I recently visited Amsterdam (as part of BlogTour Cologne), and one of the highlights was a visit to the newly opened Hotel Droog. It only opened in September 2012 and we were the first official media tour there. Although to be honest, they had be at the signage in the window! I love the strong monochromatic, type-led branding.
Renny Ramakers, co-founder and director of Droog said: “The concept of a hotel has been reversed. Whereas a hotel is usually mostly about sleeping, here we have enlarged and emphasised all the aspects that many hotels also offer and made them central to the hotel experience — and it has a room to sleep in. Hotel Droog brings all of our activities under one roof — from curation to product design, exhibitions and lectures — and invites people to plug in as they choose.”
The space contains the Droog Store, Gallery, Dining Room, Fairy Tale Garden, Beauty at Cosmania, Fashion at Kabinet, Products at Weltevree, and “the one and only bedroom.” The latter is at the very top of the three-storey 17th century building, and in fact comprises a bedroom, bathroom, kitchen and living area. The views over the surrounding rooftops are no doubt spectacular all year round, but looked particularly charming in the snow.
It’s a light airy space that is a joy to spend time in, and as you’d expect it’s beautifully kitted out with Droog’s usual flair. With rates from just €200 (~$275) a night, it’s not entirely out of reach for mere mortals either – well, perhaps just for one night, for a special occasion!
I loved the calm white and grey bedroom scheme and, after a 5am start, was tempted to hop in amongst that crisp white linen and catch forty winks! Luckily, the nice people at Droog fed us espressos and macaroons until we were refuelled for the rest of our day. You could position your cup and your macaroons to create the message of your choice in the saucer – I chose “freedom”…
On the first floor, the Dining Room serves lunch; simple, healthy dishes created from seasonal ingredients. The space also plays host to special events, lectures and performances, and is filled with Droog products and special commissions such as a reinterpretation of Rembrandt’s famous De Staalmeesters (which once hung here) by Dutch artist Berend Strik, and this new product, which particularly appealed to me, for the goldfish in your life…
The 160m2 Gallery is an exhibition space curated by Droog or by specially invited curators. Exhibitions cover design, art, fashion and upcoming developments in the creative industries, with workshops and discussions aiming to “create a dialogue between design and society.” It really was exciting to see an exhibition being installed while we were there.
The Droog Store sells small and affordable products alongside limited edition pieces; from Droog and from the ‘Friends of Droog’ curated collection – products from other labels that fit the Droog concept: “designed to enhance daily life” with “its own story to tell.” Installations are not restricted to the exhibition space, but are dotted all over Hotel Droog, such as this one within Fashion at Kabinet. It’s a truly multi-disciplinary space, where the cross fertilisation of ideas is inevitable – and really inspiring.
Further reading for the especially geeky:
- out and about :: blog tour cologne
- out and about :: habitat
- out and about :: stockholm furniture fair
- out and about :: [d3] design talent at imm
With thanks to Modenus and BlogTourCGN sponsors, Miele, Blanco, Mr Steam, Du Verre Handware, Axor and NKBA. And thanks to Droog for the image of the gallery space by Thijs Wolzak.
