Widely acclaimed for his creative prowess, designer Mikel Welch’s resume speaks for itself. This week, the founder of New York-based Mikel Welch Designs, in-house design expert on The Drew Barrymore Show, Emmy award winner, and recently published author, joins us to reflect on his recent journey through the Netherlands and Spain.
Destination: Amsterdam and Granada
Month traveled: May
Duration of trip: 10 days
Temperature range: 65 to 95 degrees
Solo trip or vacation with family or friends? Solo journey that blended work with discovery.
First visit here or repeat destination? First visit.
What drew you to this locale?
The trip began with Cosentino in Amsterdam before continuing to Spain, but it quickly became about much more than work. Amsterdam, with its canals, cobbled streets and car-free lifestyle, felt like stepping into a living design experiment where architecture and culture move in perfect rhythm.
Lodgings…
I stayed with my friend Robert Schroeder, who owns an antiques gallery. His carriage house opened onto a storybook garden. Each morning, he made porridge topped with fresh figs, a small ritual that set the tone for days spent exploring. The experience felt deeply personal, like inhabiting a hidden corner of the city.
Must-sees for design lovers…
Amsterdam itself is the lesson. The rows of gabled facades leaning over the canals, streets scaled for bicycles and boats rather than cars, and interiors filled with patina and quiet charm. In Granada, the Alhambra rises like a dream of history and craftsmanship, its courtyards and mosaics echoing centuries of artistry. And thanks to Cosentino, I stepped inside their quarry, where stone was being carved from the earth in real time. To watch raw slabs destined for kitchens and interiors around the world emerge under sunlight and chisels was like seeing design at its birth. It felt both ancient and modern, a reminder that beauty often begins in the quiet labor of nature and hand.
Postcard moment…
The midnight opera at the Alhambra. Imagine standing in a centuries-old stone corridor with music rising into the night air and the city of Granada glittering below. It felt surreal, like watching history breathe in real time.
Souvenirs…
Yes. I carried back vintage linen fabric that found a new life in my own home and a Dutch painting that now hangs in my kitchen. I also sourced antiques for my showroom, treasures that hold the spirit of the trip.
Lasting influence…
Amsterdam showed me how design can dictate the pace of daily life, while Granada revealed how history can shape atmosphere. And in the Cosentino quarry, I was reminded that every surface we touch has a story long before it enters our homes. That moment deepened my respect for the raw origins of design.
Greatest takeaway…
That the most powerful experiences are often the quietest; A bowl of porridge in a friend’s garden, a city designed around water, a song carried through stone, or watching marble emerge from the earth with Cosentino. Design is not only about what we create but how we allow it to shape the way we live.
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