Name: Danielle & Erik
Location: Amsterdam, Netherlands
Rent or own: Own
Size: 700 sq/ft
Years lived in: 2
>> There are no curtains on the enormous windows at Danielle and Erik's canal-front Amsterdam flat, where boats float by day and night, taking turns with swans...
But there's also plenty to see inside of the first-floor 1890 flat they bought in 2006. One of the most stunning architectural features of the 700 square foot apartment -- which has walls of windows at both ends -- is the intricate molded ceiling. "The beautiful ceiling was one of the main reasons I fell in love with the house," says Danielle.
This place would look good empty, but they have dressed it smartly in a mostly black and white palette with bold colorful accents, the most dominant of which is red. But what looks like a strong design choice was in fact mere serendipity, according to Danielle. "The house was already very black and white (like the nice kitchen floor, the mantelpieces)," she says. "And when we moved in together, we discovered that we had a lot of red stuff!"
The quirkiest thing about the place is the kitchen/bathroom combo, which is both an astute use of space and proximity to pipes, and a little awkward. When they moved in, they painted the wall around the built-in shower black to make it look less like a bathroom, and the cabinets lacquer red to draw your eye past the shower and set off the beautifully patterned black-and-white tile floor. "We wanted to change the whole bathroom, and just make a shower," says Danielle, "but I was so happy having a bathtub that we left it that way. I'm not a big fan of the kitchen/bathroom combination, but now I can enjoy chatting with Erik from the bath while he is cooking!"
An earlier version of this post ran on October 29, 2007.
- Kristin Hohenadel blogging from rue Vieille du Temple, Paris, France. If you have an idea for a European house tour, please write to kristin @ apartmenttherapy . com
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Comments (55)
Can I live there?
I have always loved Dutch design. Respect!
I love the little cauldron/table. Is it a flea market find or something available via retailer?
Actually, the "no curtains" thing is quintessentially Dutch, although I think it's becoming less common these days. My dad always told me that during WWII, people didn't want to raise any suspicions by keeping curtains closed, and then everyone just got used to the openness. I must admit, I don't have curtains here in NYC either (except for one strategic bedroom window).
Spectacular windows and amazing view. Love all the space as well. I agree about the openness, it is very common especially in eastern parts of the Netherlands where people take a lot of pride in showing off their living rooms through windows. I have adopted the same attitude but it is because I have amazing view from the top floor overlooking a large park in Toronto.
Love!
Yeah we noticed that when we lived in Holland, here also (Belgium) people who live right on the street don't have curtains. I want to wave when I walk by sometimes, the people are so close!
You need curtains. I am Dutch but I don't understand that; I love my privacy. Also a lot of dutch homes are really tacky, those people need curtains to hide all the ugly interiors ;)
Although I like the space, the interior decorating isn't all that special
Can I see this kitchen/bathroom combo?
I'm envious. My own furniture would look so GOOD in that space.
I love the crystals hanging above the dining table. Is that a light or just crystals? Where did you get it? I LOOOVE sparklies!
The light is a Cellula. You can find it at DWR. I'ts pretty pricey.. get it from another seller. I love that light and have dreamed of one day owning one myself!
Love the red kitchen with that gorgeous flooring, beautiful contrast.
The bones of the apartment are amazing, such that the furniture actually looks a little lost to me. There are some great pieces, but in the context of those grand high ceilings it looks almost temporary...
Love it anyway, just don't feel at home with it.
more than once, walking through the jordan in amsterdam, i looked for the door of the design shop i was passing, only to sheepishly realize that i had been peeking into someones living room/ kitchen.
Wow. What a great space. I love the playful symmetry of opposites-- beautiful antique details in the ceiling, and lovely hardwood floors, contrasted with the modern furniture, bold red paint, and anime-style black and white art. How cool! I wish I knew these people.
In my childhood in Manhattan people living in big apartment buildings didn't have curtains and you could look out across the courtyard and see people walking around naked. Nobody cared. It was too anonymous.
My S.O had been brought up differently (in Chicago) & was astounded at my indifference to curtains when we 1st lived together in Phila. Visiting a friends' apt on the upper west side I told him to look out the window and lo, no curtains in any of the windows. I felt vindicated that it was not just me.
Now, in the interest of marital harmony we do have some curtains, but we live in Bkln.
NYC is New Amsterdam after all! Did you know that the stray cats of NYC have the same pattern of coloration as those in Amsterdam? There was an article about it in Natural History magazine some years ago.
I noticed that in the slideshow there were a couple of curtains, actually, in this beautiful apt -- to keep the glare off the computer screen, for one thing.
Ahhh, the omnipresent hemnes.
LoL at 212Gretchen, because I did the same thing!
I am not usually a fan of white walls but I think this works very well because of the beautiful natural light and the spare but judicious use of punctuating color (mostly red). And the dark floors.
Polina,
You can see the kitchen/bathroom combo in the slideshow.
The architecture of the space is dramatic, but the low, small furniture looks dwarfed. And what's up with all the wires under the sofa? But if I had that view, I would leave the windows drapeless as well.
When I spent time in Amsterdam after graduating from art school in the late '80s, I was way too high to focus on anything inside people's windows...
Love, love, love this place.
We are just back from a week in Holland, and this is so quintessentially Dutch... even our hotel was black, white with touches of the same bright red, and a number of places had simiilar great black and white tiles (would love to find the source...anyone?), as well as the "mix" of periods, textures, styles. Dutch design (and I was on a design high all week -- still am) is witty, fun yet practical, and very clean and unfussy.
As for the lack of curtains, that was the first thing that hit us when we drove into Holland... neither Germany, France or Belgium had similarly large or clean windows. It is not just that they tend to be bare (although it is true, not all of them are), but that they are very LARGE, much larger than in neighbouring countries or elsewhere in Europe (you should see our measly little windows here in Switzerland), and they always sparkle (they must get cleaned each week). Nor is there anything in front of the windows -- here in Switzerland, there tend to be high concrete walls or hedges (we have a 12' high hedge in front of our house, completely hiding the front). As well, houses tend to be layed out in such a way that you can see through from front to back when you look inside. In the little corner of Holland in which we stayed (nowhere close to a major city), we saw a lot of exciting design through the bare windows, and more than one cellula chandelier.
One of my fondest and most magical of memories though is of an earlier trip to Holland... on a snowy winter afternoon, after skating at an outdoor oval, we took streetcars back to the center of Amsterdam. In the twilight and gathering darkness, snow fell softly, and the tram trundled along as we sat gazing into some of the most beautiful apartments I have ever seen.
gorgeous-bones apartment. like the red but the posters are not for me. they evidently have their proprities right though - lots of books but a minimum of other stuff.
I adore those black & white tiles in the kitchen & bath. Anyone know a company that sells something similar?
Could you call a kitchen-bath combination a "bitchen"?
LOVE this home! It evokes such a longing to live in Europe. I'm also not a fan of 'window' treatments, as an apartment dweller in Brooklyn, I crave light and a sense of space outside of the apartment. We face onto the back, so we overlook gardens--and all the neighbors across the way have their own shuttered curtained windows, so we don't really worry about peepers, although we have a white paper shade in the bedroom.
I have a window that is 12'x14' in my loft.
It will cost $3000 to install a simple window shade.
I say, let the neighbour put up the curtains!!
Not especially wowed by what they have done with it, but the space itself...the space makes me die a little with jealousy.
This isn't the Keizersgracht by any chance, is it? One of my best friends has just moved there and his place has the similar spare, uncluttered feel. Beautiful, and quintessentially Dutch - congrats.
12' x 14' eh?
Most fabric is either 45" or 60" wide - most furnishing fabric is 60" wide - so you'd need three widths to cover the 12' and 5 yards to cover the 14' - 3 x 5 = 15 yards of fabric
Even if you bought fabric that was $100 per metre it would only cost £1500 - so go buy some $20 per metre fabric and make them yourself for $300!!
More and more I'm thinking that I need to move to NY permanently and start up a curtain making business - I'd make a fortune!!!!
oh my god. this is spectacular. oh how i love the dutch.
I gotta agree with you brand-eye, the Dutch are a great people.
I think I just had a floorgasm. I want it.
The Dutch are great, no doubt. I'm floored by the bones of this place (and the views are stunning too.) I also love the feel of this home - candid, young, and honest - this is what effortless style is all about, even the things that are out of place and a little strange seem darn charming. I love it.
That space is jaw-dropping, but as a few others have mentioned, I unfortunately have to agree that I don't think anything really interesting has been done with it.
The space is just wonderful, but I could never deal with the bathroom/kitchen combination. Do you brush your teeth in the kitchen sink? Does hair get in your food while combing. And the aroma of cooking food and soap must be so appetizing.
Not to be crass, but how much does it cost for a 700 square foot flat with a view like that in Amsterdam? maybe I'll sell my apartment and move ..
An apartment like this will cost you over 500.00 tot 700.000 euro. Or maybe even more!
Maybe I'll sell my apartment to several people, run for Europe before they find out, and then be able to buy a flat with a beautiful view.
Wow this place is amazing I absolutely love it!!
Fantastic.
What a beautiful home!
Again..just goes to show how lame we are here in the U.S...We no longer create anything architecturally significant, everyone designs their home in the most girlie tacky possible way these days..Magazines like blueprint and whatever else, has everyone completely diluted to think they can re-craft the French antique style all the while buying the item from "westelm" Seeing places like this just confirms how much we suck and how soft we have become. Trust me, I am in the design and real estate business in Manhattan, many cool places, but as I have said time and time again, its like a cabbage patch kid doll is the inspiration for many designs these days..
Oh and I love this place...The windows to the balustrade is perfect..
lucky...................................................................
michaelc said it all
I think I saw this apartment on Craigslist Boston a few weeks ago - they were looking to do a swap this fall. Same apartment?
If it were the spring I would definitely swap apartments for a few weeks!
a quintessential dutch apartment, lovely though.
feeling some urge to submit pictures of the apartments in my building in rotterdam... aparently what we take for granted is highly appreciated in th us. what michaelc said...
aad,
Please feel free to send photos to me:
kristin @ apartmenttherapy . com
hi kristin, yes i already cjecke with some of my neighbors, and they all think it a fun idea to create a nice portrait of the apartments here.
we'll work on it :-)
WHOA! I'm so interested in seeing the rotterdam apartments. Great idea aad!
hmmm. this is an example of getting all trendy furniture and yet not putting anything together in a stylish way. looks kida dorm-roomy. Shame for such a lovely space, but I'm sure they can upgrade.
I'm in love with the floor, and the space itself is great too!
I love the white, black and red/orange scheme. I love how casual placment of furniture. i love that the fireplace is painted black. I am used to seeing fireplaces white. It is fresh to me.
I am in love the features and the character of this flat. I like some pieces of your furniture, but the decoration lacks something... I am not sure what to suggest...