TRIED & TESTED: LIBERTINE AMSTERDAM

April 17th, 2014

libertineamsterdam

Most striking feature:

Casper Reinders and his art collection. Anyone who have read the Spanish AD a few months back, fell in love with Casper Reinder’s house. Obviously the Amsterdam restaurant entrepreneur knows how to bring inspiration in places like Lion Noir, Bo Cinq and Chow, but he also knows how to bring home a great mix of design and art. Reinders is on a continuous journey to find extraordinary items in the world so I can understand why he opened a gallery. On the Prinsengracht, next to the Leidsestraat and very close to Bo Cinq, all his discoveries are all displayed at Libertine. From a life-size statue of Read more…


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NEW SPOT: KERBISHER & MALT LONDON

April 16th, 2014

Kerbisher and Malt, Mortlake

3 reasons to go there:

  1. For the best fish & chips in London. Heston Blumenthal said of Kerbisher & Malt: ‘takes the very essence of a chippy and just makes it so much better’.
  2. If you’ve tried the Kerbisher & Malt in Brook Green and Ealing already and Read more…

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TRIED & TESTED: BRAINY DAYS AMSTERDAM

April 15th, 2014

brainydaysamsterdam

Most striking feature:

Around the corner of Tenue de Nimes in Amsterdam you will find a new shop called Brainy Days, the store of Vera. The store will be there for half a year and Vera, the owner, will gather the most original gift items in here. From inspirational quotes to cutting boards shaped like a diamond. Last Friday she officially opened the doors and she launched an online magazine at the same time (click on this link to see more). With an overload of cool interior shops in Amsterdam (from Friday Next to Maison NL and from Hutspot to Six and Sons) Brainy Days knows how to select the most special pieces with a more than fine price tag. From an Read more…


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TRIED & TESTED: PORTRAIT HAARLEM

April 14th, 2014

portraithaarlem

Most striking feature:

In former stables at the Raamvest in Haarlem, Portrait recently opened its doors: a concept store run by three friends. And we are equally pleased with their taste, sense of design and collection! The huge space serves as a shop and a cafe and is open every day (except on Tuesday) from 10am to 5pm. We see a man sitting near the window reading a newspaper with a cup of coffee, a group of friends chatting in the cool bamboo chairs and a couple of guys are sitting on the long reading table. But, as Rogier, one of the owners, says: ‘come on weekdays and you will find people working here behind their laptops’. That’s something Read more…


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TRIED & TESTED: PS CAFE SINGAPORE

April 13th, 2014

pscafesingapore

Most striking feature:

When I asked for recommendations on Singapore, the PS Cafe was the address you said I absolutely couldn’t miss in Singapore. So ofcourse I went there to take a look for myself and I completely understood why. PS Cafe is located in Dempsey Hill, an area known for its fine dining restaurants (such as The White Rabbit and the new Pidgin). Somewhat outside the main restaurant hub, you will find the PS Cafe in a lush green environment. If you walk down the path that brings you to the entrance you’ll feel Read more…


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TRIED & TESTED: CHYE SENG HUAT HARDWARE SINGAPORE

April 11th, 2014

chyesenghuathardwaresingapore

Most striking feature:

The heritage district of Jalan Besar is definitely an upcoming neighborhood. You’ll now find a few cool cafes and shops (like Konzepp) in between huge hardware stores. Shops where you can buy anything that has something to do with cars or technique. Chye Seng Huat Hardware was also a hardware store. But a few months ago it was transformed into a place where Papa Palheta roast its beans, where you can drink coffee on the ground floor and where they organize workshops upstairs next to a great shop which was, unfortunately, closed during my visit. You can Read more…


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TRIED & TESTED: WANDERLUST HOTEL SINGAPORE

April 10th, 2014

wanderlustsingapore

Most striking feature:

Right in the middle of Little India you will find the Wanderlust Hotel, a small designhotel with about 25 rooms, all decorated differently. This is very special in Singapore where the hotels are usually very big and massive. I checked into the Starship Room: a room with a red and black color palette with many references to space. Like the big red spaceship on the wall. And if you turn down the lights the only thing that remains in the room are lit sparklers. The room has two levels: one to sleep and a living- and bathroom (including a freestanding bathtub). Maybe I’m the only one, but Read more…


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TRIED & TESTED: EXTRA VIRGIN PIZZA SINGAPORE

April 9th, 2014

extravirginpizzasingapore

Most striking feature:

Just like Wheeler’s Yard this spot isn’t really located in the center of Singapore (at United Square), but as I described earlier, the homemade Strawberry Basil Soda was to die for. So delicious. And since your day evolves around food in Singapore I had to try something of their menu, although I already had lunch at another address. So I’ve tried the panna cotta with chocolate and that was really good too. Extra Virgin Pizza is a new style pizzeria: no red/white checkered tablecloths, but a sleek interior with nifty details. You can go

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TRIED & TESTED: WHEELER’S YARD SINGAPORE

April 8th, 2014

wheelersyardsingapore4

Most striking feature:

‘What a coincidence’, said one of the employees of Wheeler’s Yard, ‘we just had a guy from Denmark coming to Singapore to show us how we can be one of the best cycling cities in the world. They already started with the construction of bike paths.’ Then the owner adds: ‘it’s very expensive to buy a car in Singapore, so a lot of people get on a bike.’ It’s therefor quite obvious that Wheeler’s Yard, located in an old garage, had to open the doors a few months ago. In here they sell hand-made bicycles from Taiwan in addition to coffee, breakfast and lunch. The passion for cycling isn’t only present by the employees: when I’m there I see Read more…


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TRIED & TESTED: BLOESEM SHOP SINGAPORE

April 7th, 2014

bloesemshopsingapore

Most striking feature:

What I like about online shops/blogs is that they now also present themselves offline in an original way. In February we saw Net-a-Porter launching a magazine and recently the popular interior blog Bloesem opened a shop in Tiong Bahru. That’s a nice neighborhood where you will also find Plain Vanilla, Open Door Policy and the Tiong Bahru Bakery for example. In-store they organize workshops (like Jurianne Matter did recently), they are working on the website and ofcourse you can buy great stuff for your home. Irene of Bloesem collects interior items she likes but she also makes them herself. Like pillows, a beautiful hanging system and stunning leather planters – all with Read more…


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