Vondelpark Residence

Design: Interior Studio Van Maanen, Kiek Concepts
Year: 2022
Client: private
Location: Amsterdam, the Netherlands
Total size: 370 m2
Photography: Flare Department / Mart Goossens
More information: hello@flaredepartment.com

Project background
You can find this monumental mansion from 1894 at a prominent Amsterdam Oud-Zuid location. Parallel to the Vondelpark, near the main entrance, in a street rich in attractive trees. In addition to greenery and tranquility, you'll find plenty of buzz from cozy restaurants and terraces – and this is exactly the kind of neighborhood the residents were looking for.

The exterior of this fin de siècle home is already promising, but the interior exceeds all expectations. Originally, the idea was to turn this residence into three high-end apartments. It became a luxurious family home for a family of five plus dog. Dream teamwork by Interior Studio Van Maanen and Kiek Concepts who completely fine-tuned the interior to the family’s taste, wishes and lifestyle. The result is a warm, personal, amazing and sophisticated mix. An inviting family home in which the whole family enjoys living, working and relaxing.

What brief did the family give you?
Sebastiaan: “The family moved from a farmhouse in Brabant to an apartment at the Zuidas, but wanted a warm family home in a cozy, slightly more vibrant environment. They fell for this residence, which of course still needed their personal touch. The style in their previous home was somewhat average and generic, with furniture that was too plump and inelegant: they wanted that to change. With Anniek’s help, this residence now fits the family perfectly in terms of construction and style. It has a lot of warmth and character.”
Anniek: “They didn’t take much furniture with them from their former house, so I was able to design a total concept for the colors of the walls, furniture, lamps and curtains to create their warm, cozy family home. The furniture is a combination of new and vintage, in addition to all the custom pieces I designed with Sebastiaan.”

What did you change about the layout of the house?
Sebastiaan: “Everything, really. No wall is in its original place anymore. The layout, the routing, the appearance: the whole house is completely adapted to the client’s wishes. The building is narrow and deep and has five floors, including a basement, small garden and roof terrace. The layout is not standard, we created many living floors. In the basement we set up a gym and game/TV room, on the ground floor the kitchen and dining, on the second floor a living room and office, and on the second and third floors the bedrooms and bathrooms.”

What choices did you make to create that cozy family home?
Anniek: “To create a warm family home, you need a good mix of different materials and colors. From there you can work with different textures. For example, the beautiful hemp wallpaper in the sitting room adds layers. Almost every window has curtains from ceiling to floor. For each room, we chose a different beautiful fabric for curtains and furniture.

We made a mix of high-end brands and lower end items, from completely new or custom made to vintage scored abroad. Besides the Togo sofa in the lounge, the Eames office chairs by Vitra are also vintage – which I combined with a new desk by Stellar Works. The wall sconces in the master bedroom are vintage from Paris.”

Your design went from layout to light switch: is such an overall concept unique?
Sebastiaan: “Every project is unique. For each client, we think along to the finer details. Because every small detail has an impact on the complete look-and-feel. The atmosphere is in many details: in the old paneling under the windows to the new old-style plaster mouldings on the walls and ceilings. We carefully determined which rooms could use those beautiful classic wall and ceiling mouldings, how they should look to match this house and the desired atmosphere.

The new ensuites give a modern twist to a classic construction. Space-wise, they work ideally; they connect two rooms very aesthetically and offer plenty of space for other functions.
For this family we also selected the most beautiful and best-fitting sockets, switches, light switches, hinges and handles. Of course, we also make sure that everything is placed perfectly measured out: that is such an important detail that you do not immediately see, but you can feel if it is just not right.”

What did you consider when choosing materials such as the wood and marble?
Sebastiaan: “Throughout the house lays a solid Viennese point parquet floor, which contributes a lot to the warm and peaceful look. The parquet fits well with the 19th-century residence; the wood is somewhat lived-in, slightly aged and smoked, so not too perfectly smooth.

We found the marble for the kitchen and bathrooms in Belgium. We looked very precise for the color and veining of the marble. We didn’t want the base tone to be too heavy and the texture too busy. It also had to match the rest of the color palette and the furniture’s walnut wood. For the kitchen, we chose an Emperador Brown, which in terms of texture perfectly matched the warm style we envisioned. For the master bathroom we picked Emperador Grey and we provided the other bathrooms with white marble.
The black marble fireplaces are original. We disassembled and relocated them to make them really stand out.”

What is striking about the master bathroom?
Anniek: “Each bedroom has its own bathroom. The client wanted to draw the bathroom into the master bedroom, so it is ensuite and we let the wooden floor continue. That way it feels like an extension of the bedroom. We placed a bench and hung art on the wall, so you’re not looking into a bathroom from your bed, but into the extension of your room. For the furniture we deliberately chose a more modern style, and left out ornamental mouldings.

The bathrooms for the children, the guest room and the gym were done in the same style to bring unity. Here we chose some more details in the customization of the furniture, in the form of a frame and a handle.”

What specific choices did you make for the kitchen and dining?
Sebastiaan: “The family really loves to cook and wanted their kitchen to be cozy and take center stage. An absolute requirement was the iconic AGA stove in high-gloss black. A beautiful centerpiece. To which the other eye catcher, the vintage slicer from Berkel, fits perfectly. Both items combine beautifully with the warm walnut and Emperador marble.

The bar invites you to sit down while cooking. The bar top has a slightly other edge instead of a flat, somewhat old-fashioned corner. Such a playful edge detail strikes just the right balance between classic and modern. The gas fireplace at height can also be quickly turned on and off: cozy and practical.”

Anniek: “I provided the Gubi bar stools with a slightly thicker, richer fabric. In addition to the warm brown of the Emperador marble and the walnut, I wanted to use a light, fresh color on the wall so as not to make it too heavy. From the kitchen you also walk right into the dining room. In the dining room you can clearly see the mix of furniture and materials. The modern and super comfortable Gubi dining bench has a luxurious Kvadrat fabric. Combined with the warm walnut table, custom-made by a befriended furniture maker from France.”

What furniture did you choose for the lounge and sitting room?
Anniek: “In the basement, we created a gym and a lounge for the adolescents to chill out and play games. That is perfectly possible on the inviting sofa, composed of vintage Togo armchairs – Ligne Roset’s classic – in sturdy dark brown leather.

The family wanted a space where they could all sit comfortably, but also enjoy watching TV. So for the sitting room I chose the luxurious Flexform sofa, designer chairs by Kai Kristiansen and the lovely Wulff lounge armchair by &tradition.”

The house has such beautiful lights everywhere, how did you approach the lighting plan?
Anniek: “For this project, Sebastiaan mainly focused on the basic lighting, the positions – also in relation to sightlines and walking lines – and which spotlights to use. I focused more on the decorative lighting.

The lamp in the kitchen above the bar/dining table is the 56 Petits Bijoux by Catellani & Smith and is so incredibly beautiful in the room with the high ceiling because of its simplicity and the funny serrated lights. On the wall we placed some more modest sconces by Schwung.

The lamp in the office is by Serge Mouille and its symmetry makes it playful in the light blue space.
The pendant and wall lamps in the dining are from Aqua Creations, handmade in Israel. They are made of silk; the fabric is colored per lamp and therefore no lamp is alike. In the dining room we placed two beautiful wall lamps in a frame, and on the ceiling a mix of colors, sizes and shapes.

The whole interior is composed from one concept and atmosphere. The family is very happy with it. If I come across a nice item that matches their interior, I always forward them a picture of it. After all, a house is never quite finished.”