Caroline Krouwels’ Most Favourite Things

"When you surround yourself with beloved objects, it's as if they are embracing you; they become intertwined with your life."

We love lists, from Top-3 to Top-2000. Someone with expertise, or just a large group of people, has carefully weighed what does and does not deserve a place on that honorary list. Such a Top-list naturally has something magical, it is and remains subjective, a snapshot in time, an attempt to create order in the overwhelming multitude of wonderful things. And precisely because of that, we want to know everything about it. What makes these selected items so special? And do they also deserve a spot on your personal list? Show me your top 10 favourite things and I'll tell you who you are.

With her extensive experience as a designer, trend forecaster, and creative director, as well as being the founder and CEO of Modefabriek, Caroline Krouwels has a deep knowledge of all things beautiful.

She knows the major fashion cities like the back of her hand, visits the best shops and museums like a pro, and lives with an artist, alternating between Amsterdam and her second home in Italy. With a life so deeply rooted in design, certain pieces inevitably become cherished favourites over the years. Items that have attained a unique status, even with the constant influx of new designs meant to tempt and satisfy us.

For the upcoming Modefabriek, Caroline Krouwels is unveiling her Most Favourite Things in a must-see pop-up shop that will make you want it all. She's giving us a sneak peek at three of her favourite things, all of which we can purchase at Modefabriek. Of course, the most valuable possessions are often very personal, like that heart-shaped stone your child found and now sits on your desk.

Gill Button postcards

“As a student, unable to splurge on pricey art books, I developed a habit of purchasing postcards of the most stunning pieces I encountered at exhibitions. This tradition continues to this day. I usually buy two of each, one to send to a friend and another to cherish. I discovered British artist Gill Button through her collaborations with Dries van Noten, like the series of paintings of the Italian style icon Marchesa Luisa Casati, which was beautifully documented in a book. I looked her up and immediately bought some of her work, and recently I curated a show featuring her work in the 12th-century church in the village near my Italian home.”  

Buttonfruit.com

@buttonfruit

Flos Bellhop table lamp

“This cute little lamp is a design by the English design duo Edward Barber and Jay Osgerby. The original was designed for the New London Design Museum, but since 2018, this lamp has been part of the FLOS collection. I have a few of them. They look like little luminous mushrooms and come in the most beautiful colours. The Bellhop is wireless and dimmable, so you can easily put it anywhere you want to create some extra light and atmosphere. Powered by long-lasting LED lights, it's incredibly energy-efficient and easily recharged via USB.” 

Flos.com

Sheila Hicks, Weaving as Metaphor boek van Irma Boom 

“Dutch book designer Irma Boom and textile artist Sheila Hicks collaborated for four years on this monumental, uncompromising book that was named the most beautiful book in the world at the 2007 Leipzig Book Fair. Sheila and Irma have been close friends ever since. The soft tactility of the book brings you physically close to the beautiful work of Sheila Hicks, which I recently saw at the Josef Albers Museum Quadrat Botrop, not far from Düsseldorf. Hicks once studied under Albers in New York, which explains her exceptional sense of colour. Through the work of Anni Albers, Albers' wife, Sheila became interested in textiles, and... the rest is history!

Dutchmuseumgiftshop.nl

Discover ánd shop these and many more Most Favourite Things at Modefabriek, 26 & 27 January at EXPO Greater Amsterdam in Vijfhuizen.

Written by Mo Veld