Small bookstore in the center of Amsterdam with the likes of Experimental Jetset, Metahaven and Karel Martens.

Simple but refined dishes. Reserve space for the madeleines! 

A great music venue with ping-pong tables used to be a squat. 

De Plantage is a bright, elegant brasserie beside Artis where great design.

At the Damrak on the daily journey between home and studio, my eye is continually drawn to the emblem that has functioned as a façade ornament on the corner of the Beurs van Berlage for more than a hundred years. In combination with the past function of the building - trade centre - and in relation to the present financial crisis, the timeless maxim gains extra significance: ‘Dis-pe-reert niet’ (‘Do not des-pair’).