Month: December 2018

Although this Amsterdam rental already had sufficient character, interior designer Rosa van den Kerkhof and Dirk van den Wijngaard turned into a cozy home that oozes with personality. A composite of antique bits, new industrial furniture along with cultural treasures mixed in from world travels gives this little, light-filled home a playful and diverse appearance.

in a Glance
Who lives here: Rosa van den Kerkhof and Dirk van den Wijngaard
Location: Amsterdam
Size: 65 square meters (699 square feet); 1 bedroom, 1 bathroom

Holly Marder

Van den Kerkhof dwelt at the apartment upstairs for nearly six years before this one became available. The hardwood flooring and the flat’s charming original features, for example, marble fireplace surround and high ceilings, instantly attracted the couple. “There was also central heating!” she laughs. “If you have ever spent a winter at a high-ceilinged, drafty old apartment in the Netherlands, then you’ll know that is an instantaneous selling point”

Holly Marder

The founder of her own interior design business, Studio Nest, van den Kerkhof loves to mix several design styles. “An interior is an extension of your personality,” she says. “I think it’s boring to stick with just one style.”

This cognac leather armchair was a lucky find on the Dutch secondhand website Marktplaats. Piles of magazines within arm’s reach plus also a large pouf turns the formerly empty space between the living and dining rooms into a comfortable dining room.

Holly Marder

In the living room, the couple paired a contemporary charcoal grey sectional with a classic chair, graphic black and white rug, and an array of textured cushions.

Van den Kerkhof initially studied theater design until she realized it wasn’t the ideal match. The correlation between theater and home design led her into the world of interiors. “If you style theater, you’re translating a story into scenery, so it is quite like designing an interior, except that it is a more tangible and durable kind of design,” she says.

Holly Marder

“I like things that are utilized, that have a story inside them,” van den Kerkhof says. “I feel it enhances the appearance and feel of a room.”

This lotion classic leather chair was her very first classic purchase, and, to this day, it is one of her favorite pieces.

Rug: Ikea

Holly Marder

“Working in the interior design industry has certainly influenced my style,” van den Kerkhof says. During her interior styling studies, she worked in Baden Baden, the former showroom of the iconic Dutch designer Piet Boon, whose style combines modern elements with renewable materials. “I heard a lot about styling out of my colleagues and has been highly influenced by Piet Boon’s symmetrical style. I have since tried to let go of a bit so as to produce my own style.”

The tray table is a gift from her father, who has traveled extensively around the world.

Holly Marder

This collector’s item classic armchair is another bit awarded to van den Kerkhof from her father. When he was young, he painted it without recognizing its own value. It’s one of her favorite bits — here, she has paired it with an inexpensive classic stool she recuperated.

The few latest purchase is that their Foscarini Diesel Fork floor lamp, which adds a bit of functional chic to the room while adhering to contemporary lines.

Shelving unit: Expedit, Ikea

Holly Marder

Van den Kerkhof gave a classic French cabinet a fresh lease on life with charcoal grey paint and some new grips from Zara Home. The item now provides functional storage for the couple’s TV.

The apartment sports a warm color scheme of black, white, gray and neutral tones, with the exception of a couple of well-placed bursts of color. “I adore gray combined with timber for a warm appearance,” she says.

Holly Marder

A low console is home to books, music, artwork, drinks and another one of the few favorite items — a lovely lamp that van den Kerkhof purchased while functioning at Baden Baden.

Above the console, a gallery screen features framed artworks by South African artist Marlene Dumas, a Matisse print, an Etsy artwork print and functions from an assortment of artwork called “Vita Brevis Ars Longa” (translated: “Art Is Long, Life Is Short). Van den Kerkhof painted the dog picture when she was 15.

Holly Marder

Even though the apartment doesn’t offer much in the means of space or storage, the couple love their home for its own authenticity and original detailing.

At the dining area, bright tangerine lamps draw the eye up, toward the high ceilings, and highlight the stunning original sash windows with stained-glass detailing.

Pendants: Arne Jacobsen for Louis Poulsen

Holly Marder

Van den Kerkhof has carved out a very small workspace at the corner of the apartment, which is where she does each of her design work and meets with customers.

The desk chair has been found abandoned on the side of the street near a trash bin. “It was dirty and old, and it has a paint mark on it. Most people would say it is trash, but I really like it!”

Drawer unit: Alex, Ikea

Holly Marder

This cherished sideboard spent nearly all of its life in van den Kerkhof’s parents’ living room. When she went away to study, the cabinet went with her. Having experienced a few facelifts, from white to deep red, its fresh pale grey hue and fresh knobs create the perfect addition to the dining room.

In addition to the classic sideboard,a wooden tray is used as a foundation for a vase, a little book bought during a weekend in Paris, brushes and pencils used during her studies, along with a stone her father gave her when she was young. A candlestick out of Ikea gives the arrangement height.

Holly Marder

Renting can be a limiting design factor, so the couple made the kitchen their own by accessorizing it with pretty and practical items. Wood cutting boards provide a soft accent contrary to the kitchen’s white tiled walls.

A single shelf holds a collection of decorative blue and white china bowls, crisp white kitchen accessories and some of their favorite cookbooks.

Holly Marder

A silver Moroccan sugar cup and pot are a part of a group given to van den Kerkhof by her father. The matching tray table is in the living room. When her father was young, he worked on a ship and traveled a lot, collecting bits and pieces on the way. Van den Kerkhof pairs those treasures with functional utensil storage beside the stove in kitchen.

Holly Marder

Floor to ceiling drapes in a soft latte color accentuate the bedroom’s large ceilings. Crisp white bedding is a soothing background for a contrasting black ring lamp.

Holly Marder

Outdoor space comes with a hefty price tag in this portion of earth, so the set was happy to have this balcony to enjoy warm weather.

Holly Marder

A comfortable sofa in the balcony overlooks the enchanting Dutch style architecture where Amsterdam is famous.

“The place we live in is really beautiful, with lots of cafes and stores, along with also a food market on Saturdays,” van den Kerkhof says.

telephone: Do you live in a creative downtown apartment? Discuss it with us!

See related

My dream home has a spacious wall with a door. It opens to a deck and a pool and some kind of sunny, spectacular view, preferably with all the Pacific Ocean in the background.

However, truth be told, I would settle for a garage door which opens on my own work-in-progress backyard.

Open walls would be the greatest embodiment of indoor-outdoor living, blurring the lines (well, eliminating them actually) between the two. They are a fresh-air enthusiast’s fantasy come true, and there is something about them which is merely friendly and positive. They are the greatest invitation.

But beware, the homes pictured below will likely make your own home feel closed and may induce acute home jealousy. Consider yourself warned.

Urrutia Design

I am pretty certain my dream-house fantasy is just a replica of this home. You may ocassionally find a deer or squirrel in your living space, however, the spaciousness and the willingness make it worth the trouble.

Dick Clark + Associates

Where an actual open wall doesn’t make sense, wall-size windows may do the trick. It seems as though you could dive right from these chairs and into the bay, but the fog has been kept outside.

A garage door doesn’t have to be hiding your automobile and boxes of crap. It may just as easily hide your living space. And it is a relatively simple and inexpensive way to produce an open wall.

Jeannette Architects

Gourmet kitchen, outdoor dining area. This glass garage door is clean and modern; it makes sliding glass doors seem positively old fashioned.

Living2Design

These multipane modern cottage windows open on the garden and make this little dining room feel ever so much larger.

Hanson Fine Building

Another wall of glass. The view doesn’t have to be spectacular to get a wall such as this to make sense. The space and light and feeling of openness are sufficient to make the wall keep. And do not you love the way the clear acrylic chairs play off the glass?

Ojanen_Chiou architects LLP

This sliding accordion door which opens floor to ceiling, turning a little kitchen into a bright, expansive area with an outdoor dining area.

Spinnaker Development

A home doesn’t have to be more ubermodern to operate with an open wall. This traditionally decorated home also receives a boost.

AT6 Architecture : Design Build

This bath takes some courage. I mean, someone in one of those homes down there might have a pair of binoculars. Still, why if living rooms and kitchens have all the fun?

Griffin Enright Architects

What’s there to say about a space with two open walls overlooking rolling green hills anyhow, “Sigh.”

Jennifer Weiss Architecture

Virtually all the exterior walls open on the backyard, turning a segmented home into a open, convivial area where the outdoors are as crucial as the indoors.

Ownby Design

Not having an open wall would be bizarre.

Knudson Interiors

A wall doesn’t have to open on a large, expansive space. Only a little tropical extension for this toilet is motive enough.

John Maniscalco Architecture

The urban version of the expansive perspective. No need for art.

Architect, Lorin Hill

Developing a tiny breezeway between the house and the open atmosphere are able to keep a room from getting too hot in the summer. It also offers a nice visual transition between indoors and out.

I don’t think that it opens, but I don’t care. Magnificent.

More:
Opening Acts: Folding, Sliding and Pivoting Doors

See related

When you’re setting up a creative studio, the initial focus will be in adapting a space so you can practice your art. If you make quilts, you will establish a table with a sewing machine. If you make ceramic bowls, then you’ll require a potter’s wheel. It’s important to market your studio with the ideal materials and supplies, but when your art can also be a business, an equal amount of consideration should go into making sure those quilts and bowls may get packed up and sent out to customers quickly and economically.

Packing and transport are a huge part of running a creative business, but they can be overwhelming for a small operation. So much energy may go into the making of this product which the shipping period can be overlooked. The important thing is setting up a space devoted to transport and nothing else. Spend some time getting organized and stocking up on gear before large orders start rolling in. Here are a few pointers to help any imaginative business achieve success.

Dream House Studios

Have a large, open surface devoted to transport. Designate a separate place as your transport channel. This space should incorporate an open surface for wrap everything up. The dimensions of this surface needed will vary depending on your craft. But generally speaking, the larger the surface the greater. Devote as much space to transport as you can. It may be frustrating to work in a cramped area.

JDS DESIGNS

Consider adding shelves or cubbies underneath the surface for storing boxes. Maintaining boxes arranged can be the biggest problem when it comes to shipping; heaps of boxes may escape control and immediately start to infringe on your creative space. So select a work surface for the transport channel with shelves or cubbies built in underneath. Flatten all of your boxes and keep them organized by dimension. Maintain bubble mailers and envelopes as well.

Hint: Shop most of your boxes apartment however keep a few made up and accessible so you will be all ready to go in case an order must have sent out immediately.

Utilize a pin board or pegboard to hang tools on so they are ready once you need them. Ensure that your shipping channel is stocked with all of the tools and materials you’ll need. You do not need to be scrambling at the last minute for tape or scissors. You need these products to be highly accessible but also out of the way of your workout surface. The best solution is to hang them by a pin board or pegboard that is adjacent to your shipping channel. Quickly pull down the gear that you require, and cleanup afterward is going to be a breeze.

Install paper roll dispensers for wrap paper and bubble wrap. Should you use rolls of paper or bubble wrap, then consider installing a few paper dispensers. You may either attach them to your work surface or put them next to your channel on the wall. Dispensers make it so much easier to manage paper and cut pieces off.

Jeanette Lunde

Hint: in case you don’t have space for dispensers, store your paper rolls upright in a bin next to your transport channel.

Maintain twine and ribbon together in a caddy. Add prosper to your bundles with twine or ribbon and maintain those loose spools arranged by storing them at a hanging organizer or caddy like this one. This caddy has sufficient space for multiple spools so you can add variety to your packaging.

Hint: Hang a pair of scissors from the caddy. This implies you can always find them when you need to produce a cut.

Keep business cards and other promotional materials at your channel. with your goods, you’re probably shipping out business cards and promotional materials (flyers, coupons ) with your packages. These materials need to be performed beforehand and organized at your transport channel. Organize them in a desktop caddy such as this repurposed metal one. Aesthetically this vintage piece adds rustic charm to the surface, however any drawer or cubbie system will speed up the shipping procedure.

Have a whiteboard or calendar handy for creating a shipping program. It’s important for small businesses to establish a shipping program — it is inefficient to run into the post office every second day. Establish a regular and be honest with your customers about when you send out packages. Maintain a whiteboard or calendar near your shipping channel so you can keep track of orders, check off jobs when you finish them and denote transportation times.

Cost Plus World Market

Wood Potting Bench – $119.99

Repurpose a potting bench to a shipping channel. A reclining seat may be the best answer to get a shipping channel. Many have shelves built in that are best for organizing boxes, mailers and paper. Also they’re normally made out of wood, so it’s easy to screw in hooks to hang tools and materials.

Martha O’Hara Interiors

The key to a successful and effective shipping channel is organization. Put time and effort into this stage of your business and make sure that your studio is stocked with the ideal supplies. Plan beforehand, before you start receiving large orders, to guarantee you will be ready when when items do get active.

Want more advice in setting up your creative space? Learn how to craft the perfect studio.

More Small-Business Savvy:
Personalize Your Packaging

Photograph Products Like a Guru

See related