Een volle zaak zegt minder dan je denkt

Een volle zaak lijkt het bewijs dat je concept werkt, totdat drie straten verderop ongeveer dezelfde zaak opent en blijkt dat je gasten vooral trouw waren aan koffie, gemak en locatie.

Merken maken weer magazines

Merken maken weer magazines en in Nederland openen steeds meer Engelstalige boekwinkels. Papier leek achterhaald, maar wordt juist waardevoller nu bijna alles snel en digitaal is.

Broodclips, kassabonnen en waslabels horen ook bij het concept

#013 Broodclips, kassabonnen en waslabels worden ineens bewaard, gefotografeerd en opnieuw vormgegeven. Ik zag hierover een goede reel van Hyphen. Zij noemen het microdesign: alledaagse, functionele details die zo klein waren dat we ze nauwelijks nog zagen, maar die nu weer betekenis krijgen. Volgens mij zegt het veel over waar

The questions I couldn’t leave alone

I notice a lot and most of it ends up in a notebook. Every now and then I keep thinking about one until I want to see if I can turn it into something real. Our current Capsule Creators Originals.

Waarom zou je op dinsdag naar een hotel gaan?

Wat beweegt mensen om doordeweeks voor een nacht in een hotel te kiezen?

Just from my POV: Their current home is the real competition

We spend a lot of time thinking about what people want in their next home. I keep wondering what would make them leave this one.

There is usually another question underneath the obvious one

We are interested in the assumptions we stop questioning, the reality of the people on the other side, and what becomes possible when you connect things that normally sit apart.

Consulting Collectives: an old spatial instinct

Consulting collectives are a guild logic in new form. Why the Waag in Amsterdam proves this behavior is centuries old.

The rise of the offline generation

As under-16 social media bans roll out, Gen Z is buying iPods and going analog. Why Marktplaats listings and Capsule Creators show where this is headed.

Which luxury hospitality- and office brands will still be relevant in 10 years?

Luxury hotels and office towers still optimize for a generation that's leaving. Why Zoku and Mr Green Offices show what adapting to the next one takes.

The town that put people in the middle

In Houten, cars stay on the outer ring while bikes and people take the center. Why this fifty-year-old Dutch layout still outperforms new car-first towns.

Dead hours real estate

Our Original Elephant Trunk Coffee split costs and exposure with the venues that hosted it, proof that positioning can outperform paying for your own address.

Concepts

What you carry is the campaign

From Stanley cups to Labubu, the product itself barely matters anymore. What brand artifacts actually are, and what Lettre does differently instead.

Architecture

Two kinds of density, and only one of them keeps a street alive

A high FAR number doesn't mean a street is alive. Why physical density and social density are different things, and what Dutch high streets get right.

Architecture

This looks like it could be anywhere

Cities and shopping streets across Europe are starting to look identical. Why vernacular design still matters, and what Amsterdam's brick actually gets right.

Architecture

The architecture of safety

Oscar Newman found that crime often comes from spatial design, not people. Why "eyes on the street" matter, and how Amsterdam's Bijlmermeer proved it.

Waiting

The "Lobby Lab": The Hybrid Hotel Concept

Discover why professionals are trading in coffee shops for hotel lobbies en masse. A brief note on the rise of the hybrid hotel concept.