Proust had his madeleine. Carmen Amsterdam has a guesthouse, a boutique, and a restaurant.
Two houses by the Canal to sleep, have lunch, leaf through a few books, and discover Sophie Buhai or Extreme Cashmere.
Set across two neighboring houses on the Keizersgracht, including a former 17th-century family home, Carmen deliberately blurs the lines between guesthouse, home, shop, and kitchen. "Instructions for Having a Soul": book a stay.
A few house rules, penned by yours truly: read for hours facing the canal, step out into the rain, share a meal, let Elanor Moss's The Knife, The Needle play, add a few Sophie Buhai pieces to the wishlist, give in to the 5 PM borrel, leave a mug in the kitchen, and sometimes, do nothing at all by the fireplace… End of manual.
Then there is the shop, a postscript to the instructions: dress the soul. Extreme Cashmere, Baserange, Martiniano, Maryam Nassir Zadeh, FANE, Tekla, RIER, books, jewelry, homeware, and pieces designed by Carmen herself.
The same logic applies to the kitchen: feed the soul, and the rest will follow. Breakfast, lunch, coffee, and pastries are served just like at home, from a menu that blends travels, childhood memories, and shared meals.
FOOTNOTES
Album Elanor Moss - The Knife, The Needle
