Lina Patsiou shares her go-to spots in her new hometown

Frequently, designer Lina Patsiou’s work considers the impact that particular environments can have on a given object. With her Forever Table and Chair, for example, the young, Athens-born designer exposed handcrafted, leather-upholstered furniture to UV light in order to create decorative “tan lines”—essentially resulting in visible traces of the pieces’ past. She did the same again with her Sunclock series; for each, since the leather remains photosensitive, the objects’ pigmentation continues to evolve over time.

Patsiou is just as conscious of the impact her own environment can have on both her sense of self and her creativity. In fact, with that in mind, she recently relocated her practice from London to Amsterdam, and began work as a product designer for acclaimed Dutch designer Marcel Wanders’s studio. As Patsiou tells us, “It is important to me to consistently see things from a new perspective, as I identify myself as an international designer. I was looking for a new setting to get inspired and to meet new people, and the Netherlands seemed perfect; the area has produced so many respected designers. And working in Marcel Wanders’s studio is very exciting; it’s such a creative place, full of talented people—and, of course, he is such a charismatic designer!”

Patsiou kindly agreed to take us on a photographic tour of the places she finds most inspiring in her newly adopted hometown. Read on for her insider picks.

1. “The City Streets”

“I always love discovering a new city and a new culture. For that reason, I love simply walking through Amsterdam. Its highline is fantastically uneven; everything here is tilted and slightly distorted. I also recently started documenting all the bike-related hacks I see around, like [the above pictured] chesterfield armchair trolley. It's just brilliant.

2. Droog

“The Droog store is the number one design spot in all of Amsterdam, set right in the center of the city. Droog has perhaps been one of the main influences on contemporary design worldwide, and in the store you can see some amazing, iconic pieces.”

Staalstraat 7-A, 1011 JJ Amsterdam/ www.droog.com

3. The Rijksmuseum

“I love the museum district because there is so much to see, all concentrated in one spot. The Rijksmuseum is home to some of the world’s greatest historical art, and one can see works by Rembrandt, Vermeer, and more.”

Museumstraat 1 Amsterdam / www.rijksmuseum.nl 

4. The Stedelijk Museum

“Just next to the Rijks is the Stedelijk Museum Amsterdam, featuring works by Jackson Pollock, Henri Matisse, and Andy Warhol on permanent display. It is definitely the number one spot in the country for modern and contemporary art and design.”

Museumplein 10, 1071 DJ Amsterdam / www.stedelijk.nl

5. Hermitage Garden

“I love the garden behind the Hermitage Amsterdam. It is a small park with sculptures scattered around its premises, and there is also a small cafe. I often come here to read a book and feel like I am outside, even as it starts getting colder.

Amstel 51, 1018 EJ Amsterdam / www.hermitage.nl

6. Hortus Botanicus

“One of the most inspiring places in the city is the botanical garden, De Hortus Botanicus. You can visit a cactus garden right next to a small, tropical oasis greenhouse. The variety of the plants is fantastic, and I also find going through the different rooms with varying temperature and humidity levels extremely interesting.”

Plantage Middenlaan 2a 1018DD Amsterdam / dehortus.nl 

Thank you, Lina! To read more about Lina and her work, check out our feature story, Poetry in Motion. 

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    Anna Carnick

    Anna is Pamono’s Managing Editor. Her writing has appeared in several arts and culture publications, and she's edited over 20 books. Anna loves celebrating great artists, and seriously enjoys a good picnic.