One of his first achievements as managing director of De L'Europe was the renovation of the hotel. With this, Edward Leenders aims to usher in a new chapter for the hotel: the era of Original Amsterdam Luxury. "We want to give our guests the most valuable experience available in the city. "Text: Bart-Jan Brouwer | Online Editor: Natasha Hendriks
Image: John van Helvert
Edward: "We turned Freddy's Bar into a nice sitting room, with leather sofas, chairs, tables, table lamps, plants, carpet, and on the walls photos by Foam, with whom we started a collaboration. Other than painting the ceiling and the benches we put in, the bar remained the same. That's what we wanted: Freddy's, we didn't have to touch that. Even the pianist is still there. What did change: entering the bar through the hotel is now through a door. Before, it was an open entrance, with the result that when Freddy's was having a good time, the fun spread to the hallway, which was also the entrance for guests of the Bord'Eau located right next to the bar. For the arrival experience of those guests, I felt it was important to create more separation between the bar and the hall."
Edward: "The gold and dark of Bord'Eau is gone. The decor is now calmer, more neutral, beautifully classic and in line with chef Bas van Kranen's style of cooking: very much from nature. You can see that on the walls and ceiling, where clouds and blue sky have displaced the gold of the past."
Edward: "In the lobby, almost everything is new, from the ceiling with double Amsterdam baseboards to the wooden floor. Only four of the six chandeliers remain. The walls in the lobby, where enlargements of paintings from the Rijksmuseum used to hang, now display paintings that Mr. Heineken once bought. All have a story to tell. The bar that used to be here is gone. In the evening, a large champagne cooler with glasses will be placed in the lobby's Library Bar. From there will be served - and not just champagne. We deliberately did not choose a static bar. Everywhere in the hotel you can order something. If you are browsing a book at MENDO and want a drink, you can use a butler's bell. In the Library Bar is my favorite spot: a solitary chair overlooking the water, perfect for when you have a moment to think. We are so lucky with the depth of view we have, from here to beyond the Stopera."
Edward: "The brasserie named after Gerard Heineken's wife radiates her love of the colorful French Riviera and botanical gardens. We kept the walls and mirrors, otherwise almost everything else is new. The chairs, the floor, the lighting... The ceiling was dark, it now has a typical Parisian ceiling. A nice place with a view of the Mint and the boats passing by."
Edward: "The new wing 't Huys is accessible to everyone. All the 'houses' there are connected through the covered courtyard d'Tuyn. I wanted people to experience the connection with the city, the energy of Amsterdam, more strongly here. I talked to Joyce and Dax about this and they introduced me to Roy Rietstap, owner of MENDO. After eighteen years on Berenstraat, this "candy store for book lovers" is now located in our then Johannes van Dam room. During the day it is a bookstore, but at night the space is still available for dinners - one plus one is three. The Italian restaurant Trattoria Graziella is the third "house. I conceived this with one of Italy's greatest chefs, whom I know from the five years I lived in Florence. What should the taste be? What should the feeling be? A certain performance came out of that. It is part of De L'Europe, of course, but it also stands alone, with its own entrance.
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