MENDO opens new store at Hotel De L’Europe
The new MENDO
Sketch of the exterior entrance to MENDO's new location at Hotel De L'Europe.
The word is out: in March, MENDO will open a new store at Hotel De L’Europe in Amsterdam. Here’s how the design, created by our friends from Nicemakers, came to be.
A new design, with a familiar vibe
Like in our store in the Berenstraat, the basis for our new store at Hotel De L’Europe is books. The space, formerly known as the Johannes van Dam chamber, already had an impressive collection of books that will be transferred to a library in the hotel and replaced with MENDO books. However, the bookshelves are the only thing that will be the same, the rest has been completely redesigned by our friends from Nicemakers.
Nicemakers redesigned the space with the past in mind, but also added bespoke elements to make it uniquely new. New furniture, custom made lighting, and redesigned doors will turn the former event space into a cozy new library that makes you feel comfortable as well as inspired.
When Hotel De L’Europe asked Nicemakers to restyle their entire hotel, Nicemakers thought of MENDO as one of the new brands to be a part of it. For Nicemakers’ Head of Design Lotti Lorenzetti, the essence of Hotel De L’Europe is its Amsterdam identity. “We wanted De L’Europe to be a hotel in Amsterdam for the people in Amsterdam,” she explains. “MENDO is so quintessentially Amsterdam and represents a popular destination for so many people from Amsterdam. Over the years, MENDO has become a part of Nicemakers in both our professional and personal path, so we didn’t have to think twice about who we wanted to involve in the project.”
Nicemakers
Joyce Urbanus and Dax Roll. Interior designers and founders of Nicemakers. Photo taken by Iris Duvekot, for our book The Workshop.
‘We are looking at De L'Europe's history, its place in this city, but also the future of it.’
That project is immense. Next to the new MENDO store, the interior of the entire hotel is being treated. Within less than a year, all 111 rooms and suites as well as the lobby and the new wing are being modernized in accordance to De L’Europe’s legacy and future. “We are looking at its history, its place in this city, but also the future of it,” Lotti says. “De L’Europe is a place with a very rich history, with its incredible views and windows over the Singel canal. We aimed to elevate the interiors that were already there to bring back the feeling of uniqueness. Some elements that remain are given a whole new context whilst the new elements may appear to have always been there.”
Sketch of the interior of MENDO's new location at Hotel De L'Europe.
As one of the new elements, MENDO indeed will appear to have always been there. The new store is inspired by the feeling of an old library. “We pushed the design to be a little more “living room” and a little less “shop,” Lotti explains. “We took the base of the room and the experience of MENDO in the Berenstraat, and combined them with the modern MENDO twist. We worked closely with Roy and Joost to make sure that all the elements of the MENDO experience were there. Design-wise the two destinations will be very different, but hopefully we’ve managed to create something equally innovative in terms of the “typical” book shopping experience.”
A lot of work is still left to be done before the opening, but within a few weeks the new store will open its doors in the Nieuwe Doelenstraat. A new design, with a familiar vibe. Opening March 15th.
Hotel De L'Europe in Amsterdam, a hotel with an unprecedented legacy.
Continue reading
The world behind the world of Apartamento
Interview
Apartamento "the world's hippest magazine", celebrated their ten year anniversary with a book; The World of Apartamento. In honor of this release, MENDO had a Q&A with co-founder and designer…
Photographer Pie Aerts on capturing beauty
Interview
After introducing Pie Aerts, it’s time for a chat about his first book ‘Tales From The Roads Less Traveled’, which is designed by MENDO (expected July 2019), the visual stories…
Erwin Olaf in conversation with Erik van Ginkel
Interview
Galerie Ron Mandos, MENDO and Studio Erwin Olaf present Erwin Olaf, April Fool 2020. In August Erik van Ginkel, Managing Director of Rijksmuseum Amsterdam, sat together with Erwin Olaf and…
ARAB – An interview with author Parham Rahimzadeh
MENDO's Gunifort Uwambaga sat down with author Parham Rahimzadeh to discuss his debut book ARAB and the process he undertook to bring it to creation.
Interview
To celebrate our upcoming book with The Avocado Show, MENDO had a lunch date with its founder Ron Simpson to “peel” the success of the Avocado Show.
“THE TEN” – An exclusive interview with Virgil Abloh
In light of his new book: Virgil Abloh. Nike. ICONS. MENDO's Gunifort Uwambaga had an exclusive interview with Virgil Abloh consisting of 10 questions aptly named “THE TEN”.
Where runway meets the street, according to Highsnobiety
Interview with Jian DeLeon
Highsnobiety is an online publication that covers trends and news in fashion, art, music, and culture. It recently launched its first book. MENDO talked with Highsnobiety’s Editorial Director Jian DeLeon.
Who the f*ck is Adam Katz Sinding?
A WhatsApp conversation with the photographer of This Is Not A F*cking Street Style Book
"I wasn't born with much of a filter. So when I see bullshit, I call "bullshit". A WhatsApp conversation with the photographer of This Is Not A F*cking Street Style…
Shelf Sessions: Jochem Leegstra
...,staat
In our series Shelf Sessions we climb the shelves of some of MENDO's friends. In this episode: Jochem Leegstra, co-founder and creative director at ...,staat.
What’s crazy about Martin Garrix’s life
Interview
In light of the release of LIFE = CRAZY, we talked with the protagonist himself: Martin Garrix.
MENDO Live Sessions @ De L’Europe
Every Thursday at 2PM, MENDO's Roy and Gunifort will be coming to you live on Instagram from our new store at De L'Europe Amsterdam with an insider's take on the…
Enjoy the all-new De L’Europe at half-price
MENDO-exclusive offer
To celebrate the opening of our new store, MENDO and De L'Europe have an exclusive offer for a night at the hotel, with a many extras and upgrades. Until the…
Lauren Greenfield visited MENDO to sign Generation Wealth
Signed copies of highly anticipated book
Lauren Greenfield spent 25 years documenting wealth and now her highly anticipated book has been published: Generation Wealth.
A conversation with Hendrik teNeues
MENDO sat down for a conversation with teNeues’ owner and publisher
His grandfather founded the teNeues printing company in Krefeld in 1931. Now Hendrik teNeues runs one of the leading publishing houses for illustrated books. MENDO sat down with Mr. teNeues,…
concrete
In our series Shelf Sessions we climb the shelves of MENDO’s friends. In this episode: Rob Wagemans, Architect, Creative Director, and Founder at concrete architectural associates.
Six fashion titles that get you in vogue
What’s new, classic and coming soon in fashion books
We consider ourselves to be pretty fashionable at times. And most of that is due to our extensive browsing through the fashion books we have. Here are six titles you…
Pre-order L’HOMO. Le Book and win a night at Hotel De L’Europe
Pre-order a copy of L'HOMO. Le Book and you're in the race of winning a free night at Hotel De L'Europe in Amsterdam. UPDATE: Winner's have been announced.
MENDO eCommerce Site Of The Year!
An award-winning webshop
We try to stay humble at all times, but with news of this magnitude we simply can’t: MENDO.nl is eCommerce Site Of The Year at Awwwards. And that's massive!
Adam is coming to A’dam on Friday the 29th of June
Book signing at MENDO, followed by drinks at Libertine Comptoir de Cuisine
As part of what is becoming a legendary worldwide launch tour, Adam Katz Sinding is coming to Amsterdam to sign his (and our) book This Is Not A F*cking Street…
Complaint from an extremely unhappy customer
Review
"I hope you can live with the guilt of having tempted a jobless to spend money he doesn't have in order to buy stuff he actually doesn't need to enjoy…