Indholdsfortegnelse for March/April 2025 i Victoria

Dear Friends Spring finds Victoria wandering the capital of the Netherlands, a picturesque destination known for its canals and abloom with tulips. “You could spend your time with your nose buried in a guidebook, but Amsterdam really is best explored on foot, so you can stumble upon the city’s hidden gems,” advises jazz vocalist Gregory Porter. “The architecture and the beauty of some of the buildings is also wonderful.” Our local expert and travel companion is 2024 Artist-in-Residence Natasja Sadi, whose lifelike sugar flowers grace our March/April cover. In the pages that follow, discover a bit of the rich history, creativity, and natural bounty that inspire Natasja’s work as a world-renowned culinary artisan. Also in this issue, we begin a yearlong celebration of the 250th anniversary of the birth of…

“MIXING AND MATCHING WORKS TOGETHER HARMONIOUSLY TO TELL A STORY.”—Anouk van Spaendonck Like a musician composing the notes of a melody or a painter sweeping pigment across a canvas, Netherlands native Anouk van Spaendonck expertly blends color and pattern to adorn her abode in beauty. In a city thrumming with hustle and bustle, stepping across the threshold of her seventeenth-century Dutch charmer, nestled along the Prinsengracht canal, provides a welcome repose. With her lineage bearing an impressive line of creatives, Anouk has long studied the aesthetic practice of layering and harmonizing elements. As she divides time between this urban oasis and a family home twenty minutes outside of Amsterdam, her city dwelling offers the perfect setting to bedeck fully in personal style. The decorator refers to the pied-à-terre as a…

Visit our website to read this issue’s online stories and to find more of the content you love. Take a closer look at some of our favorite March/April features: A Novel Approach Beginning our year marking the 250th anniversary of the birth of Jane Austen, we share recipes inspired by the author’s books and the era in which she lived. Among the Blossoms Visit Keukenhof, a sprawling bontanical paradise in the Netherlands often called the Garden of Europe, to admire spring’s loveliest exhibition of tulips and other blossoms. Easter Loveliness Find a bounty of inspiration for celebrating the holiday in Victoria style with our creative ideas for tinting eggs and adorning them with romantic charm. Heirlooms of the Heart Continuing the theme of our Reader-to-Reader column, letters reveal the stories…

Like spring itself, a mid-twentieth-century charmer nestled in a prime neighborhood embodies the spirit of renewal. Presented with the challenge of completely renovating the residence, designer Leigh Misso of River Brook Design & Construction breathed fresh life into familiar foundations while seamlessly adding a second story and preserving the existing footprint of the abode’s main floor. “The homeowners needed more square footage to accommodate their children as well as modern amenities. They wanted a second level for the children’s bedrooms, bathrooms, and playroom, and the main level was prioritized for living spaces,” Leigh explains. Although they maintained much of the external structure, the home is essentially brand new. A carport was transformed into an open-concept family area and kitchen, where members of the household can gather for relaxed evenings or…

Strolling along Amsterdam’s herringbone brick streets, with a tranquil canal to one’s left and a friendly row of buildings to the right, one might have the good fortune of stumbling upon the windowed façade of Rho Interiors with an “open” sign hanging in view. Available for clients and designers primarily by appointment, this mesmerizing shop also welcomes walk-ins practically anytime the owner, Rachel van der Brug, is in. Through the showroom’s double doors, she has created a warm atmosphere—the result of effortlessly mingled antiques and breathtaking fabrics. With more than three decades of interior design experience and exclusive partnerships with luxury Venetian textile houses, including Fortuny and Chiarastella Cattana, Rachel has become an important resource for fellow visionaries with a passion for exceptional interiors. “Beautifully made products and craft are…

LADY-IN-RESIDENCE Pages 15–16: Alongside the 8th Earl of Carnarvon, The Countess of Carnarvon stewards the legacy of her husband’s ancestral home, Highclere Castle. An esteemed author and public speaker, The Countess of Carnarvon’s books include Lady Almina and the Real Downton Abbey, At Home at Highclere, and The Earl and the Pharaoh. Read more of her writings at ladycarnarvon.com and explore the offerings of Highclere Castle at highclerecastle.co.uk. GRAND BEGINNINGS Pages 17 and 19: April Cornell: Cottage Denim Overall; aprilcornell.com. Pages 17 and 19–20: Pomegranate: Bamboo Cane Placemat, set of 4; Pom Bells Wedgewood Tablecloth; Pom Bells Wedgewood Napkin, set of 4; Round Bamboo Napkin Ring, set of 4; pomegranateinc.com. The Preppy Stitch: The Ultimate Summer Hat; thepreppystitch.com. Pages 17 and 20: Abigails: Large Artichoke Tulipiere in Green, Adriana Water…

When I was blessed with a daughter, I named her for her great-great-grandmother, Katie Lee Sims. Just after the turn of the twentieth century, the matriarch was given a beautiful gold locket with her initials engraved in elegant cursive on the front and with flower motifs and diamonds on the back. This treasure, a gift from her father, was to commemorate the young girl’s sixteenth birthday. The locket became a family heirloom, passed down to every generation’s oldest daughter. What an honor to clasp the necklace around my daughter’s lovely neck on her sixteenth birthday, as her initials were exactly the same. Years later, when she, too, was blessed with a daughter, we knew we could look forward to the special day she would continue this legacy. In nine years,…

Waves of pink, orange, and yellow blossoms bounce in a gentle breeze as autumn’s task of planting tulip bulbs comes to fruition in Holland. Springtime arrives in the land of spinning windmills, colorful flora, and delectable stroopwafel, and the capital of the Netherlands beckons with postcard charm and rich culture. Often referred to as the Venice of the North, Amsterdam lies partly above sea level and partly below, brushing against the North Sea coastline and resulting in a network of interlacing canals. Originally constructed in the seventeenth century as a means of transporting food and other goods, the waterways are a UNESCO World Heritage Site tied to the functionality and unique character of the city. “TO LIVE IN AMSTERDAM IS TO BE SURROUNDED BY HISTORY AND FLOWERS.”—Natasja Sadi When not…

In the seventeenth century, the Dutch city of Delft was home to more than thirty pottery factories, each producing fine blue-and-white earthenware for which the city is known. Today, only one remains: De Koninklijke Porceleyne Fles, now known as Royal Delft. Founded in 1653, the manufactory and others like it arose as an answer to the growing desire for porcelain from the East, which Dutch potters sought to replicate. Yet delftware is not the same as porcelain. Rather, artisans here created a type of tin-glazed pottery from local clay that was inspired by the Chinese treasures but was slightly darker in color and required a white glaze atop its surface. With the eventual discovery of natural resources such as kaolin necessary to produce genuine porcelain in Europe, the golden age…

For the traveler’s heart, home is on the move. En route to enchanting destinations, the sojourner requires accommodations as nomadic as his or her spirit. Enter Viking, an acclaimed cruise line dedicated to exploring the world in comfort. On board one of their luxurious vessels, one can visit almost anywhere across the globe, experiencing many vibrant cultures while admiring historic monuments. One such site worthy of reverence and delight is Highclere Castle, known to the world as “the real Downton Abbey.” This English landmark, home to The Earl and Countess of Carnarvon, is one of the many noteworthy destinations available to Viking passengers as land extensions to their cruises. Select itineraries offer excursions with privileged access to the castle, including a trip through Paris and the heart of Normandy, the…

Ranging from tints as pale as the late morning sky to deeper shades resembling precious sapphires, every iteration of blue pairs well with alabaster. Like flowers in the springtime or strawberries with cream, there is hardly a marriage that joins together as beautifully as this perennially favorite palette, and the duo remains as versatile as it is captivating. Hudson Moore, senior design editor of Frederic magazine and author of Blue and White Done Right: The Classic Color Combination for Every Decorating Style, pens a volume brimming with enchanting interiors to prove this sentiment true. The recurrence of blue and white appears across centuries and cultures, with roots tracing back to ancient Mesopotamia, where early ceramists used this favored colorway to imitate lapis, a vivid rock regarded highly at the time.…

Buttered Treasure I almost did not bother to pick it up. Eagerly, I perused the antique items the Tustin, California, Presbyterian Church had assembled for their 2015 annual fundraiser. The round, cream-colored china butter dish with blush-pink miniature roses, faded mint green leaves, and gold trim had a lot of brown crazing on the sides of the cover. Despite its defect, something intrigued me about this find. Maybe it was the delicate curlicue on the handle or the swirly gold brushstrokes intermingling with the delicate flowers, but when I removed the cover to the dish, I knew I had found a genuine treasure. “This snippet of family lore reminds me how important it is to know who I came from as I cultivate how I will be remembered.” Nestled on…