Apr 26, 2026

The Dutch Art Movement That Shaped Every Room You’ve Ever Sat In

The Dutch art movement that changed modern design forever — from Amsterdam to Ikea

Love Netherlands

Dear Netherlands,

Every Dutch village has a bell tower, a market square, a brown café, and a bakery older than the country it sits in. The magic of the Netherlands isn’t Amsterdam. It’s the 400 other places that don’t need to try. Places like Thorn, where every house is painted white. Places like Giethoorn, where nobody has ever driven to the shop.

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In today’s email:

• The Dutch Art Movement That Shaped Every Room You’ve Ever Sat In
• At The Café — Café Olivier — The Church That Became Utrecht’s Favourite Bar
• Around The Web — Five Days Along the IJssel and more
• From Love Netherlands — The Dutch Drinking Ritual That Has No English Word — And No Equal
• Dutch Food You Will Love — Stroopwafel — The Dutch Biscuit That Became a Ritual

The Dutch Art Movement That Shaped Every Room You’ve Ever Sat In

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You’ve seen the painting. Red. Yellow. Blue. Black grid lines. You probably own it on a tote bag, a mug, or a cushion somewhere. But Mondrian didn’t just paint pictures. He was part of a Dutch revolution — one that changed almost every object you have ever touched. A Movement Born from War and Tired Eyes De Stijl (say duh style , meaning “The Style”) started in 1917 in the Netherlands. The First World War tore across Europe.

Dutch artists felt that old painting — curving lines, dramatic shadows, emotional scenes — had run out of honest things to say. A small group of painters, architects, and designers launched a journal. The rules were strict: use only primary colours (red, yellow, blue) and neutral ones (black, white, grey). Use only straight lines. No curves. No decoration. No excess. Their central figure was Piet Mondrian, born in Amersfoort in 1872. His grid paintings look…

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At The Café

Café Olivier — The Church That Became Utrecht’s Favourite Bar

Café Olivier in Utrecht is a working Belgian bar inside a deconsecrated 19th-century church. The pulpit is still there. The stained glass is still there. The pews have been replaced with long wooden tables where students, workers, and retired professors all somehow end up sharing a Trappist beer. It’s the kind of place that makes you understand why the Dutch are so comfortable with the quiet strangeness of their country — nothing here is trying to impress you, but everything is worth looking at twice.

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Around The Web

From Love Netherlands

The Dutch Drinking Ritual That Has No English Word — And No Equal

At five o’clock on a Friday in Amsterdam, offices empty fast. Groups appear at the nearest brown café. Someone orders bitterballen. Someone gets the Jenever. And the working week, officially, is over. The Dutch call this borrelen. There is no direct English translation. What Exactly Is Borrelen? Borrelen (pronounced “borr-uhl-en”) is the Dutch ritual of sharing drinks and snacks with friends or colleagues. Calling it “happy hour” misses…

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Dutch Food You Will Love

Stroopwafel — The Dutch Biscuit That Became a Ritual

A stroopwafel is two thin waffle layers, bound together with warm caramel syrup, served on top of your coffee cup so the rising steam softens the middle. It was born in 19th-century Gouda, where a local baker used up the day’s leftover dough and the last of the syrup barrel. The result is the small daily joy of every Dutch café — placed on your saucer without asking, warm against your fingers, gone in three bites. A real stroopwafel should be slightly chewy in the middle, not hard like the ones in supermarket bags. The best ones are still sold fresh at market stalls in Gouda on Wednesdays.

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