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Beyond Space drapes one kilometre of fabric across Amsterdam office
Design studio Beyond Space has created an office interior in Amsterdam that doubles as a showroom using rippling laser-cut fabric to form cave-like spaces for working. More
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Framework imbues Amsterdam family office with the “calm ambience of an art gallery”
Sculptural furniture and French oak panelling define this plush family office in Amsterdam, which has been renovated by local studio Framework. More
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i29 designs Amsterdam home around owner's extensive art collection
Double-height shelving and custom glass vitrines create ample storage space in this Amsterdam apartment, which was designed by local studio i29 to accommodate the owner’s vast collection of art and books.Located in a former industrial area in the north of the city, the 180-square-metre apartment is on the second floor of a residential block and belongs to a writer and art collector.
Above: double-height storage walls divide the space. Top image: they include a mixture of cabinets and open shelving
Built in 2020, the apartment block was set up as a Collectief Particulier Opdrachtgeverschap (CPO), which means collective private commissioning. In the Netherlands, this is a form of social project development in which a group of individuals act as the client for a new-build project.
The building is developed as a group and each owner buys an empty shell. They can then design and build partitions in their own apartment according to their specific needs.A green couch anchors the open-plan living room
Local studio i29 was commissioned to create a custom interior that would showcase the owner’s expansive personal library and an art collection of around 100 pieces.
“Having such a huge collection of artworks, our client wanted only one thing: to have the ultimate display and storage space,” i29 told Dezeen. “We started making a programme of requirements and calculating the exact amount of shelving we would need.”i29 created a mezzanine level to house two bedrooms
The designers were presented with an open loft space with double-height ceilings and no fixed layout.
On the ground floor, i29 created an open-plan space for the entrance area, kitchen and living room. A series of small sculptures are displayed on glass shelves in the kitchen, while larger artworks are placed up against the walls or mounted on them.The apartment accommodates more than 100 artworks
A mezzanine level was inserted within the double height space, housing a bathroom, two bedrooms and an office.
Two custom-designed larch wood storage walls span the full height of the apartment and include a mixture of cabinets and open shelving. They help to create a visual connection between the two levels, while concealing an integrated staircase that runs up to the mezzanine level.The bespoke kitchen is finished in larch wood and matt grey HPL
The bespoke kitchen and all of the cabinets throughout the apartment are finished in a combination of larch and matt grey high-pressure laminate (HPL).
The floor is made from matching resin, as i29 wanted to keep the material palette deliberately neutral in order to let the art take centre stage.i29 and Spacon & X named interior designers of the year at Dezeen Awards
“The stark and simple spatial interventions stand in contrast to the colourful pieces of art, balancing and supplementing each other,” the studio explained.
The mezzanine also houses a home office
In a similar apartment project featured on Dezeen earlier this year, EBBA Architects used structural ash and pine joinery – including a staircase, mezzanine and double-height storage wall – to connect the levels within a refurbished, open-plan apartment in London.
Photography is by Ewout Huibers.Read more: More
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Barde + vanVoltt transforms dingy Amsterdam garage into family home
Amsterdam studio Barde + vanVoltt has inserted skylights and glass partition walls into this former garage to transform it into a light-filled family home that celebrates the building’s industrial past.Located in central Amsterdam, just a few steps away from the Rijksmuseum, the 100-square-metre space is on the ground floor of a residential terrace built in the 1930s. It originally hosted a hardware store but was most recently used as a garage.
Above: wood-framed glass doors lead into the bedrooms. Top image: a wood-panelled kitchen is located at the front of the apartment
Barde + vanVoltt was asked to transform the building into a wide and open family home for four that brings in as much natural light as possible. The brief also called for the use of sustainable and natural materials as well as a simple, minimalist interior that allows details to stand out.
“We wanted to keep the space as wide as possible without having corridors or a hallway because that’s what makes this space unique in Amsterdam,” Barde + vanVoltt co-founder Valérie Boerma told Dezeen. “Most apartments are divided over multiple levels and are very narrow.”The dining room, kitchen and lounge share an open-plan space
Working to a six-month deadline, the studio’s first challenge was to channel natural light from the street-facing front of the building to the rear.
The large, double front doors that open up onto the road were switched from solid wood to glass, maximising the amount of light in the apartment’s open-plan kitchen, dining and living area.The wooden doorframes are arched in a nod to art deco
At the rear of the building, Barde + vanVoltt raised the roof and converted the ceiling into skylights. Underneath, the plan accommodates a total of three bedrooms – a master with an en-suite and two children’s rooms that double as playrooms.
Each is delineated by timber-framed glass walls and doors, allowing natural light to filter into these darker spaces.The apartments clay walls have built-in storage
The designers’ second challenge was balancing the integrity of the property with the needs of a young family.
“We drew inspiration from the building’s industrial past into the choice of materials and refined the selection based on durability and sustainability,” said the studio.A free-standing tin bath anchors the en-suite bathroom
The building’s original concrete floor was retained and offset against natural clay walls and arched wooden door and window frames reminiscent of the art deco period.
“We wanted to add warmth to the concrete floor, so we designed the wooden Meranti doors with a reference in the arching detail to the 1930s when the property was built,” Boerma explained.Standard Studio use skylights to funnel light into Amsterdam loft
The studio added industrial fixtures such as untreated wooden frames, a freestanding tin bath and sink in the en-suite, brushed and burnished copper tapware in the wet areas, and a kitchen island made from rolled steel with a quartzite benchtop.
Outside, the original hardware store signage on the building’s facade was left in place. In the summer, the wide double doors can be opened up and the pedestrianised street outside the apartment can be used as a terrace.The kitchen features quartzite worktops
“The neighbourhood – made up of a few streets – is a very unique area in the city centre of Amsterdam,” explained Boerma. “It feels like a village, everybody knows each other and kids are playing together on the streets.”
Former inner-city garages can offer unique but sometimes awkwardly-shaped sites for development. In east London, architect Zoe Chan built Herringbone House on the non-linear site of a former car workshop, while in south London Tikari Works squeezed Pocket House into the space of a former garage, where the buildable area was only 35 square metres.Read more: More
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Van Eijk & Van der Lubbe designs Utrecht care facility like a boutique hotel
Domstate Zorghotel is a rehabilitation centre in Utrecht, the Netherlands, designed by Dutch studio Van Eijk & Van der Lubbe to give patients a hotel experience.Van Eijk & Van der Lubbe deliberately approached the interiors of the 84-bed health facility like they were creating a 4-star hotel to give patients a more comfortable stay.
“Unlike similar ‘healing environments’, this care hotel is designed from the user’s perspective,” said the studio.
“The interior actively participates in the rehabilitation process of the patients,” they added. “From small interior accessories to large spatial gestures, everything is focussed on the process of healing.”Top: the care facility has 84 bedrooms. Above: a grand piano sits in the lobby
In the patients’ rooms elements such as a mirror, a shelf and a headboard hang from a curved rail on the wall on thick leather straps. As well as providing a striking visual element, the rail can be used for rehabilitation exercises.
Straps on handles and peepholes placed at different levels cater to patients with different levels of mobility.Door handles have accessible straps
To add to the boutique hotel vibe, each floor of rooms has a different colour scheme.
Colour is a central part of making the interiors feel less institutional. The lobby features a grey-blue curving reception desk and rounded seating with a mustard-yellow base.Parking for mobility walkers and plants
Fabric curtains on rails can be used to screen areas off and a grand piano can be used for practices and performances.
Graphic markings on the floor mimic different floor finishes and change colour according to the area, such as blue in the lobby, green in the dining room and pink in staff areas.Staff areas are also colourful
In Domstate Zorghotel’s restaurant, a curving green unit provides a discreet place to park wheelchairs and walkers. Rooms such as this are designed to subtly encourage guests to practise for real-world situations when they leave.
Plants spill out of boxes in the built-in dividers and seating areas.Colourful patterns cover the floors
Van Eijk & Van der Lubbe were careful to make sure the staff areas are fun and comfortable too.
A pink curved multi-level banquette screened by plants in pink planters forms an attractive place for employees to sit outside of their desks. Geometric markings in the pink floor add interest to another staff area.Integrated Field decorates children’s hospital in Thailand with slides and a pool
“In the areas of the building where employees work, it’s OK for them to colour outside the lines,” said Van Eijk & Van der Lubbe.
“The design for these areas is aimed at making the most of innovation and diversity in day-to-day work.”Van Eijk & Van der Lubbe designed the facility to be fun
Van Eijk & Van der Lubbe was founded in 1998 by Dutch designers Miriam van der Lubbe and Niels van Eijk. Their previous work includes a mirrored concept car and the refurbishment of a concert hall in Eindhoven.
Domstate Zorghotel has been shortlisted for Dezeen Awards 2020 in the leisure and wellness interior category, alongside a children’s hospital in Thailand and an underground spa in New York.Read more: More
Old gymnasium transformed into lofty apartment in Amsterdam
Wooden detailing and black-painted steel fill the lofty interiors of The Gymnasium apartment that Robbert De Goede has built within an old sports hall in the Netherlands.Located near the centre of Amsterdam, the adaptive reuse project was developed by local studio Robbert De Goede as an unconventional yet homely dwelling for a family of four.
The Gymnasium is shortlisted for apartment interior of the year at the Dezeen Awards and was the winner of the Dezeen Awards 2020 public vote for the same category.The Gymnasium is built within an old sports hall
“The objective was to design an intimate, liveable home,” said Robbert De Goede.
“This resulted in a minimal, industrial approach towards the architecture and a very personal approach towards the finishes, which reflects the clients as well – the owner of a fashion brand and a paediatrician,” the studio explained.
“They are a very down to earth family, which resulted in a very spacious and luxurious home, but definitely not a showroom for design props.”The apartment’s living spaces are at ground level
The Gymnasium’s main living areas are contained on the ground floor, while a new mezzanine level inserted around the gymnasium’s perimeter hosts the bedrooms and bathrooms.
A basement, which formed part of the original building, contains a gym and a sauna, alongside the dwelling’s technical equipment.Steel window frames have been added to complement the existing structure
The basement was originally only 1.2 metres in height, so to ensure its usability, the studio raised its ceiling – creating a cosy, elevated living room above it at ground level.
This living area is accessed by a bleacher-like staircase and is intended to offer the family a secluded, intimate seating area, reading space or home cinema.An elevated sitting area is positioned above an existing basement
The only original element of The Gymansium that was retained was its existing steel structure, which was initially hidden behind a flat ceiling.
This ceiling was removed as part of the construction process to create the apartment’s loft-like atmosphere and also introduce 10 skylights that maximise the light inside.Old Spanish workshop converted into tactile family home by Nomos
To complement The Gymansium’s existing structure, Robbert De Goede designed the new mezzanine level with a matching black-painted steel structure.
This is left exposed throughout, and paired with a black staircase and window frames.Wooden details and furnishings are used to warm the apartment
Another key addition of the apartment is its new foundation, which features 18-metre-long piles that contain a heat-exchanging system to help heat and cool the dwelling.
Teamed with 44 rooftop solar panels that provide electricity, this heat-exchanging system is designed to reduce the dwelling’s carbon footprint.A black-painted staircase leads up to a new mezzanine level
The interior finishes of The Gymnasium are characterised by a combination of different wood finishes and tactile furnishings.
According to Robbert De Goede, this was to warm its industrial structure and create a “building you can touch, maybe even smell sometimes”.The mezzanine level contains the bedrooms and bathrooms
Among the wooden details are chunky central columns, the rough countertop made from larch in the kitchen and unfinished oak on the underside of the mezzanine level.
The smooth stair railings, which are made from yellow cedar, are modelled on the work of Japanese sculptor Shimpei Arima who uses cedar to create tactile sculptures that offer comfort to users.
Each space is complete with sculptural lighting by the likes of Delta Light, Bocci and Tom Dixon, alongside furnishings ranging from one-off vintage pieces to statement furniture by Stella Works, Flexform and Lucie Koldova.A bathroom on The Gymnasium’s mezzanine level
The Gymnasium is one of five dwellings shortlisted for apartment interior of the year at the Dezeen Awards 2020. This includes the La Nave apartment in Madrid that Nomos built within a former print shop and Coffey Architects’ overhaul of a Grade II-listed school classroom.
Other recent adaptive reuse projects on Dezeen include Richard Parr Associates’ self-designed studio in a 19th-century barn in the Cotswolds and an old nylon factory that was converted into “cathedral-like” office space by HofmanDujardin and Schipper Bosch.
Photography is by Marcel van der Burg.Read more: More
Old nylon factory converted into “cathedral-like” office space
HofmanDujardin and Schipper Bosch have inserted a steel frame into the expansive production hall of an old nylon factory in Arnhem to create the KB Building offices. The office is housed within one of several 1940s factories on a 90-hectare chemical-industry plant in the Netherlands, which local developer Schipper Bosch is transforming into a campus
The post Old nylon factory converted into “cathedral-like” office space appeared first on Dezeen. MoreDutch Invertuals designs Tiny Offices from corrugated aluminium plates
Design studio Dutch Invertuals has created a collection of compact offices made from corrugated aluminium and wood for Dutch holiday park operator Droomparken.Named Tiny Offices, the small workspaces were designed to be places where you could “freely dream, perform and create”. They have been installed in two of Droomparken’s holiday parks in the Netherlands.
Dutch Invertuals has designed four Tiny Offices
The compact offices measure just over six square metres and were built from raw corrugated aluminium plates, with wooden doors and a large window frame on the front facade.“The biggest inspiration came from projects which were completely embedded in natural surroundings,” said Dutch Invertuals architect Chris Collaris and design director Wendy Plomp.
The Tiny Offices were built with corrugated aluminium walls
“It’s almost an ‘end of the world-place’ with that big window overlooking it,” Collaris and Plomp told Dezeen.
“The actual space itself didn’t need to be very big.”Each of the Tiny Office interiors was designed by a different designer
The Tiny Offices have custom-designed interiors in different colours, clad in materials including felt and acrylic that were chosen for their functionality.Shuhei Goto Architects turns lecture hall into multi-level work space
“The interiors are designed to create the most optimal work environment, where you can concentrate and work but also lay down on a beautifully designed daybed to think and look outside,” Collaris and Plomp explained.
“Because it is a small and intimate space, all materials should make sense. Therefore we used an acrylic wall that makes the space look more spacious, but you can also write on it.”Tijmen Smeulders designed a paired-back colour scheme for one Tiny Office
The interiors were designed by three designers Raw Color, Thomas Ballouhey and Tijmen Smeulders.
Each designer created their own colour scheme, with some choosing a colourful identity and some going for darker, more sophisticated hues.Designer Raw Colour added colour wall art to its Tiny Office
Droomparken, which runs holiday parks across the Netherlands, commissioned the project for Dutch Design Week in 2018 with the aim of creating a space that would be better to work in than a traditional office.
Today there are four Tiny Offices, with more to potentially be installed in the future.Raw Colour also upholstered the chair in pink material
Their project became more timely as the coronavirus pandemic struck.
“In these last years offices have become more green and healthy, but criticism of the modern contemporary office has come to the surface, and today the office seems to be under pressure because of the COVID-19 virus,” Collaris and Plomp explained.
“The units got more attention because going to the normal office was not an option any more. Tiny Offices were and are a much safer place than the traditional office.”Thomas Ballouhey designed the interiors of the final office
Tiny Offices has been longlisted for the Dezeen Awards 2020 in the small workspace interior category.
Dutch Invertuals previously designed an exhibition celebrating at the circle and experimented with creating products from unwanted household junk to produce less.Read more: More
