As communities look forward to coming together to celebrate the festive season, Pulitzer Amsterdam, the famed heritage hotel in Amsterdam’s UNESCO World Heritage-listed canal belt, has partnered with celebrated Dutch couturier and artist Jan Taminiau. Together they have designed The Taffeta Tree, the 2026 edition of the hotel’s annual Christmas tree, which will be launched on 19 November.
Founder of the eponymous Madrid-based couture house JANTAMINIAU, Taminiau has dressed Queen Máxima of the Netherlands for more than 15 years, with his couture being worn by the likes of Beyoncé, Lady Gaga, Rihanna, and Tamara Falcó. He has also created costumes for the Dutch National Opera, Dutch National Ballet and Hollywood blockbuster, The Hunger Games: Catching Fire. More recently, his practice has evolved into the creation of artworks, sculpture and writing, and with Pulitzer as his canvas, Taminiau now turns from dressing people to dressing a space.
Set to stand at almost nine metres tall in Pulitzer Garden, The Taffeta Tree will be adorned with hundreds of taffeta ribbons. As they sway in the wind, their gentle movement will evoke the feeling of a living, breathing presence. For Taminiau, the ribbon is symbolic of the season, often one of the first signs of Christmas, reflecting both the thoughtfulness of the giver and the anticipation of the recipient before it is unwrapped. Hand-cut ribbons of taffeta bring this idea to life, their fluid movement through the tree reflecting Taminiau’s distinctive approach to material, movement and craftsmanship. As for the finishing touches, Taminiau is keeping a few final touches under wraps until the unveiling.
The intertwined ribbons will mirror the character of the hotel itself: 25 canal houses from the 17th and 18th centuries, each with their own rich heritage, connected over time into one narrative. Like the houses and the guests who pass through them, each ribbon follows its own individual path, binding, gathering and connecting to make something stronger. As Taminiau reflects, “What I love is that it isn’t one block. It has layers. All these different houses, each with their own history, joined together until they become one thing – and that is just charming to me.”
Taminiau’s own personal experience of Christmas is similarly multilayered. His precious family box of decorations, passed down from his grandparents, his parents and the years since, has become a link between generations. “It isn’t something new every year; it accumulates. It’s a box of genuine treasures,” he says.
The Taffeta Tree will be the centrepiece of Pulitzer’s Garden, with Taminiau’s creative vision extending throughout the festive season. Guests and Amsterdam locals can discover seasonal details inspired by his use of colour, craftsmanship and imagination, from a festive profiterole dessert to wreath-making workshops using the tree’s ribbons. In the in-room Pulitzer Post, guests will also find an interview with Taminiau alongside his favourite winter addresses in the city, from Christmas decorations at Menno Kroon to dinner at Toscanini in the Jordaan.
The hotel’s heritage is rooted in the rich history of Amsterdam itself, and for Taminiau, who lived in the city for many years before moving to Madrid, the collaboration marks a homecoming. He comments, “Amsterdam is the ultimate festive fantasy for me. It goes back to being a child, reading books full of 16th and 17th century Christmas scenes. So, to be given a beautiful courtyard like that, enclosed by exactly those buildings, and at the heart of it a Christmas tree of almost nine metres to decorate – that is simply magical to me.” In bringing one of the Netherlands’ most celebrated couturiers back to the canal belt, the partnership continues Pulitzer’s celebration of Dutch craftsmanship, reflecting the hotel’s role as a convivial cultural hub for the city and its ongoing contribution to Amsterdam’s creative spirit.
The Taffeta Tree follows recent collaborations with ROKSANDA, Jenny Packham and David Laport, continuing Pulitzer Amsterdam’s tradition of inviting leading designers to share their creative vision of the festive season. To be unveiled on 19 November and on display in Pulitzer Garden until 4 January 2027, the tree will invite guests and the wider community alike to gather and share in what Taminiau hopes they will feel: “That sense of coming together, lots of hugs, wonderful food and drink, and celebration.”
