Shop Spotting, Sukah Amsterdam

Last year at this time my husband, daughter and I were in Europe for about a month. My husband had the opportunity to work at his company’s German headquarters so my daughter and I tagged along and explored. Every weekend we traveled to another country and explored there too because of the close proximity of countries to Dusseldorf, our home base. I took a lot of photos, mostly of shops and flowers because I knew this was a once in a lifetime thing and I may not get the chance again. The trip was so inspiring to me as a designer and shop owner.

One of our weekend trips was to Amsterdam. Every store here was beautiful, plant-filled, white and bright. I really loved how all the shops we went to in Europe really cared about their shop exterior and interior.

Despite the chilly weather in Amsterdam, there were gorgeous, exotic, fresh cut flowers in vases in every shop, candles lit, and attention paid to the smallest details. The shop Sukah Amsterdam was just stunning. I loved the climbing vine framing the storefront window and the script type decal on the window in white. The potted planters with dainty purple flowers in them were the perfect accent.

Inside Sukah, everything was very neutral. The display pieces were all white which really allowed the merchandise to pop. Despite the lack of color in the shop, the space still felt warm because of the materials and textures they used for their displays: rope, wool fabrics, wood and yarn.

Every area of the shop was creatively merchandised and designed for your imagination to be sparked but also left plenty of eye-pleasing blank space for you to take in what you just saw. Here you see jewelry displayed in open wood frames arranged gallery wall style with a script quote. The font and quote keeps the continuity of the branding from the front of the store consistent throughout the space and still feels whimsical and not heavy handed.

When other colors were used in the merchandising of the space they stuck to light grays, and very pale pastels.

I especially enjoyed this table topped with beautiful ceramic pieces. Those white ceramic tea pots with wooden handles and copper details are right up my alley.

The attention to detail extended to their employee kitchenette, which fully visible from the shop, was tidy and perfectly lovely. Sigh, if only my kitchen stayed that way.

These wooden cabinets on the wall create movement and allow the space to not feel static and all “on display”. The clothing racks in the shop were made from birch wood and rope hung from the ceiling.