Dick Bruna's Studio

That cheerful mosaic of Miffy peeking around the corner is not just decoration. It marks the exact spot where Dick Bruna came to work every single day, for decades, in his studio at number 3 on this street.

Bruna came from a publishing dynasty. His great-great-grandfather founded A.W. Bruna Publishers back in 1868, and the family eventually settled the business in Utrecht in 1890. Dick joined as a designer and quickly made his mark with bold, stripped-back book covers. But in 1955, sitting in the studio above Drukkerij van Rossum just steps from where you are now, he sketched a small white rabbit for his son. That rabbit became nijntje, known everywhere else in the world as Miffy, translated into over 50 languages.

His philosophy was quietly radical. He never gave his characters capital letters in Dutch, because he wanted children to feel like they were reading about a friend, not a figure of authority. Clean lines, a handful of bold colors, simple geometric shapes. That was it.

Bruna worked in this studio until his retirement, keeping a routine so disciplined it reportedly never wavered. Apparently, even worldwide fame was not enough reason to sleep in.