Hi, I'm Stefanie, with my Canadian partner Chris with our children Gabriel, James and Darcy we live in a canal house in the centre of Amsterdam. A few years ago, our love for antiques took on a new meaning when we purchased a UNESCO Heritage Site in the form of a 17th century canal house. Our home was used as a storage warehouse during the Dutch golden age for Sugar and Coffee traders living in the grand canal houses around the corner from us. We had already spent years planning our vacations around Antique and Flea markets in France, Belgium, Italy and the Netherlands but now that we have an antique home of our own to renovate and decorate, we had more work to do.
Both my partner and I were raised as small children being brought to flea markets by our pair of hoarder grand fathers in Canada and here in the Netherlands. Not knowing that we would both develop their same love for antiques and well made vintage items. It looks like we're passing it over to a new generation.
Our kids have taken to our passions and are really happy to wake up at 6am to head to the markets. We're amazed at how a 6 year can spot a 1950s barbie closet full of clothes from 10 meters away and run over to ask "how much!" in Italian, French, Spanish or German with a lot of enthusiasm. They're always really proud of their finds.
We taught our kids that things used to be made to last many years, unlike a lot of things from this time. We feel visible traces of age, like patina on brass or craquelure in an antique oil painting are wonderful attributes to be cherished. We think good signs of age make items all the more unique and special since they were able to stand the test of time and someone else loved them enough to ensure their life continued.
Do keep an eye out on the store. We have 100+ antique paintings and beautiful decorative items and add new pieces every week.