Canal House | A Curious Group of Hotels

"The Canal House offers an experience that is unmistakably current, yet maintains the roots of the city through its foundations and design. Jessica Frankopan, the founder and designer behind Canal House, has filled the hotel with paintings and portraits that complement the dark decor by 20th-century Dutch designer Marcel Wanders, aiming to create a luxurious atmosphere reminiscent of the 18th century." - Mitchell Friedman

"Canal House, filled with paintings and portraits that harmonize with dark decor by 20th-century Dutch designer Marcel Wanders, captures the history of Dutch trade and the opulence of the 18th century." - Mitchell Friedman

"Visitors in search of Amsterdam’s historical canal-house charm have never had trouble satisfying their needs, and devotees of modern Dutch design likewise find themselves well served — just not usually at the same hotel. The Canal House squares this particular circle, and while the results might not satisfy purists at either extreme, there are a great many of us who are likely to find its blend of timeless elegance and modern luxury to be just the perfect mixture." - Mark Fedeli

"Nestled amid the canals of Amsterdam ’s hip Jordaan neighborhood, Canal House’s romantic facade promises dark, dust-laden rooms packed with antiques, but such promises will mostly go unfulfilled. The hoteliers, also behind a handful of acclaimed boutique hotels in the UK, resisted the urge. Well, about everything except the dark rooms. which are decked out in rich leather and velvet furnishings, with hardwood floors and original wood beams. There’s no denying that the rooms at these two 17th-century canalside merchant houses are atmospheric and sultry. But they’re also undeniably modern, with star Dutch designer Marcel Wanders’ avant-garde artwork adorning walls and clean-lined furniture straight out of a gallery. The Great Room and its adjoining bar—a winding collection of rooms of low tables where guests gather for drinks and board games at all hours—are mildly more traditional in their inflection, with Dutch Golden Age paintings and gilded chandeliers. The real star, though, is the hotel’s garden, a surprising rarity in so green a city. Central Amsterdam is just outside the front door, but no one would blame you for whiling away the hours out here, lounging in the modern black patio furniture under the shade of a maple tree."