It was great to see so much focus on insects during our recent trip to Floriade. This insect hotel, placed among flowers, created one of my favourite picture-memories from the show.
About the makers
Frysian Design is part of a care organisation based in Vrijburgh Farm, The Netherlands. They support people to learn how to work on beautiful, at least partly hand-made items, many custom-designed to commission. Specialities include insect hotels and wooden furniture that incorporate natural or recycled materials.
In this world of mass-produced goods, made as cheaply as possible, boxed up in warehouses, ready to be supplied by next day delivery (or we’ll want to know why), I smiled to read this via GoogleTranslate on their website:
Due to the attention and care that we pay to the products together with the participants, delivery may take a little longer than you would like, but then you will have something unique.
Bloggers are often accused of saying one thing and doing another. To some extent, of course that’s true. Writing this reminds me that I’ve been very tempted to chase up an order of second-hand clothes from circular fashion retailer, Thrift+, an example of a great idea, imperfectly executed. Would that be hypocritical, or prudent?
Susan Rushton 
What a novel idea. The insect hotel is now one of my favorite picture memories.
I’m glad you like both ideas! I was thinking of how pictures cement memories.
Thanks for this post and the Floriade. The Frisians are a clever group of people. I lived there for some time. The land and the sea mark the “end of the world”, so I was once told. 😄
My pleasure!
Hi Susan, I sent this blog to my niece in the Netherlands. She identified the bird in the mosaic for you.
Sabina: “It is a Krullevaar – a bird from a children’s book.”
Me: “It’s a made up bird?”
S: “Yes! Very popular children’s book. You would love it. Pluk en de Petteflat.
Me: “A fantasy bird? I will let her know. 😁”
S: “Nature organizations had a contest some years ago to find a National Bird – and people were lobbying very hard to make it the Krullevaar. Welllll that didn’t happen, but it was funny.”
She was pleased that you wrote positively about Floriade. Also she will receive her insect hotel in the middle of October for their volkstuintje – allotment garden, for which they have waited on a list for 2.5 years to receive it from the Frisian Design people. She’s looking forward to this.
Sabina loves gardening too!
They also have a bee hotel in their backyard at home.
How amazing that she is waiting to get one of these hotels! The Krullevaar reminds me of the British public voting for their new research ship to be called Boaty McBoatface. The name won the vote, but the powers-that-be wouldn’t go with it.
The two and a half year wait puts my clothes parcel into perspective. I’m told it has been shipped now, so (fingers crossed) all should be well.
😂Glad to hear the British public has a sense of humor. Glad your delivery is on its way.
Very cool!