Saying it with memories!

By Rutvi Ashar

Photography: Ewout Huibers; courtesy the architect

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Amsterdam’s contemporaneous Ink Hotel sits tastefully amidst its historical neighbours, eager to change your status from traveller to local…


With the theme of stories told and untold, Concrete Architectural Associates has inserted into the urban fabric of Amsterdam a hotel that gives its users versatile multi-use spaces.

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Especially referencing its host building that once housed the newspaper head office and print shop of ‘De Tijd’ (‘the times’ in English); it invites locals to mingle with tourists and offers the perfect platform for story-telling. The privacy of the users is maintained despite the addition of patios and alleys that reminisce of Amsterdam’s typical architecture. The materials used are a combination of the old-world concrete stucco and brickwork along with glass, steel and cement. 

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A strong architectural language is defined by the arrangement of spaces, the public functions restricted to the ground floor inviting in visitors; whilst vertical circulation is limited to only guests and staff of the hotel. Public spaces include an all-day dine-in with an open kitchen and landscaped break-out spaces that are aloof from the outside world. Incidentally, different areas are christened Garden Room, Library, Press Room, etc., rousing intrigue and initiating a narrative backdrop. 

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Open-plan guest rooms and suites with state-of-the-art features have large windows framing exterior vistas. Hand-drawn maps add playfulness to the décor (mirrored in the hand-written signage in the public areas).  Walnut-finished furniture, brass panels and white sheer fabric add to the exclusiveness of the rooms that provide an insight into the history of the building. 

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Contextual elements incorporated into the décor viz., wooden letterpress blocks, circular colour-coded bookshelf, open bathroom characterised by a brass vanity piece, brasserie benches with marble-topped tables, newsprint wallpaper, jars of ink, old typewriters and the like amplify the narrative of the place. 

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With a well-defined core concept for each of the spaces, the architect creates micro- Amsterdam in every area of this historical structure.