Characters of Amsterdam
Arthurious is design journal and a studio exploring the hidden layers — textures, smells, signals — that communicate culture.
Whilst traveling through Amsterdam last year, editor Arty Bedny was struck by the diversity of door numbers on the properties of the cities residents, and felt compelled to take his camera out and document his findings.
Amsterdamers are meticulously loving about their door numbers. Mostly handmade, these digits are calligraphed, carved in stone and wood, made of glass, ceramics, metal — every true imaginable.
“Some of them looked high-brow, some sickly, some pensive; one of the digits begged for a bike with a cart of tulips in the front.” revealed Arty, “By and large, they felt they’re a second dimension to the city: quiet but as eloquent as people.”
He began to share the images on Instagram, picking the best of the 600+ collection using the hashtag #everydoorsigninamsterdam and then digitizing them into a type set. This catalogue was then turned into a huge calendar which is now available to buy through the Arthurious website.
