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      Oak-lined boxes delineate living spaces at Bureau Fraai's Panorama Penthouse

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      Architecture office Bureau Fraai used freestanding wooden volumes to organise the interior of this penthouse in the Netherlands, preserving panoramic views of the surroundings from within the living areas.

      The 300-square-metre Panorama Penthouse occupies the upper floor of a former office building in the South Holland region that was converted into a high-end residential development.
      The penthouse has large open-plan living spacesBureau Fraai was asked to develop a proposal for the apartment’s interior that would optimise views through its glazed facades towards the sea on one side and the city on another.
      “We believe the only way to experience the panoramic views at the fullest was by getting rid of walls obstructing the facades and therefore decided to introduce an open floor plan concept,” Bureau Fraai cofounder Daniel Aw told Dezeen.
      Oak-lined boxes separate spacesInstead of compartmentalising the penthouse into a series of cellular rooms, the architects introduced freestanding oak structures that are removed from the facade to maintain views throughout the interior.

      “This way, the surroundings are always present in every part of the penthouse, making you fully aware of the changing colours of the seasons, the tides and of the sunrise and sunset that are never the same,” the studio added.
      The apartment layout optimises panoramic viewsThe four timber-clad volumes contain private functions including a study and a sauna, as well as the main bedroom’s bathroom and walk-in closet.
      The sequence of wooden boxes are arranged along one side of a hallway leading from the entrance to the main communal areas. This configuration helps create a semi-porous partition between the corridor and the two bedrooms.
      A private study is located in one of the timber-clad boxesFully glazed steel sliding doors integrated into the oak volumes can be closed if physical separation from the hall is required. Curtains and solid pocket doors allow the bedrooms to be visually closed off from the rest of the apartment at nighttime.
      The penthouse’s interior features a neutral palette with white or light-grey floors, ceilings and walls chosen to enhance the connection with the surroundings.

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      The pale oak wood used for the freestanding joinery aims to provide a warm and natural complement to the dunes and beaches that are visible through the adjacent glazed facades.
      Cabinetry in the kitchen and dining room at the far end of the property has a muted, grey finish intended to echo the distant city skyline.
      A library ladder provides access to upper level storage spaceThe common areas are configured as a trio of separate but linked spaces comprising the raised living area, a media and lounge room, and the dining area and kitchen.
      Sliding doors incorporated into the glazed walls provide direct access from each of these spaces to the large decked terraces.
      At the centre of the apartment is a long, rectangular volume containing storage, technical equipment, a toilet and a second bathroom.
      Glazed facades provide views of the sea and the cityThe ceiling height at one end of this volume reaches 4.75 metres, allowing space for a mezzanine level that provides additional storage and a lookout point for observing the rest of the apartment.
      The high ceilings extend through to the media room, which contains full-height bookshelves with a library ladder providing access to the upper storage areas.
      The apartment has a neutral colour paletteBureau Fraai was founded in 2014 by architects Rikjan Scholten and Daniel Aw. The Amsterdam-based studio aims to produce timeless, one-of-a-kind architectural projects inspired by their context and the client’s unique requirements.
      The firm’s previous work includes the conversion of a building in central Amsterdam into high-end apartments featuring a strong contrast of light and dark colours. The project was longlisted in the apartment interior category of Dezeen Awards 2022.

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      Julia van Beuningen adds spiral stair in Dutch barn conversion

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      A spiral staircase made from plywood is the showpiece of this thatched barn in Gelderland, the Netherlands, which architectural designer Julia van Beuningen has converted into a residence.

      Van Beuningen has overseen a complete transformation of the late 19th-century building, named Barn at the Ahof, turning it into a rental home with four bedrooms and a large open-plan living space.
      The plywood staircase was produced by manufacturer EeStairsThe plywood staircase, produced by manufacturer EeStairs, sits at the heart of the floor plan. With its precise curved geometry and slender components, it offers a playful contrast with the barn’s rustic wooden columns and beams.
      “We thought, if we’re going to do something, we have to do it properly,” Van Beuningen told Dezeen.
      The staircase leads up to a new first floor within the converted barn”This is very different and very unusual in a barn like this,” Van Beuningen added. “It’s something you either love or hate, but it’s definitely a statement.”

      Barn at the Ahof is one of several buildings on an ancient farming estate named Landgoed Appel that Van Beuningen inherited from her family.
      She is planning to overhaul the entire site through a mix of rebuilds and refurbishments and create a series of low-energy houses that can be used for either long-term or holiday rentals.
      An open-plan living space occupies the ground floorAs the barn had been previously renovated approximately 10 years ago, it didn’t require as much work as some of the other properties on the estate.
      Van Beuningen is not a qualified architect – she is primarily a cellist and works in architecture part-time – so she enlisted local studio Flip Wentink Architecten to oversee the planning stages.
      However, she decided to manage the detailed-design phase herself, adding in extra details like the spiral staircase and some built-in joinery elements.
      The first floor provides two bedrooms and bathroomsOn the ground floor, the staircase creates a divide between a dining area and a lounge with a wood-burning stove. A minimal steel kitchen island runs along the side of this space.
      Also on this storey is an accessible bedroom and bathroom suite.
      The newly added first floor, which is much smaller in size, accommodates two additional bedrooms and bathrooms.
      Bespoke joinery provides in-built storageVan Beuningen tried to use simple natural materials wherever possible.
      As well as the plywood staircase and joinery, the renovated barn features walls of flax and lime plaster.

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      “It’s quite a proud building,” said the designer, “and it’s quite strong and industrial.”
      “I wanted to respect this industrial nature, which is not easy when adding in a new floor that is quite a heavy element. So I thought we should be quite humble in terms of materials.”
      Glazing skirts the edge of the first-floor bedroomsClever glazing details help to elevate the design.
      Highlights include large glass doors that can be concealed behind stable-style shutters, tall and slender skylights, and a narrow strip of glazing that skirts the edge of the first floor.
      A third bedroom is located on the ground floorExternally, the building has a more traditional appearance thanks to its thatched roof and red brick walls.
      Barn at the Ahof is the second completed building at the Landgoed Appel estate, following the refurbishment of the former bakehouse. Still to come is the overhauled farmhouse, revamped sheep shed and a new-build barn.
      Large glass doors are fronted by stable-style shuttersEnvironmental sustainability is a key concern for Van Beuningen, so all of the buildings are being designed to incorporate solar panels and ground-source heat pumps.
      Some sections of the estate have been rewilded, while ancient wetlands have been reinstated.
      Skylights puncture the traditional thatch roofVan Beuningen hopes the project can pave the way for more sustainable tourism in Dutch rural communities. At a time when the government is restricting the farming industry, in order to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, she hopes to show farmers can explore other revenue streams.
      “It’s really a long-term project in that sense,” she added.
      Other recent barn conversions featured on Dezeen include the stone Woodthorpe Stables in Surrey by Delve Architects and North River Architecture’s extension of an 18th-century farm building in New York.
      The photography is by Alex Baxter.
      Project credits
      Client: Landgoed AppelArchitect: Flip Wentink ArchitectenInterior architect: Julia van BeuningenStructural engineer: Peter Rommers/Luuk van Doeveren ArchitektuurM&E consultant: Peter RommersQuantity surveyor: Peter RommersLighting consultant: Julia van BeuningenStaircase engineering/fabrication: EeStairs

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      Studio Modijefsky favours clean lines in renovation of Dutch dyke house

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      Amsterdam interior design firm Studio Modijefsky has created a contemporary family home inside of a local dijkhuis – a traditional Dutch dwelling set next to a dyke.

      Located in the north of Amsterdam, the house was originally built for a middle-class family in the 1800s. But the building suffered substantial fire damage while serving as a kindergarten in the 1980s and had to be completely rebuilt in the same style.
      Home Dijkhuis is a renovated dyke house in AmsterdamStudio Modijefsky was asked by the new owners to create an interior that would respect the building’s heritage while introducing modern touches.
      Spread across 260 square metres, the home features an entrance, living area and study on the same level as the dyke. A spacious kitchen, dining area and garden are set a level down at the back of the house, while four bedrooms occupy the first floor under the gabled roof.
      Its low timber-beam ceiling is left exposed in the kitchenThe Netherlands has a long history of building next to its vast network of dykes – the embankments stretching thousands of kilometres along its coastlines and riverbanks to protect the low-lying country from flooding.

      As these dykes raise the ground level, a dijkhuis is often split across storeys of different heights and lighting conditions, which creates both challenges and creative opportunities according to Studio Modijefsky.
      “To create an interior that fits the original architecture while freshening it up, the spatial qualities of each living area were assessed and the properties of height, light and each building structure and window shape were maximised,” explained the studio.
      A green corduroy sofa and a walnut cabinet dominate the loungeIn the downstairs kitchen and dining area, a low timber-beam ceiling creates an intimate space anchored by a large table, where the family can come together for meals or enjoy views over the garden through the wide French windows.
      In the kitchen, a terrazzo-topped island is complemented with dark wooden door fronts, a backlit glass display cabinet and terracotta tiles on the floor.
      Marble detailing features throughout the house in fireplaces and splashbacksUpstairs, on the level of the dyke, the house’s entrance hallway leads into a bright living room, which the design team describes as “the most lavish space in the house”.
      It features tall arched windows and a high curved ceiling with art deco ornaments, giving the room a spacious and welcoming feel.

      Rainforest foliage and mirrors feature inside Amsterdam bar by Studio Modijefsky

      The walls and ceilings are painted in three different hues of white, strategically placed to enhance the room’s architectural features.
      “In a room with so much natural light, darker colours could be used to dramatic effect such as on the dark herringbone floor,” said Studio Modijefsky. “But all eyes will here be drawn to a monolithic walnut cabinet, whose shape mirrors the windows opposite it.”
      A built-in bar is set in one corner of the loungeIn addition to the walnut cabinet, the room is furnished with an olive-green corduroy sofa and a built-in cocktail bar with a terrazzo top.
      Across the hallway is a toilet decorated with off-white tiles that are glossy on the walls and matt on the floor. Other furnishings include wooden plinths, a purple marble splashback and an oak-wood cabinet with brass details.
      The study, which doubles as a guest room, has built-in storage cabinets and an en-suite bathroom with travertine instead of marble detailing.
      The curved ceilings of the dijkhuis create a sense of being envelopedFour bedrooms, two bathrooms and a separate toilet are squeezed onto the dijkhuis’s first floor. To create enough space for these living arrangements, the design team installed two dormer windows that run along two-thirds of the roof’s length.
      The floors and walls here are lighter compared to downstairs, with parts of the original beamed roof left exposed.
      Bathrooms on this floor feature rectangular tiles arranged in a herringbone pattern, which is echoed in the parquet of the bedrooms. In the corridors, the studio switched the pattern to straight planking in order to emphasise the vertical dimensions of the house.
      Four bedrooms are housed on the first floor under the home’s gabled roofStudio Modijefsky, which was founded by interior architect Esther Stam in 2009, has completed a number of projects in the Dutch capital in recent years.
      Among them is a travel-themed eatery with swampy purple ceilings and yellow-tiled walls that recall grassy meadows, as well as the renovation of a 119-year-old restaurant.
      The photography is by Maarten Willemstein. 

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      Marcel Wanders draws on Dutch history for overhaul of Schiphol airport lounge

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      References to Dutch culture and history are woven throughout the VIP centre of Amsterdam’s Schiphol airport, which has undergone a maximalist revamp by designer Marcel Wanders.

      The airport lounge comprises a sequence of rooms including a library, drinks bar and smoking room, all designed by Marcel Wanders and his studio to have a distinct theme.
      “We wanted each room to be able to exist on its own,” explained Gabriele Chiave, the studio’s creative director.
      Replicas of famous Dutch paintings are displayed in Schiphol’s VIP centre”Of course, the main thread throughout is Dutch heritage and culture,” he continued. “But we decided on main themes like art and innovation that inspired generations of designers.”
      “This travellers’ lounge offered an opportunity to share Dutch culture with the world,” Wanders added. “It introduces people to our history and our masterpieces.”

      As travellers enter the VIP centre, they come into a relaxed lounge area designed to loosely resemble the national Rijksmuseum in Amsterdam.
      The workroom features trompe l’oeil wallsDisplayed on the walls are replicas of paintings by different Dutch masters, set against backlit glass walls that were installed a decade ago during the last renovation of the lounge by local practice Concrete Architects.
      Across the room are banks of coffee-coloured sofas, which like the rest of the furnishings throughout the centre were selected in collaboration with Dutch design brand Lensvelt.
      One of the seating areas was designed as a celebration of Deft Blue potteryMore reproductions of significant Dutch artworks are found in the centre’s workroom, where travellers can sit down with their laptops or take private phone calls.
      Here, a trompe l’oeil effect on the walls creates the impression that the room is finished with traditional boiserie, half-varnished in a rich yellow ochre hue.
      Another lounge area showcases digital portraits of famous Dutch cultural figures – both real and fictional – including artist Vincent Van Gogh, violinist Andre Rieu and cartoon bunny Miffy.

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      Guests can also retreat to the VIP centre’s Deft Blue Salon, which takes its name from a style of Dutch tin-glazed pottery that’s typically adorned with intricate blue-and-white designs.
      Living up to its name, the room was fitted with patterned blue wallpaper panels and dotted with a few Deft Blue vases.
      The smoking room hints at the Netherlands’ connection to the tobacco tradeElsewhere in the VIP centre, there’s a smoking room that nods to the Netherlands’ historical ties to the tobacco trade and a seating area designed to reference Amsterdam’s canal houses, with a streetlamp-style light and fake stained-glass windows.
      Other amenities include a library, drinks bar, games room and a serene sleeping room.
      Amsterdam’s canal houses informed the look of this loungeWanders is known for his striking maximalist aesthetic, which can also be seen in his interior design for Doha’s Mandarin hotel with its mismatched patterns and oversized furnishings.
      Stateside, the designer has previously created a diamond-patterned facade for the Louis Vuitton store in Miami, referencing the brand’s iconic monogram logo.

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