Gillis
Residence

Amsterdam Residence

RESIDENTIAL
85M2
AMSTERDAM WEST, THE NETHERLANDS

RESIDENTIAL
300M2
WATERGRAAFSMEER, THE NETHERLANDS

An otherworldly brief: This Amsterdam West apartment blends past, present and future to meet a couple’s request for a home that felt like an ‘upmarket cocktail bar on the moon’.

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Giving vintage our own elevated spin for a Scandinavian design loving couple.

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Giving vintage our own elevated spin for a Scandinavian design loving couple.

The owners of this 85m2 canalside apartment had a refreshingly clear idea of what they wanted – being inspired by French-Iranian colour virtuoso India Mahdavi, but also quite liking the Jetsons.

The result: a fun-loving take on a home that takes a mid-century perspective of the future and runs with it. The designers at Amsterdam-based Studio 34 South didn’t hold back in realising their clients’ astral fantasy, hiding ethereal natural materials amongst Atomic Age eccentricities; luxe cinematic styling and bold, candy-coloured pastels.

When we were asked to renovate this impressive 1905 home in an elegant district of Amsterdam, there were 3 key motivations from the client: it needed to be spacious and connected for entertaining; it had to maintain its grand character yet still feel relaxed (as the Dutch are well known for their pragmatism); and since the clients are avid Danish design lovers, it needed to have a warm Scandinavian vintage feel.

When we were asked to renovate this impressive 1905 home in an elegant district of Amsterdam, there were 3 key motivations from the client: it needed to be spacious and connected for entertaining; it had to maintain its grand character yet still feel relaxed (as the Dutch are well known for their pragmatism); and since the clients are avid Danish design lovers, it needed to have a Scandinavian vintage feel.

The clients supplied examples of kitsch artwork to help them piece together their nostalgic vision of space age luxury, citing historic Palm Springs resorts, Mahdavi’s masculine/feminine design philosophy and Alexander Calder as additional resources.

The designers were tasked with merging these references together while tackling some functional issues to boot. Challenges relating to the modest size of the apartment, the need for several distinct areas and the fact that the apartment had only one source of natural light; made the brief that much more interesting.

‘Our clients love entertaining, and wanted these spaces to be bright, engaging and quirky, a style that matched their lifestyle. The private spaces, including the bathroom and bedroom, were places where they wanted to totally switch off and feel cocooned. With that in mind, the identities of these spaces lean into ideas of peace and seclusion, while keeping a firm hold on robust colour.’

The design makes the most of daylight entering from the double doors at the front of the apartment with an open plan room housing the kitchen, dining and cocktail area. The clients’ whimsical inclinations, combined with 3.5m high ceilings, allowed the studio the luxury of using lowered ceilings and distinct colour schemes to visually divide areas.

True to Studio 34 South’s signature style, the house is filled with warm tones, sweeping curves and custom designed pieces, perhaps best expressed by the the three and a half metre bar in the kitchen sculpted from Paonazzo marble. Paired with walnut mitred edge cupboards and grey-washed ribbed wood fronts give a nostalgic vintage feel, and complemented by the 1970’s patinated brass Counterweight pendants hanging above by Florian Schulz. Burnt orange curtains pick up on the marble tones, creating vibrancy and warmth.

The resultant room is a trifecta of bright colour statements, with each corner projecting its own dazzling personality. Arguably the most eye-catching of them all being the kitchen, which follows an unapologetically pink colour scheme.

The custom dining table inlaid with smokey blue gloss paint is paired with olive green Gubi chairs and an opulent 1960’s Paolo Venini Murano glass chandelier. The dining area is flooded with light and inviting charm, and tones of desaturated blue and olive green tie the three living spaces together.

The custom dining table inlaid with smokey blue gloss paint is paired with olive green Gubi chairs and an opulent 1960’s Paolo Venini Murano glass chandelier. The dining area is flooded with light and inviting charm, and tones of desaturated blue and olive green tie the three living spaces together.

Across the kitchen, bubblegum pink cabinetry is framed by warm wood, to anchor the otherwise dream-like scene to planet Earth. The Onice Rosa onyx countertop takes the colour scheme to new levels while instilling the design with an unmistakable dose of emotion. Sunlight from the courtyard hits the translucent pink marble to jaw-dropping effect, making it glow from within like the surface of a psychedelic moon.

Details from our favourite retro futuristic universe abound, from the orb-like rings adorning the counter legs, to the custom cabinet handles (Star Trek comes to mind), to the pink and green Louis Poulsen pendant lamps.

Pink Jane Churchill curtains on the kitchen windows are continued in blue on the dark side of the moon – or dining area, where a circular island of mod furniture awaits dinner party guests. Bright blues in various tones are broken by a staggered mirror flanked by vintage chrome Sputnik lamps. This smoked glass mirror, custom designed by Studio 34 South, presents fragmented reflections to the viewer at offset angles, showcasing pieces of the room’s various identities in place of one’s own image.

The cocktail area adheres more closely to traditional mid-century sophistication, with rich, silk-like green wallpaper, plump curved furniture and a custom blue carpet. The carpet’s rounded shape is mirrored by the lowered ceiling, which demarcates the corner like a carefully styled set in a 1950s movie shoot. A drinking den worthy of a Mad Men office, with nods to pop culture that work with the playful colour palette to remove all risk of self-seriousness.

The private spaces of the house were given a more masculine treatment, stripping away furniture to keep the rooms clean and simple. A custom walk-in closet was built to remove all clutter from the bedroom, leaving it warmed by rustic linen wallpaper and an orange Foscarini glass lamp.

This apartment’s nostalgic charm is rivalled only by its commitment to daring colour – in clear homage to Mahdavi, who once said she likes to ‘mix colours, let them insult each other and have an argument’. An approach that above everything, possesses monumental childhood appeal, offering much the same as what naive fantasies of the future once gave us. Leaving the apartment we half expect to see it zooming off towards the horizon, but luckily for us, it stays put – a preserved perspective of a future past.

The clients’ master bedroom is a private and dreamy space, masculine and moody. Inspired by a gentleman’s pin striped suit, the curved bedhead is custom built from ribbed wood and accompanied by a carpet that follows its curve. The bathtub mounted on a marble plinth creates a sensual mood that unabashedly promotes the spoils of self-care. This heady luxury appears again in the en suite’s twin vanity, constructed of dark walnut and marble and finished by brass taps and a simple arched mirror. The cool grey tiled double shower, fitted with London-sourced tap ware, also plays with the tension between opulence and lighthearted elegance.