Banging my head against the ceiling on the first floor doesn’t stop me from drinking a coffee in café Latei at Nieuwmarkt. I love it here, especially on rainy days, which is most days in the Netherlands. This small cosy café filled with a thousand colours warms me up.

Where I buy most of my books and magazines for work. 

Just Indulge yourself with a glass of wine while watching a good movie. Really cute art deco movie theater in the Jordaan packed with film lovers. The rooms are not that big but the atmosphere is amazing.

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’).

This place has, beside the excellent pastry, the best shrimp croquettes in town.