Sunday, July 19, 2009

On Staalstraat

With its tiny and hip boutiques, as well as a fabulous cheese store, Staalstraat, in the center of Amsterdam, is one of my favorite streets as well as one of the prettiest. It is guarded by this beautiful statue of a man, whose coat is adorned with birds. I just love it!
Apart from the wonderful art bookstore Nijhof & Lee, where you'll find a large selection of typography books amongst other, one of the highlights of the street is Droog, a design store packed with crazy items, from fun knickknacks to pieces such as the "chest of drawers" by Tejo Remy, below. I bought their Do frame tape to playfully frame some pics and posters back home in Los Angeles.

Finally, I never miss the vintage store at the end of the street, where all kinds of ancient shoes, clothes and accessories are on display.

After all this browsing, I sat in a café at the end of the street, with a view on a canal and its beautiful drawbridge, for a glass of freshly squeezed orange juice - a treat that will set you back about €4.50 in Paris but only costs half in Amsterdam's cafés...

21 comments:

Laura Neulat said...

chest of drawers???? mmmmmm

Unknown said...

oh what fun tape...
(oh and i love how you write...i always feel like i was there...;))

Mardi Michels said...

What a beautiful post...

Debra said...

Thank you for taking us along on your lovely journey.

Kwana said...

I'd love to visit Amsterdam one day. Thanks for the post.

Sam said...

...heaven! ...and look at those boots in the window!!!

Sammi said...

It looks beautiful :o) you make it feel like we're there with you

Mary-Laure said...

IF JANE - your compliment really goes straight to my heart, my dear, as I really try to polish my writing. Thanks!

SAM - yes, they had many pairs of ancient shoes, including some adorable ones for little kids...

Joyce said...

I too like the statue. The birds make the gent all the more interesting.
The tape looks like fun! I will be interested to see what you frame out at home.
Did you find anything interesting to purchase at the vintage store? Enjoy! xoxo

miriam said...

oh, you're in Amsterdam. i'm heading there next week, so excited!

Mary-Laure said...

JOYCE - I didn't go inside the vintage store to avoid temptation, or else I'm sure I would have found some things.

MIRIAM - enjoy Amsterdam, it's a wonderful city!

Jill said...

happy traveling! i love seeing all the photos and wish i was in amsterdam right now.

Jacqueline said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
Mary-Laure said...

JACQUELINE - oh I had no idea that was Spinoza, one of the philosophers I admire and like most. Thanks for the info, Jacqueline.

Angora said...

Quel très joli reportage, j'aime le train, j'aime pencher la tête ,j'aime voir de travers, j'aime ces p'tites boutiques , j'aime ses coups d'oeil en douce sur la vie... et ces détails incongrus ou si poétiques....je devais le dire en anglais!? SO sorry Les Amis I'm so tired to night!
NEXT TIME in Paris.Je guette toujours les billets de cette reporter en chausson de danse!

Beverly Ash Gilbert said...

Hilarious chest of drawers! I too really like the idea of the coat of birds.

Kalee said...

Wonderful blog! Thanks for sharing.

Mary-Laure said...

ANGORA - comme toujours, ta prose exquise me va droit au coeur. Merci, chere Marie.

BEVERLY - I love it too, it's so fun yet beautiful!

Secondhand Stella said...

That vintage display looks amazing!

Deidra said...

I love the birds on the coat. And I do believe I spy some sunglasses I'd like to snag.

louise said...

What a wonderful day. I love the bird jacket statue too.