Set on Dam Square in the heart of Amsterdam, overlooking the National Monument and the Royal Palace, Hotel TwentySeven occupies one of the city’s most distinctive historic locations. The interiors extend this sense of place, drawing on Amsterdam’s layered character through rich materials, deep tones, and a carefully composed sequence of spaces that unfold from arrival to lounge.
Within this context, Brand van Egmond created a customised KELP FORTUNA as a sculptural centrepiece. The piece was developed to work with the architecture rather than interrupt it, introducing movement overhead while reinforcing the material language of the interior. Its structure unfolds in a measured rhythm, with flowing lines and suspended forms that trace the ceiling plane and guide the eye through the space.
Seen up close, the sculpture reveals the full complexity of its making: a branching composition of reflective brass elements, glass details, and points of light gathered into a form that feels both controlled and fluid. The finish is high gloss brass, applied through a specialised process that gives depth and clarity to both the structure and the stem. This surface allows the piece to absorb and reflect the warm palette of the interior — reds, ambers, and dark polished surfaces — while maintaining its own distinct luminosity.
Designed by William Brand and made by hand in the Naarden atelier, Kelp Fortuna reflects Brand van Egmond’s approach to hospitality commissions: direct collaboration, careful calibration of scale and material, and a sensitivity to how light contributes to the identity of a place. In Hotel TwentySeven, the installation becomes part of a broader Amsterdam narrative — where architecture, atmosphere, and detail are held together through light.
Images courtesy of Hotel TwentySeven
