Canal House, Amsterdam
Canal House, Amsterdam
DATA SHEET

Restoration: Kodde
Main Contractor: G.K. Visbeen & Co.
Interior builder: Schneider Interieurbouw
Furnishings and fittings: Alexandra Gaca, Bocchi, Blumenberg, Maruni, Norr 11, Quooker, Water Revolution
Flooring and walls: Concraft, Glas XL, Kerlite, Oostendorp, Season Parquets, Sigma
Lighting: Foscarini, Modular
Photo credits: Ewout Huibers

This typical Amsterdam house comes back to life after two years of restoration and transformation. It was built in 1675 on the canals near Amstelveld. The project by the studio i29 extends its already long ‘domestic’ history and makes it suitable for the new generations, thanks to a balanced image that respects the old while underscoring the new, in a process of modernization based on essential, pragmatic contents. And several added ‘special effects’.

First of all, the use of blocks of color on a white background and along a multi-level path, defining the various functional zones, while also triggering a more contemporary visual perception of the space. Starting from the basement, where a luminous block of oak doubles in a seamless solution to form the kitchen worktop and the table, with coordinated chairs and an accessorized wall.

Beyond the kitchen, by contrast, a glossy wall in forest green glass leads to and isolates the guestroom, hidden and totally white, with an en suite bathroom. On the opposite side, gray cladding underlines the level shift and the continuation of a pathway that leads to the living area. On the ceiling and above the fireplace white stucco decorations stand out, traces of the history of the architecture. Completely by surprise, behind a door-bookcase we find a second ‘secret room’ with a view of the garden, a monochrome alcove in restful porcelain blue.

On the same level, the studio ‘materializes’ thanks to a ‘ribbon’ of grass green color, almost like a theatrical trompe l’oeil, for a precise definition of the desk, the wall, the ceiling and the floor, in contrast with the pale gray and white of the background.

The third floor is entirely filled by a total white master bedroom, where the protagonists are the beams and the crest of the typical double-pitched roof, brightened by Gregg suspension lamps from Foscarini, a feature found in various composition throughout the house. The last coup de théâtre is the mirrored volume leading to the bathroom, concealing the stairwell but also the large shower, from which to ‘secretly’ admire the view of the canal.