plane. You can see the flat landscape and green patchwork with pretty houses neatly placed in between. It is as if someone has drawn the land with a ruler. One third of the country is below sea level so the Dutch people created their own land for centuries. This effort of making its own land contributed in the Dutch people’s way of thinking such as putting the community first rather than personal interest, patience to discuss until everybody agrees and the ability to create something.
Amsterdam Airport Schiphol is a gateway to Europe and is the fourth biggest international airport in Europe. The development plan of this airport foresees 10 years, even 20 years ahead. More than 70% of passengers are transfers, so there are many things to benefit those passengers, such as the famous one-terminal-concept, casino, museums, etc. The signs at the airport were made by Paul Mijksenaar. They are all written in English so even if you are at the airport for the first time, it is easy to navigate yourself. Paul Mijksenaar also made the signage at Amsterdam Centraal Station which is now under construction. His motto is “clear guidance”.
At the airport, you can see many art pieces. In Holland, there is a rule to reserve about 5% of the total construction cost for art when building public buildings. So even at places like hospitals or prisons, it is possible to see art pieces. The art objects at Schiphol are often humourous with travel as a theme.
Amsterdam, The place for Dutch Design
Amsterdam could be described as a “cosmopolitan village” rather than a capital city of Holland. This city, which attracts so many creators from around the world, has a long tradition of receiving many people with different races, culture and religion. Many modern and eccentric Dutch design can be seen throughout the city with liberal atmosphere, rich history and heritage from the golden ages. At a glance, these things do not merge, but the attractiveness of Amsterdam is that these mixes with each other in perfect harmony.
Amsterdam is a mecca for design. The gallery 139 which is in the basement of the Stedelijk Museum CS is worth a visit. In KNSM Eiland, you can find nice interior products at Pilat & Pilat, Pols Potten. At Wanderwood, you can find art, design furniture made of mid century used wood. Droog@home is a shop and a gallery. You can find droog design collection as well as exhibitions of Dutch or International designers. At Frozen Fountain, you can find good selection of Dutch Design products.
Must See Museums
In Holland, there are about 8,000 museums throughout the country. The most well-known museum for the Japanese are the Rijksmuseum in Amsterdam and the Mauritshuis in Den Haag, famous for its 17 Century Dutch Old Master’s collection like Rembrandt and Vermeer. Also famous are the Van Gogh collection at the Van Gogh Museum and the Kroller Muller Museum. There are also some museums, which we would like to recommend to design-conscious people.
Amsterdam Stedelijk Museum CS The current museum building at the Museumeplein is now under construction and is planned to be opened at the end of 2009. The temporary exhibitions can be seen at the former post office building near Amsterdam Central Station. They exhibit modern and contemporary art, photography, applied art and design. Every Thursday night, Club 11 which is at the top of the building, organizes events like seminars, presentations and film. The view of the city of Amsterdam and the IJ Harbour is breathtaking. They have a nice selection of Dutch design items at the museum shop. The graphic design of the museum is done by Experiment Jetset. The main exhibition of this autumn 2007 is Andy Warhol’s “Other Voices, Other Rooms”.
Utrecht Centraalmuseum Centraalmuseum is the oldest municipal museum in Holland with 170 years of history. The have five main collection categories such as ancient history, middle ages art, fashion. The well known collection for the Japanese is the famous architect/designer Rietveld and graphic designer, Dick Bruna’s Miffy. In the main building of the museum, there is a permanent collection of Rietveld furniture including his prototypes. At the museum cafe, the reproduction of Rietveld furniture is used. The Rietveld-Schroderhuis listed as a World Heritage is also part of the collection of the Centraalmuseum and is opened to public only with guided tours organized by the museum. The Dick Bruna Huis was opened opposite the main building of the Centraalmuseum in February 2006. Visitors are greeted by the statue of Golden Miffy which was a present when Miffy became 50 years old. In the upper floor, it is possible to see the graphic works of Dick Bruna like the Black bear, poster series, etc. The museum is fun not only for children but also for adults. Mr. Bruna has become 80 years old this year and is working at his atlier in Utrecht every day.
Rotterdam Kunsthal Rotterdam is famous for its architecture and the port which is second largest in the world. The city is modern and full of surprising buildings, where many famous architect offices are located in this city. Kunsthal is a work of Architect Office OMA (Rem Koolhaas/F. Hoshino) and has an exhibition space of 3,300 m2. They have 25 different exhibitions throughout the year.
Comfortable Hotels There is a word which is often used by the Dutch; “Gezelligheid”. This word characterizes the Dutch culture, but cannot be translated into other languages although, sometimes translated as “comfortable”, “cozy”. The Dutch are the people who live to pursue this gezelligheid.
Many hotels in Holland are renovating recently resulted from strong economy. It is a trend to renovate old style rooms to a modern design rooms. Many of the new boutique hotels and B&B have been opened. Here we mention two hotels where you can experience the real “gezelligheid” in Holland.
Lloyd Hotel The official name of this hotel is The Lloyd Hotel & The Cultural Embassy. As the name describes, it is not only a hotel, but a meeting place for various nationalities and races. The rooms also varies from one star (80 euro - ) to five star (300 euro - ). The interior is a collaboration of Inneke Hans, Richard Hutten, Atlier van Lieshout, Hella Jongerius, Christine Menderstma. The building itself dates back to 1921 and still the atmosphere remains. Many Dutch Design furniture is used inside the hotel and is like a showcase of Dutch design.
Lute Suites This place is about 30 minutes drive from Amsterdam city centre. The Lute Suites was opened in 2005 along the River Amstel in the small village of Oudekerk aan de Amstel. There are only 7 rooms, but the interior of the rooms were done by the internationally famous Marcel Wanders. It is a collaboration project with the owner, Peter Lute. The building of the restaurant used to be a firearm factory from the 18 century and the hotel is like a historical inn. The restaurant is always crowded with Amsterdam yuppies. This Lute Suites produced by Marcel Wanders is planned to expand also in the city of Amsterdam over the next few years.
