9 Designers Create 9 Eclectic Rooms for Amsterdam Hotel

Amsterdam’s Volkshotel commissioned nine designers to creatively customize nine new rooms at the 172 room hotel. The nine architects and designers were allowed to let their imaginations run free in order to create eclectic spaces that encompass a wide range of styles. Cozy hunting lodge, Japanese spa retreat, futuristic space with Max Headroomesque projections—there’s something for everyone.

From a pool of 40 designers, the nine most original designs were selected. Volkshotel deliberately chose to work with a mixture of young talent, more experienced designers, and even the hotel’s toilet attendant. Each was on hand every step of the way to ensure their vision was executed proper.

The hotel, which is located close to the Amstel River in the De Pijp neighborhood, has a history of interesting creative initiatives. Formerly home to the De Volkskrant newspaper, the building’s interior embraces that history with magnified newspaper cut outs. A green entrance canopy that rotates yearly and windows painted by artist Mickey Cohen are just some of the projects that help keep the hotel, which has double rooms from €69, fresh and current.

Above image: You Are Here
Created by Experience by Art (Swaantje Nijkamp, Linde Ex and Ella Gil) and designed by Elwin van Heyningen. This room lights up in several different ways and features an interactive map on the wall that allows you to select a point on it and have footage from that place projected onto the walls.

Bathing Bikou

Designed by Hanna Maring. Transporting you to Japan, the space features a traditional tub in the middle of the room, separated by a sliding pink screen. Minimalist in detail, it offers a calm oasis.

Cabin in the Woods

Designed by Gabor Disberg. Here guests sleep in a cabin-like treehouse, with a hammock available for lounging. Greenery in the bathroom rounds out this nature lover’s haven.

Danny the Deer

Designed by Eva van Halewijn. This is toilet attendant Eva van Halewijn’s first foray into interior design. A whimsical space, the room is named after the deer occupying the space. The brightly colored ceiling and walls enhance the vibrant energy of the room, which is accented with typically Dutch touches.

White Bike Room

Designed by Thijs van Oostveen. More than an ode to the Dutch bicycle, the room is also a nod to the Provo movement—an anarchist subculture from the 1960s that famously proposed a free ‘white bicycle’ sharing scheme. Sleep in an authentic bakfiets (bike cart)—the designer rode it to the hotel—and enjoy sweeping views across the city.

Edmund

Designed by Jasper Eustace and Jos Blum. The space was named after Edmund Hilary, the first person to climb Mt. Everest, hence the mountainous central structure that guests climb to arrive at a bathtub. The walls were patterned after abstract Alpine scenery and dazzle camouflage—a technique used on ships during World War I.

Cinema Boudoir

Designed by Maja Markovic. A romantic space ripped from the silver screen, the room has an intimate feel. The black, red, and white color scheme help set the mood, and your laptop can be connected to project films onto the wall, which can be watched either from the bed or the large soaker tub.

Johnny Jukebox

Designed by Remco Gonggrijp. DJs will feel right at home in this room, which has integrated music throughout the space. There are ceiling-high speakers in the walls and a large speaker above the bed. Visitors are encouraged to create their own music from their laptop or iPod, but can also play tracks from the Johnny Jukebox music collection full of records, CDs, and old cassettes.

Soixante Neuf

Designed by Rosa Lisa Winkel. Winkel set out to create a sensual space, with a steel hanging bed and epoxy floors that reflect shape and light. The sleek, minimal design leaves little to the imagination and is intended for adventurous couples.