After inviting creative friends to move in during Covid, Amsterdam’s Hotel de L’Europe has welcomed back the city’s most prominent names in art, design, and fashion to translate their talents into a collection of hotel suites. Occupying an entire wing of the hotel, which sits on a street that Rembrandt once called home, the artistic suites have been gathered together under the name ’t Huys, an old spelling of the Dutch het huis, which translates to ‘house’ in English.
Amsterdam’s Hotel de L’Europe introduces new ’t Huys suites
Each designer worked with creative studio D/DOCK to mould their imaginative world into the practical confines of a hotel suite, which has also been given a hybrid function to maximise the space for a mixture of sleep, relaxation, entertainment, and work.
For the husband-and-wife duo behind the Wolfi Pictures suite, actors Daan Schuurmans and Bracha van Doesburgh, a palette of sapphire blue and gold and layers of tactile fabrics create a chic salon that multitasks as a private bar, writers’ room and cinema.
Similarly, D/DOCK’s own suite is a minimalist, monochromatic space where the sparse living room serves as either a private dining room, thanks to a central white table decorated with sculptural vases and Japanese ceramics, or as a wellness space for yoga sessions and in-room treatments using the suite’s tatami mats.
For guests who prefer a homelier setting, jewellery designer Bibi van der Velden has imagined a soothing pied-à-terre that reflects her nature-inspired pieces. Shades of green are a backdrop to vases of dried flowers, decorative chunks of malachite, and on the wall, an oversized shell and coral necklace.
Harper’s Bazaar Nederland editor-in-chief Miluska van ‘t Lam brought a personal touch to her suite by mixing her own possessions with sophisticated neutrals and layers of rich wood and cool marble furnishings.
Fashion also comes to life in Ronald van der Kemp’s suite, which the designer used as a workspace during the pandemic. He opted for immaculate white walls to show off his colourful RVDK couture to full effect – note the extra maxi floral dress that hangs in the suite’s entrance – and puts a modern spin on the traditional four-poster with a curtain of white fringing. Next door, walls dressed with RVDK magazine clippings and a rail of real-life pieces – which guests are free to borrow – create a mini fashion atelier.
A stay in each suite comes with exclusive access to Amsterdam through each designer – think private appointments with van der Velden and van der Kemp, and an after-hours visit to the Van Gogh Museum, whose team has also designed a suite – while downstairs, the hotel's new concept store showcases the work of the ’t Huys designers to both guests and the public.
Hotel de L’Europe is located at Nieuwe Doelenstraat 2-14, Amsterdam, deleurope.com
