Hi everyone, it’s Holly Marder again and this time I have a beautiful shop tour to share with you! Vintage Curators is a Haarlem (Netherlands) based sustainable clothing boutique with maker and entrepreneur Marije Cnossen at the helm. I shot this tour for a magazine before the shop moved to its new and current location, but Marije has carried her signature aesthetic with her to her new digs and it’s every bit as lovely.

Marije Cnossen

The way she has styled her shop and atelier for both function and aesthetics, her carefully curated eye for vintage and the vision behind what and how she sells her products is truly refreshing. Let’s jump into the full shop tour, and when you’re finished, we share five clever ideas you can snag from this shop tour for your own home.

Located in charming old downtown Haarlem, Vintage Curators offers a colorful and skillfully curated collection of vintage clothing – much of which has been lovingly altered and carefully embroidered by Marije’s expert hand – original designs as well as organic skin care and children’s garments.

She also alters some of the vintage clothes in the shop in a portable house-shaped sewing atelier crafted out of multiplex plywood, adding a quirky and approachable quality to the space for shoppers.

With an aim to supply exclusively sustainable, natural and organic goods and garments to her clientele, Marije has created a suitably authentic backdrop against which her pieces truly do shine. Here are some of our favorite elements from this shop tour, and how you can implement them at home.

Five Ideas to Steal at Home

1. Decorating with dried flowers and foliage

Much of the charm of this urban vintage haven lies in the abundance of dried flowers dotted throughout the shop. Marije cleverly displays a hanging flower display using a simple hanging frame, to create a striking yet whimsical feature to greet shoppers.

2. Open clothing displays

It’s not for everyone, but if you love clothes and you love to see them on display, a simple hanging rack will not only offer you a practical easy-to-grab clothes storage solution, but with the right amount of editing down to just the best and most complimentary pieces, it will be a visual statement in your space and one that communicates your personal style too. Marije has created simple clothing racks out of wood for her shop but Ikea also has a lovely white one which I have also used in my own home here.

3. Portable workstation

If space is an issue, why not create a workstation that is as functional as it is quirky! Marije has crafted a house shaped sewing ‘atelier’ on wheels that can easily be moved around when necessary but has all the practicalities she needs to store her sewing machines, threads and various other supplies, while creatively dividing the space and creating a talking point. What’s even more clever is that by adding a mirror to the back panel, shoppers also have a large surface to admire themselves after trying things on. Making use of every surface and opportunity for a function is what makes this design so good.

4. Make a statement with lighting

Lighting is always a great place to flex your style muscles and make a statement. Though the shop has a feminine, whimsical quality to it, Marije uses two large vintage industrial lamps and a contemporary leather pendant to create focal points, interest and draw the eye lower. Don’t be afraid to mix styles, but remember contemporary lighting compliments most styles and will create balance.

5. Creative storage

I love the way Marije has used every opportunity to display items in creative ways. She cleverly creates storage and tabletop real estate using a pile of palettes as a thrifty way to display slippers. Palettes have a raw, industrial quality to them and when done right (cleaned up, painted/stained, topped with a piece of glass cut to size) works perfectly in this more feminine environment, creating a central focal point, grounding the space and providing useful storage and a pretty display all at the same time. Everyday items in the shop’s kitchenette also go on display with clusters glass jars of varying sizes filled with daily necessities. And when things get a little busy, a curtained-off cabinet is a cost-effective way to hide clutter and offer extra storage.