Friday Treat: The Dutch Tile Project

Tiles for miles...

I went to Delft for the first time ever a couple of years ago with my husband and a friend. We chose to go in March and were lucky with the weather. It was a very quirky trip including a tour on a boat with a driver who was not in the least bit sober. He seemed to know the route that he’d been driving for twenty five years like the back of his hand so there were no incidents but let’s just say I didn’t feel I knew much more about Delft than when I started other than the block of flats where he used to live.

Our hotel (Hotel Bridges House) was dreadful thanks to someone (not me) forgetting to book anything and so we had to settle for whatever was available and I could very much see why there were vacancies.

It wasn’t as bad as the hotel we stayed in in Colmar which is my all time worst hotel ever (I’ll save it for another day), but you couldn’t pay me to go back. Nonetheless, it was fun with the best bits being the Delft factory tour (I bought a tile, of course) and the Bas Meeuws exhibition at the Royal Delft Museum of Dutch Master style flower photography which was stunning. If you’re looking for traces of Vermeer, born in Delft, you’ll find that the town has very little original Vermeer work (that’s all in the Rijksmuseum) but they do a reasonable job of claiming him with various reproductions.

I’m taking a long way to start talking about The Dutch Tile Project (based in Amsterdam) which I discovered on-line, and because I’ve fully immersed in Delft, I’m really drawn to the tiling style. However, The Dutch Tile Project, founded by Delft region born Max and Philippe in 2023, takes the traditional Delft tile and brings a modern and imaginative twist. I’ve already bought a tile as a gift for the same friend that came to Delft with us, and she in turn has bought more as gifts for other friends. A mile away from the traditional country scenes, simple animals and mythological gods, The Dutch Tile Project can offer you a Citroen 2CV, Bitcoin, trainers, Coca Cola bottles or ballet dancers.

There are so many interests and topics covered from dogs to fashion and beyond (Delft style washing machine anyone?) and I can bet you that it’s something than nobody already has (but me!) so they’re excellent as hard-to-buy-for birthday people.

Delft pottery dates back to the 1600s and I wonder what those original ceramicists of old would make of the new Delft-style look. It’s traditional storytelling made relatable, relevant and funny. I will buy more! As a tip, I’d suggest that you buy the little acrylic stand so you can display your tile standing rather than flat. As another tip, if you’re heading to Delft, avoid the hotel we stayed in and try to ensure your boat driver is sober. You can find The Dutch Tile Project HERE.