Going Dutch by Design

Siany and I were lucky enough to spend the weekend in Amsterdam courtesy of Eurostar. Despite falling in love with the place and wanting to immediately move into a houseboat complete with a handsome tall Dutchman, cats and all the chips and mayo we could eat, our souvenir stash was quite small and we firmly left the shot glasses and novelty hats behind. Beyond the tourist traps, most of the Dutch design we saw was very cool. Now we're back in the UK, I've spent some time picking out our ideal souvenirs from our friends over at Dutch by Design.

We took a lot of photos of the picturesque and wonky canal side houses. Just as charming, and slightly more attainable are these canal house boxes. They're left blank so you can decorate them with your own scene of Amsterdam bliss (think cute bikes, cobbles and cafes). A set of three costs £15.

We went to a very cool museum where we learnt all about fluorescent animals. This fish light reminds me of that with thankfully no animals being harmed in the process. It's made from porcelain and is £145.

We were charmed by how nice the Dutch people were to us, even when we tried to get on trams in the wrong place. Only a few of the nice people were try to sell us things. This mirror tells you how beautiful you are every time you look in it - in Dutch unfortunately, but I'm sure it'll be good practice for the next visit. It's £49.50.

And finally, my last souvenir of my trip would be this ruffle plate decorated by fashion illustrator Piet Paris for £21.50 This is every bit as glamorous as Siany and I looked after our 5.30am start, exploring the streets all day and experiencing the delights of Amsterdam weather. We looked exactly like this, honest. Well, it's something to aspire to anyway.

Thanks for a lovely time Amsterdam, we'll be back and with bigger suitcases next time.