Dutch homes. I have heard many expats say that they have never been inside a Dutch home. I must be the exception, because I have visited many. All very nice homes and one thing I realised is that the Dutch love interior design. I have seen some homes where you could easily imagine you had been teleported to Italy. They have beautiful kitchens and bathrooms. Also, there are wonderful living areas arranged with great taste. The attention to detail is also stunning. From the rugs to the pictures on the walls. All topped off with beautiful long-stemmed flowers from the market. I have never really heard people talking a lot about Dutch design, but it’s there. It exists and it is really good. In this piece, we look at it in more details with the help of a Dutch interior designer.
Perhaps more understated than Italian design, but in every way just as beautiful. I honestly did not know the Dutch were so interested in design homes. But then again it makes sense. There are some really nice shops around selling beautiful furniture, fixtures and fittings. The designer furniture shops on the Rozengracht. Also, there are quite a few shops selling beautiful lights and lamps. Then you have places such as Mooi on the Westerstraat. The designs there are all done by the famous Dutch designer Marcel Wanders that did the interiors of the beautiful Andaz hotel on the Prinsengracht. Or Droog. You know about Droog, right ?
So I asked a designer about Dutch Design and Interiors
So what’s the story ? Maybe they take extra pride in their interior design because people can see inside ? But it is not just people living on the ground floor that do it. Maybe they are defined by their weather. They spend more time at home, so they want it to look amazing. Maybe the country is economically stronger again and people have bigger budgets.
With a goal of knowing and understanding more, I went straight to an expert. Patricia Stump the founder of PS Interior Studio. Patricia has vast experience with interior design and kindly takes time from her busy schedule to answer our questions.
Q1. Hi Patricia. So I have been wondering…have the Dutch always been so keen on designer interiors ?
I think the Dutch have always had a sense of pride of their homes. Wanting it to feel like home, not just a house. We also have a country full of amazing interior brands that help us build that amazing designer interior.
Q2. Is there a ‘Dutch style’ ? Can you define it for us ? Is it inspired by Italian designers ?
For me there are a couple of typical characteristics of the ‘Dutch style’ as I would call them:
- we love to get our inspiration from our travels
- we love a beautiful look and we love practicality & innovation even more
- inspired by extravaganza, inside our homes we prefer to keep it more minimalistic and surprise you with the details in our designs
Beauty is in the eye of the beholder.
Italy has always been and always will be a great source of inspiration when it comes to design. In Italy there has always been a strong connection with art. Then combine that with the culture, the imagination and the craftsmanship. Whether it is about fashion or interiors, Italy is a worldwide trendsetter and leader in design.
It was in Milan in the early nineties when Dutch Design was officially recognized because of the presentation from the Dutch platform Droog at the big international furniture fair.
Q3. When you are doing an interior design project for a client, how does it all start ?
For every project, big or small, it starts with a first consultation to get to know each other. Then we talk about my clients interior, wishes and style to get a clear vision on how I can help in the best way.
Q4 How much design consultation do you do before the start and during the project?
The first consultation is always to get a clear vision how I can help my client. The size of the project will dictate how many consultations we will have during the process. My way of working is to gather as much information as possible at the first consultation. Doing it this way allows me to get to do the research and create the magic. Then I surprise them with the presentation of their unique interior the next time I see them.
Q5 What sort of timescales should people be looking at for their project?
The timescales differ depending on the size of the projects. It can be 2 weeks or up to a year or more.
This last year, I noticed more and more requests came from clients that would like to update their interior, as I would like to call it. We are all spending more time at home and that will always be more enjoyable if it looks and functions based on our personal lifestyle.
That is why I created the ‘colour & styling’ package that I can quickly create and is fully digital. It is an action plan for my clients to update their current interior with new colours, wall covering, furniture and lighting.
On the bigger projects, when we for example, build a house together with the client. We are also working with the architect, the builders and other professionals. A project of that size has a longer timescale, divided in different parts of the process that can easily take up to a year.
Conclusions
Thank you for that insight into Dutch design and your activity. It was interesting to learn more. Everyone wants to have a lovely design interior at home. The first sign I knew that the Dutch were getting serious with it ? I was in Milan at the Furniture and Design fair and these was a delegation of Dutch Design work on display. It looked amazing and the Italians were loving it. Maybe they inspired it ! So Dutch Design is a thing !
Thanks Patricia for your time and the interesting answers to our questions.
You can see more of Patricia’s wonderful work on the PS Interior Studio website.
For more blogs about local in Amsterdam, see our Amsterdam articles and blogs.
