HOTEL DE L’EUROPE, AMSTERDAM, THE NETHERLANDS
One of Amsterdam’s grandest dames is reinvigorated with fresh interiors by Nicemakers and the newly launched ‘t Huys wing, which celebrates the city’s most creative contemporary talents.
Amsterdam has always straddled the perfect balance of old-world charm and liberal nouveau flair with ease. Having recently completed a major five-year redesign, the epitome of such is one of the city’s most iconic grande dames, Hotel De L’Europe.
Sitting as pretty as a postcard on the water’s edge, the hotel is located where the Amstel River meets the bustling Muntplein – just a short taxi ride from Centraal station and Eurostar’s gateway to its other cosmopolitan destinations. Grand and ornamental, the neoclassical building first opened its doors as a luxury hotel in 1896 and quickly established itself as the place to see and be seen by Europe’s elite. Purchased in the 1950s by beer empire mogul, Alfred ‘Freddy’ Heineken – who regularly frequented the hotel’s brasserie – it became the first and only family-owned luxury hotel in Amsterdam, and remains so today.

Nicemakers redesign of the public spaces made opportunity where there was once underutilised space. This previously unfurnished meeting room now plays host to the new speakeasy cocktail bar, Chapter 1896
Over 125 years on, Hotel De L’Europe is a meeting point of Dutch culture, where its heritage allure sits shoulder to shoulder with Amsterdam’s contemporary beat. The hotel’s newest chapter sees the redesign of the existing 107 guestrooms and suites, as well as all public areas including the lobby, private event rooms, three restaurants, and two bars. Culminating the hotel’s rebirth, is the launch of the all new ‘t Huys wing – an ode to Amsterdam’s ever evolving cultural scene, and home to 14 landmark suites each designed by one of the city’s most creative contemporary talents and brands, from photographers and fragrance brands to artists and museum curators.
Local design firm, Nicemakers – who were also responsible for the interiors of The Hoxton in Lloyd, Amsterdam – took charge of the first part of the project to bring the public spaces and the historic guestrooms and suites up to date. “The brief was to respect the hotel’s classic luxury heritage, whilst injecting a sense of the city’s youthful style that we see today,” says Dax Roll, co-founder of Nicemakers. Instead of starting from scratch, clever interventions of the existing décor and furniture maintain familiarity, yet entirely refresh the spaces.
In the grand lobby, royal red carpets were uprooted to reveal original parquet flooring and a classical mix of red and slate marble. Overhead, the series of opulent glass chandeliers that dominate the high and long space, were painstakingly regilded and restored to their former glory. Dark walls have been enlivened by a lick of crisp white, and softened by alcoves of floor-to-ceiling drapery that draw back on a day-to-night timer, revealing smoked mirror wall panels behind original paintings from the Heineken family’s impressive classical art collection. Once tucked away in the privacy of the many conference rooms, the collection now sings as if it were an exhibition, replacing the large-scale prints that were previously hung in the lobby.
Updating time-worn furniture and creating more intuitive and welcoming zoning were key factors in Nicemakers’ reimagination of the public spaces and guestrooms. “There were so many missed opportunities on the ground floor,” says Roll on the choice to open up some of the many event and meeting spaces that stem from the lobby. Previously unfurnished and lacking soul, the first conference room has been transformed into the lavish speakeasy cocktail bar, Chapter 1896. Beyond, doors are left open when not booked out, with newly curated seating arrangements making the most of marble fireplaces or vast windows with wraparound views of the river. Flexible in use, the once underused spaces now make for attractive nooks and new spots for guests to lounge and linger, showcasing instead of shielding the building’s many delightful period features.
Rolling throughout Nicemakers’ redesign, sublime fabrics by Dedar dress and reinvigorate vintage chairs and shapely banquettes, while subtle geometric wallcoverings from Arte give the spaces a new lease of life. Rich hues of moss gold, burnt red, and ink blue on an uplifting base of chalk and champagne tones speak to the heritage of the property, whilst feeling more fashionable than old-fashioned.
The decisively bold ‘t Huys suites offer forward-thinking guests a change of pace. Immersive and dramatic, each of the 14 suites dives into the creative mind of their chosen tastemaker, one offering a radically different experience to the next.
Another Amsterdam native, creative studio D/DOCK led the concept development of the ‘t Huys wing, which occupies the formerly adjacent bank. Down an unassuming walkway to the right of the reception desk, the ‘t Huys wing (‘t Huys being an old Dutch adage for ‘house’) feels like the hotel’s best-kept secret. Passing the threshold between the two buildings, the space opens up to reveal an entirely different architectural language, inherited with thanks to its former occupation.
Skylights flood the atrium with light, whilst glass elevators glide up to the walkways and bridges of the upper floors where all the wing’s landmark suites are situated. Open to both guests and the public, ‘t Huys own street entrance provides direct access to the library-inspired concept store, IN HUYS; casual Italian dining destination, Trattoria Graziella; and an events and workshop-come-installation space, Wunderkammer, by floral artistry duo Florian Seyd and Ueli Signer. For those who dare to stray from the classically elegant rooms graced with the Nicemakers’ touch, the decisively bold ‘t Huys suites offer forward-thinking guests a change of pace. Immersive and dramatic, each of the 14 suites dives into the creative mind of their chosen tastemaker, one offering a radically different experience to the next.
Pushing the boundaries of hotel design, fashion designer Ronald Van Der Kemp – whose sustainable couture label, RVDK, adorns the likes of Zendaya and Lily Collins – transforms the traditional lounge area into his very own atelier space, where a central workbench sits against a backdrop of editorial images and cuttings plastered across the walls. There’s even a clothes rail donning a selection of RVDK garments that guests are welcome to take out on the town with them during their stay. In the all-white mirrored wall bedroom, a central bed wrapped in fringed curtains floats upon a cloud of fluffy shag pile carpet.
Drenched from floor to ceiling in sensuous tones of red, hot pink, and purple is the Sisters Janssen suite. Using an image of Grace Jones as the inspiration for the retro aesthetic and bold colour palette, the emerging artist duo Tisja and Ziarah Janssen say the suite is an ode to femininity and inclusion in the art space. Vintage red furniture follows bodily curves, whilst an exaggerated plushy velvet bed resembles a womb-like cocoon.
Promising an immersive ‘night at the museum’, the Van Gogh Museum suite provides a private view of what guests might expect to see at the nearby museum. Replicas of Vincent’s sketchbook pages and excerpts of his journal are subtly dotted around the suite, and guests have the prearrival choice of whether to have a high quality 3D reproduction of The Bedroom, Landscape at Twilight, or The Sunflower hanging pride of place in the study. The standout feature lies in the bedroom, where Van Gogh’s work is brought to life by an animated projection cast across the ceiling over the bed.
Despite being the only hospitality designer on the ‘t Huys lineup, the D/DOCK suite is an otherworldly departure from the rest of the studio’s portfolio. Fringed curtains appear here too, but this time ensconcing the bedroom walls in an atmospheric swash of grey. Minimal and muted, the suite acts to challenge the norms of spatial design and pre-defined narratives of functionality. Guests are encouraged to participate and explore different layouts (with the help of the hotel team) – custom made futons and tatami mats can be moved around and laid on whatever surface available; a vast, platform-like dining table can shapeshift into a bed (complete with a mini spiral staircase on wheels to levy yourself up); and once the mattress has taken a walk to the table, the bed base that remains, becomes the ultimate sofa-come-daybed to relax, unwind, or meditate.
On the more conventional – but nonetheless intriguing – end of the spectrum is the Harper’s Bazaar suite curated by Dutch editor-in-chief, Miluska van ‘t Lam, which is of course, the epitome of style; the Ravestijn Gallery suite, an effortlessly cool showcase of contemporary art photography; the Wolfi Pictures suite, a homage Dutch film star couple Daan Schuurmans and Bracha van Doesburgh, complete with a movie night minibar and projector screen; and the Media Nanny suite, with a state of the art sound system to blast the in-room vinyl collection, showcasing the boutique agency’s roster of famed clients.
Jewellery designer Bibi Van Der Velden, fragrance brand Salle Privee, Amsterdam Fashion Week’s founder Danie Bles, furniture designer KOKKE House, media maven Valerie van der Werff, and the travel aficionado behind Gloobles, Stephanie van Rappard – are the remaining visionaries to take up residence at Hotel De L’Europe’s ‘t Huys, paving the way for historic luxury hotels to shake things up with bold design concepts.
Coinciding with Amsterdam’s 750th anniversary as a city, Hotel De L’Europe’s reimagination is a homage to the eclectic soul of its locale, and perhaps a lesson in breaking the mould – to be as stylish as the Dutch, you have to be as daring.