Our Favourite Small Amsterdam Apartments

Never Too Small

Issue 6 of NTS Magazine is out now—packed with timeless design, small-space wonders, and endless surprises https://www.nts-store.com/   From canal-side lofts to compact apartments, Amsterdam is a city shaped by limits — narrow plots, historic canal houses, and centuries of layered living. In this special compilation, we revisit eight of our favourite Amsterdam homes under 60sqm//646sqft. Explore a serene attic conversion for a young family, designed around light and restraint, where a mezzanine bedroom and low-slung furniture preserve a sense of openness. Step inside a DIY waterfront loft filled with playful, movable furniture and ever-evolving ideas, and a calm, hotel-inspired apartment where comfort and materiality take priority over size. There’s even a Cabin (just outside Amsterdam) in the mix for nature lovers, with two manual sliding exterior walls that physically open the home to nature and clever flexible interior details that include a bed and bathtub that disappear into the floor, storage that folds away, and a mezzanine that adds sleeping space.  See our favourite apartments https://www.nevertoosmall.com/post/five-of-amsterdams-best-small-homes-under-60sqm-645sqft   #smallapartment #architecture #interiordesign   Episodes & Credits   00:00-09:21 Project Jordaan https://youtu.be/cOvqwfqN7ZE?si=lug_iLQ3jnx0MGgG  Designer: https://www.marijninterieurs.nl/  09:21-15:58 Tiny Loft https://youtu.be/OQFOpMM0evI?si=8HJKtaKbql1J0t2s  Designer: https://studiocanisiusdegenaar.com/  15:58-23:03 Scheeps https://youtu.be/wD6NlS348CQ?si=cEH_G9B-VY564RGD  Designer: http://fraijman.nl/  23:03-31:47 Amsterdam Loft  https://youtu.be/fpHgtBAShys?si=_d8mmWDqkfnVfXwr  Interior Designer: https://www.ardor-studio.com/   31:47-39:41 Apartment 33 https://youtu.be/7R165Thrlf4?si=1oJx2ggAqiSmUHSk  Designers: https://humgallery.com/  39:41-45:36 Loft Buikslotherham https://youtu.be/6sVkd0_Z2gw?si=pHPc6xQiymGpj7O_  Architects: https://some.eu/   45:36-55:55 ANNA Cabin https://youtu.be/rnj1uwg3RSk?si=CEnWCjyWDBQXDjXM  Architect: https://www.cabin-anna.com/ https://casparschols.com/  55:55-1:01:44 Luxurious Micro Condominium  https://youtu.be/LfNRMphh0QI?si=efDIQPT8ArGbIy4c  Architect: https://pietboon.com/   Music: Artlist.io The Leaves Are Changing by Miles Kredic  The Woods by Jon Gegelman  Expand by Michael Vignola Outside In by We Dream of Eden  Found By Kevin Graham Penance & Songbirds by warmkeys Back to Reality - No Backing Vocals by Okaya, Thoughts of Home by When Mountains Move Adding by When Mountains Move  Share your projects with us- https://www.nevertoosmall.com/submissions Subscribe to our newsletter- https://www.nevertoosmall.com/subscribe  Check out our store- https://www.nts-store.com Website- https://www.nevertoosmall.com Instagram-  https://www.instagram.com/nvtsmall Facebook- https://www.facebook.com/nvtsmall

Transcript

00:00:04The apartment is in the Jordaan area in Amsterdam, situated on the ground floor with a small garden.

00:00:12The idea was to create a space that was able to fit normal size furniture.

00:00:17We wanted to bring in as much natural light as possible and maximize storage.

00:00:22We also love cooking and entertaining, so we took the opportunity to have a full size kitchen and also sneak

00:00:28in a mini bar.

00:00:30We design and custom made all the cabinetry, furniture and joinery in a workshop located in Amsterdam.

00:00:42My name is Marijn Kruikmeijer, I'm a woodworker, designer and founder of ME Studio in Amsterdam.

00:00:49My name is Lia Young, I'm a pitch coordinator at a law firm and we live here together with our

00:00:55dog Yip.

00:01:06The apartment is located in the city centre of Amsterdam, one of the most historic parts of the Netherlands.

00:01:12Between the canals and around the corner of the M Frank House.

00:01:19But in the apartment itself, you don't notice anything about the crowds.

00:01:27We think it's important for designing a small space that we shouldn't compromise on living enjoyment.

00:01:36For example, our kitchen, it's a normal size kitchen. There's a dishwasher, there's an oven.

00:01:43Large TV, so you can sit with four people on the couch.

00:01:46A dining area. It isn't big, but you can still have dinner here with eight people.

00:01:53The building was built in 1905. The previous owner had the building foundation repaired and delivered it as an open

00:02:00space with only the basic structural elements, but lacked features like flooring, plumbing and electricals.

00:02:08When we bought an apartment, there was no floor plan, so we had complete freedom to come up with a

00:02:13new layout.

00:02:15At the back was the old kitchen. We could tell by the remains of a fireplace and soot on the

00:02:19wall.

00:02:20We moved the old kitchen to the middle of the house to create a long kitchen.

00:02:26We extended the house at the back so that we could create a bedroom.

00:02:29This required the demolition of a wall and also bring more natural light into the house by installing large French

00:02:36doors.

00:02:38We divided up the rest of the space using a smart unit as the centerpiece and created a living room,

00:02:44bathroom, toilet and dining room.

00:02:53The apartment is situated on the ground floor and has a private entrance.

00:02:58The front facade has been restored by the previous owner.

00:03:09The dining area is by the window at the front of the apartment.

00:03:13The dining table is solid oak with a cast iron leg.

00:03:18There is a corner seat made of oak plywood with velvet upholstery.

00:03:23It also has storage for our shoes.

00:03:25A large mirror hangs above the seat and reflects the space to make it appear larger.

00:03:33There are pleated curtains that provide privacy during the day with plenty of natural light.

00:03:38In the evening they can be completely closed.

00:03:44Everything here was custom made to better fit in the space.

00:03:48There are two large hidden doors next to the TV.

00:03:51We cover the doors in a moss green wallpaper.

00:03:55Behind the left door is the toilet.

00:03:59There is a floating toilet, small white sink with black tap.

00:04:04As the toilet sits under the neighbor's stairs, there is a slight slope in the ceiling but it doesn't really

00:04:10affect the use of the space.

00:04:11And we think it's worth it to have a separate toilet.

00:04:15The toilet feels like taking a step back in time with its green wooden paneling, offering a playful nod to

00:04:21the historic Jordaan district.

00:04:23The dining space is connected to the kitchen.

00:04:26The kitchen is floating with lights underneath for a spacious feel.

00:04:30The top is part side with a high backsplash and a narrow shelf in the same material.

00:04:37There is an induction hub with integrated hood, a tap providing boiling, sparkling and filtered water and the sink.

00:04:45Three wall lights provide the ambience in the kitchen.

00:04:48The kitchen fronts and drawers are dark smoked oak to contrast it from the rest of the apartment.

00:04:55Opposite the kitchen is a large oak slat wall unit where the built-in dishwasher, oven, fridge and more storage

00:05:02space for kitchen appliances.

00:05:04The unit is not really a wall but a large storage for our kitchen appliances that would not have been

00:05:10possible with a floating kitchen.

00:05:12It also acts as a divider between the kitchen and the bathroom while providing storage for both areas.

00:05:19In addition, a niche has been created for the coffee maker.

00:05:30From the kitchen you enter the living space.

00:05:34You see a large window where daylight can come in from the bedroom.

00:05:38There is a large white corner sofa against the wall.

00:05:41On the right is a large custom oak cabinet with space for all our memories, cooking and reading books.

00:05:49The TV is hidden inside the bottom cabinet and emerges through an electronic lift mechanism.

00:05:55This allows us to tuck away the TV when we are not using it.

00:06:02Additionally, there is a bar hidden behind pocket doors with a mirror including wine racks and racks for wine glasses.

00:06:13We placed a mirror at the back of the wine and glass racks to add an illusion of volume.

00:06:20It makes you feel like you are in a little bar when using the space.

00:06:28The bathroom is through a hidden door.

00:06:31The white tiles and blue walls create a spaciousness and a fresh look.

00:06:37On the left you find a floating sink including drawers.

00:06:41We use the same quartzite counter as the kitchen.

00:06:47There is a heated towel rack and a large building closet with pushed to open doors for even more storage

00:06:52space.

00:06:53On the inside of the door is a fitting mirror milled in.

00:06:57Besides using it as a mirror it also reflects the small space to make it appear larger.

00:07:03The walk-in shower has a rain shower head and a niche for shampoo.

00:07:09The bathroom has a dropped ceiling which hides the mechanical ventilation.

00:07:18The bedroom is located at the back of the apartment.

00:07:22The bed has a cork back wall with built-in sockets to conceal a phone charger and two wall lights.

00:07:30Surrounding the bed is a custom made built-in wardrobe where there is space for clothes.

00:07:35It is pre-finished plywood in terracotta.

00:07:40There is a wide built-in cupboard for washing machines and dryer.

00:07:47A built-in desk helps to create a small office space when working from home.

00:07:55There are two doors leading to the garden.

00:07:57The door next to the desk is used as entrance to the garden.

00:08:01In the summer we open up all the doors including the large French doors for cross-ventilation.

00:08:07The window between the living room and bedroom can be closed using a curtain for privacy.

00:08:12When the curtains are opened it brings natural light into the living space.

00:08:23At the back of the apartment you can find our garden.

00:08:27It is the extension of our home where we can escape the daily rush of the city.

00:08:33There is a dining table for eating outside in nice weather and the small lounge area at the back.

00:08:42We believe that living in a small space is not a limitation if you are creative and innovative.

00:08:49It is also considered a sustainable choice.

00:08:52It promotes efficient use of resources and reduces environmental impact.

00:08:57One of the key advantages is reduced energy consumption.

00:09:02Heating, cooling and lighting a small area requires less energy compared to a larger space.

00:09:09It promotes a more minimalistic lifestyle.

00:09:12With a small space you are motivated to declutter and focus on essential items.

00:09:28Our main idea was to create maximum spaciousness by keeping the space for storage as compact as possible.

00:09:37It was all about finding the perfect balance between light flowing space and compact fixed space.

00:09:58We were living in the other side of Amsterdam and decided to move to the Spaarndammer area because we like

00:10:04the pleasant and quiet streets.

00:10:08Although the neighborhood is situated quite close to the city center, the area is also quite calm.

00:10:18The apartment is built in 1916 and it used to be a social housing block.

00:10:25But back then people didn't have a bathroom, they used to go to the public bath nearby.

00:10:32The building consists partly of social housing apartment and is partly owned by private owners.

00:10:41When we first found the apartment, it was solely stripped down and it was one big open space.

00:10:47We looked into our daily habits and built demo spaces using cardboard boxes and our furniture.

00:10:54This allowed us to test the space before making final design decisions.

00:11:02The upper level was a storage which was only accessible via an external staircase.

00:11:07The biggest change to the floor plan was to connect the upper storage area to the apartment by means of

00:11:14an internal staircase.

00:11:15This storage area was converted into the bedroom.

00:11:18The bathroom wall was shifted towards the new kitchen to make it more comfortable to use.

00:11:25Living, sleeping, cooking and working are now all situated close to the window openings, making these spaces feel light and

00:11:33airy.

00:11:35At the entrance there is a semi-enclosed space which provides a bit of privacy when answering the door.

00:11:44There is a floating wooden shelf for shoes and everyday storage.

00:11:51The living room is at the front side of the apartment facing the street.

00:11:56This room hosts a sofa, a sitting corner, a cabinet with bookshelves that is part of the big wall of

00:12:03cabinets and the television.

00:12:06The flooring throughout the apartment is made from PVC.

00:12:10It has a light concrete polished floor look and is easy to clean and maintain.

00:12:17From the living room we can access the small balcony.

00:12:24The space between the living room and the kitchen is the heart of the apartment.

00:12:30There is a floor to ceiling wall of storage made from an oak veneer with plenty of closed storage spaces.

00:12:38As well as an open space on the edge of the story wall.

00:12:43We place the mirror on the wall to check our outfits as we head out and it also reflects the

00:12:50surrounding spaces.

00:12:52The kitchen and dining rooms are combined into one open space which is placed at the other end of the

00:13:00wall of cabinets.

00:13:02Just like in the living room the wall of cabinets ends in the kitchen with shelves for cookbooks and wine

00:13:08glasses.

00:13:11At the other end of the room we have a wall of cabinets with a lot of storage for kitchen

00:13:17appliances.

00:13:18The fridge and freezer are integrated.

00:13:22The main kitchen space is finished in black and is a great contrast against the oak veneer storage.

00:13:30The upper storage has a light strip along the length of the wall.

00:13:37We have an induction hob, a range hood, stainless steel sink and an oven and a dishwasher.

00:13:46A simple wooden dining table which can seat up to six guests is positioned along the second balcony doors.

00:13:53It is lit by direct sunlight the whole afternoon and into the evening and acts as an extension to the

00:14:00dining room.

00:14:06The office can be reached from the kitchen and still forms one continuous space with the other spaces of the

00:14:13apartment.

00:14:16The boiler, washing machine and cleaning supplies are tucked away in a floor to ceiling cabinet inside the office space.

00:14:24With an integrated desk facing the inner guarding creating a quiet place to work.

00:14:33The bedroom is situated upstairs and can be reached by the stairs within the wall of cabinets.

00:14:39The cabinets extend into the bedroom and form the balustrade with integrated shelves.

00:14:47By the stairs there is an open rack where we hang our clothes.

00:14:55The bed sits in front of a large window and gets a lot of warm light throughout the day.

00:15:03The bathroom is placed next to the entrance and has a toilet, shower and sink.

00:15:10We added a new shower, built into the other side of the kitchen storage wall.

00:15:16This allows the bathroom to be used by two people at the same time.

00:15:21We also built floating shelves into the wall above the toilet and sinks.

00:15:27With the right tools we believe that even small and outdated apartments can be made suitable for young city dwellers.

00:15:36Usually the proportions of space in existing housing offer huge potential for an efficient layout.

00:15:44If smart layouts and clean aesthetics are matched with an eye for detail.

00:15:50We think literally every space can offer generous living conditions on a small footprint.

00:16:04My philosophy when it comes to designing small spaces is to iterate until it feels right.

00:16:10It also helps a lot if you live in the space and can really try out what works for you.

00:16:16My name is Koen Vrijman and I love to make things.

00:16:20I've made sculptures for light at festivals, I've made exhibitions and I've also made most of the things you can

00:16:28see around here.

00:16:30I live in this loft with my girlfriend Vadim and our cat Sok.

00:16:40In the 90s the municipality of Amsterdam transformed this district.

00:16:46All the houses could be built without any aesthetical restrictions.

00:16:49So all the houses in the street look completely different.

00:16:53This apartment building was finished in 1998.

00:16:57This unit was owned by my mother and we decided to buy it from her and renovate it by ourselves.

00:17:05The loft is 45 square meters.

00:17:08We fell in love with a high ceiling, big windows opening up to the waterfront and the playfulness of the

00:17:15layout.

00:17:16In this space there is a loft floor where you could sleep on.

00:17:19On the lower floor there was a kitchen and a living space.

00:17:23We added kitchen islands to the kitchen.

00:17:27We built a frame around the bed.

00:17:29We also extended the terrace by having a floating deck.

00:17:39The entrance is pretty small so we try to keep it clean and clear so you can look straight through

00:17:44the house and see the water.

00:17:46The coats are hung in a cabinet around the corner so they are not in the way when entering or

00:17:51leaving the house.

00:17:54There is a mirror above the door to bounce the light around in this corner of the apartment.

00:17:59The ceiling light in the hall came from Turkey.

00:18:02I found it in an abandoned factory in Istanbul and brought it home in my hand luggage.

00:18:07The shoes are stored in a cabinet on the loft floor which also blocks the line of sight into the

00:18:13sleeping area.

00:18:16There are some pretty big plants in the living room area.

00:18:19Our windows are all facing the south so there is plenty of light coming in.

00:18:24The thing I am most proud of is the TV.

00:18:27We suspended it by a rail on the ceiling so it can be moved back and forth.

00:18:33When it is placed on the wall there is actually a sculpture on the back of it.

00:18:40The eye-catcher of the living room is the pink cabinet backed by green tiles.

00:18:45The cabinet stores a lot of stuff and features a hidden desk and a hiding place for our cat.

00:18:52The left side doubles as a scratching surface which was a great idea at the time but in reality she

00:18:58prefers to scratch our couch.

00:19:01We placed the green tiles ourselves and one of the hidden gems is the tile in the corner which was

00:19:07made by us.

00:19:08It features our own signatures.

00:19:11We like the simpleness and the calmness of the original grey kitchen so we decided to keep it and extend

00:19:18it with a kitchen aisle.

00:19:19My girlfriend loves to cook and spices are really important so we made a huge spice rack above the kitchen

00:19:24aisle.

00:19:26This is an actual street lamp which we got from the municipality.

00:19:30We converted it to the kitchen light.

00:19:33The washing machine used to be in the kitchen.

00:19:35We moved it to the bathroom to make space for a dishwasher.

00:19:43The round table is a nice contrast to all the other square furniture in the house.

00:19:48Normally it doesn't take up too much space but extended it can host up to 8 people.

00:19:57The bed is surrounded by a set of curtains.

00:19:59These help with keeping the mosquitoes and light out and it can create a separate zone when sleeping.

00:20:05We have two smaller electric roller blinds deflecting some of the sunlight on sunny days over privacy.

00:20:10We only had one remote.

00:20:12We made a playful solution to have the remote accessible from each area in the house.

00:20:18We have floor to ceiling mirrors on our wardrobes for a more spacious feeling and extra light.

00:20:24The light switches are located in the entrance which is very inconvenient when you are lying in bed.

00:20:30Luckily I had a huge industrial switch laying around which I had found in an abandoned factory in Belgium.

00:20:37I made an open drying cabinet which has plenty of room for our wet clothes.

00:20:42It also doubles as a room divider.

00:20:47The bathroom is next to the hall.

00:20:49I found a small washing machine that could squeeze into our bathroom.

00:20:53After figuring out how to install the water pipes I also built a custom cabinet around the washing machine.

00:20:58A very neat feature of our bathroom cabinet is the integrated litter box for our cat.

00:21:08We expanded the outer space by building a floating terrace.

00:21:16This was a very challenging build because we had to build it indoor.

00:21:20Then partly deassemble it, move it around the central column and then reassemble it outside again.

00:21:30The style here, it's a combination of many personal things.

00:21:34For example, things I found like the switches, the lights.

00:21:39Trying to keep everything neat, so having a lot of dressers and things to tuck things away.

00:21:45I like to make things myself and that really creates a certain style.

00:21:50It's a really combination of existing elements.

00:21:54That's how the style here evolved.

00:22:00If you're sleeping on a sofa bed right now, it's largely because of this family.

00:22:05Multifunctional furniture as we know it was pioneered by Campeggi, a family business and brand founded in 1959, halfway between

00:22:12Milan and Lake Como.

00:22:13If you don't know the name Campeggi, you should because we have a lot to thank these godfathers of what

00:22:18they call convertible furniture.

00:22:21We take convertible furniture for granted these days.

00:22:23Walk into any luxury showroom and you'll find sofas that become beds, beds that become lounge sets, lounge sets that

00:22:30split and divide, cell-like into chairs, chairs that morph back into sofas.

00:22:34Flexibility is a core principle of modern design, but Campeggi were making multifunctional furniture before the industry even had a

00:22:41name for such things.

00:22:43Our current favourite is Brando, produced by Campeggi and designed by the award-winning Giuseppe Arezzi.

00:22:48A collapsible camp bed that resembles a giant upholstered centipede.

00:22:53Part chair, part recliner, part poof.

00:22:55Brando looks delightfully like it's about to crawl out of the living room door.

00:23:08I designed this apartment around my family.

00:23:11I wanted to maintain the spacious feeling we experienced when we first entered the space.

00:23:17I was inspired by the existing qualities of the building, like the wooden beams, the shape of the roof, the

00:23:24bearing wall and the natural light within the apartment.

00:23:29Furthermore, we wanted to have comfort in terms of warmth and natural materials, but also in terms of stability.

00:23:36My name is Michiel Hilbrink. I'm a visual artist and interior designer.

00:23:42My partner and I like the house to be calm and quiet, a place to recharge and celebrate family and

00:23:48small social activities.

00:24:00The apartment is in a neighbourhood called Transvaalbuurt in Amsterdam East.

00:24:05The Transvaalbuurt has many big old social housing blocks that have recently been renovated.

00:24:12The apartment is between two parks.

00:24:16There are many nice coffee and dining places within walking distance and it's a mix of new and old inhabitants.

00:24:23The apartment building was built in 1924 as a social housing complex.

00:24:29The top floor was an attic but turned into apartments during the renovation.

00:24:33They were delivered as just a bare shell.

00:24:36There was only the central wall in the middle of the house and the wooden construction beams above.

00:24:44The idea was to have the furniture pieces float above the ground, which adds to the spacious feeling and makes

00:24:50the floor seem bigger.

00:24:52Our inspiration for the furniture pieces come from minimalist and modernist designs.

00:24:58In that way, the space has a somewhat timeless quality.

00:25:06The first thing I did was to add a bathroom and a small nursery.

00:25:11The bathroom and nursery is parallel with the central wall, thus making a hallway from the entrance to the main

00:25:17space.

00:25:18From the hallway, we kept a large open plan space for the kitchen, living and dining.

00:25:26Finally, with a 5 meter high ceiling, we created the mezzanine bedroom above the living area.

00:25:38At the entrance, there is a narrow but lofty corridor that leads to the main space of the house.

00:25:46We designed a wooden niche to hold our coats and umbrellas and the shoes below.

00:25:53There is another hidden door to a utility closet that we use to store cleaning supplies and other items.

00:26:02The kitchen, dining and living rooms are part of the same space.

00:26:06The size of the kitchen block is a shallow oak veneered cabinet for books as well as kitchen storage.

00:26:13This mix of functions make the division between the kitchen and living room softer.

00:26:20The kitchen block has a separate fridge and freezer, an oven and a dishwasher.

00:26:26On the top is an induction cooktop with a built-in exhaust fan installed flush with the surface.

00:26:32The top of the block is made of black HPL.

00:26:35At the end of the block is a small overhang with two bar stools underneath.

00:26:42You can have dinner together or work during the day.

00:26:46Below is a socket to charge a laptop or for kitchen appliances.

00:26:51In the back corner of the kitchen is a similar cabinet as the one on the other side, tucked under

00:26:57the roof corner.

00:26:57The kitchen and the two side cabinets all have the same height.

00:27:02The diagonal lines of the roof, the kitchen block and the cabinets form a composition of shapes.

00:27:11Between the kitchen block and the VITSU's shelving system is the dining table.

00:27:15It fits exactly in the space.

00:27:17The dining table has a linoleum top in conifer.

00:27:20We added four green chairs just for the pop of color.

00:27:24Behind the diagonal beams in the corner there is a little nook for books.

00:27:30The living room is a cozy area that shares the same open plan space with the kitchen and dining rooms.

00:27:37The dormers in the living area have an extraordinary height of 2.6 meter.

00:27:43The size of the windows allow ample amounts of light throughout the day.

00:27:48The Richard Lampert lounge chair and the sofa have both low design which perfectly fit under the mezzanine roof.

00:27:56On the sofa one can get a feeling of being embraced in a cozy space.

00:28:00This is due to the lower ceiling under the mezzanine, while still maintaining a connection with the dining and the

00:28:06kitchen areas.

00:28:09Under the stairs is more storage space.

00:28:13A custom three door cupboard offers space for clothing.

00:28:16I made it extra deep to have a secret shelf behind for small boxes and personal items.

00:28:28From the hallway there is a door that leads to a nursery.

00:28:33Before our son was born the room was my office.

00:28:37We added an IKEA storage unit on the wall for his clothes.

00:28:41As it is under the dormer window with a shorter ceiling height.

00:28:44Not using a bed frame makes the space feel bigger.

00:28:48In this room we added navy blackout curtains to help him sleep.

00:28:52And I built a small bookshelf below for his toys, books and a Miffy lamp.

00:29:05The bathroom is located by the entrance.

00:29:10The overall design is a calm and minimal composition of wood, grey and white materials.

00:29:18I wanted to have soft lights and tones in the bathroom, so I chose to use wall lights, some sconces

00:29:24and a LED tube light above the basin.

00:29:30Even though the bathroom is a compact space, it holds many functionalities like a washer, dryer, vanity, storage, toilet and

00:29:39a spacious shower.

00:29:41The bathroom has a large dormer window that provides plenty of natural light during the day.

00:29:47The grey bathroom tiles are 60 year old tiles from a French factory that I found online.

00:29:53I used it on the wall and the floor because I didn't want to have too many different materials.

00:30:01In the back of the apartment, the mezzanine, cupboard and stairs are designed as one whole unit.

00:30:09The mezzanine doesn't feel small since there is a 1.6 meter high window letting in natural light.

00:30:15A small window looks down below and makes the space feel a bit more open.

00:30:20The bedroom offers space for a queen sized bed.

00:30:24On the wall around the bed, we added wooden skirting that is the same material as the floor.

00:30:29It also doubles as a bed head.

00:30:33The steel balustrade prevents falling over the edge.

00:30:36It's open so more light is transmitted between bedroom and the living room.

00:30:41The mezzanine, cupboard and stairs are finished in oak veneer.

00:30:45The mezzanine floor has holes for ventilation.

00:30:48This unit is supported by the bearing wall on one side and hangs from the roof on the other.

00:30:54This means it doesn't require a beam to be placed in the middle of the living room.

00:31:00The result is a tiny bedroom mezzanine that burrows under the rooftop.

00:31:05It's fun to look down and see what is going on below.

00:31:12The communal courtyard is shared with all inhabitants of the building.

00:31:17In the warmer months, people enjoy the silent and lazy atmosphere.

00:31:22In a small space, when you are limited to size, you have to make choices based on what you think

00:31:27is most important to you.

00:31:30I simply wanted to maximize space, light and comfort in all kinds of ways.

00:31:35As a result, the apartment as a whole has been kept open as much as possible.

00:31:39While the bedroom and the nursery are small and cozy in contrast.

00:31:52We wanted to create an apartment that looks a little bit like a hotel.

00:31:58We wanted to keep things quite simple in terms of the design.

00:32:04Natural materials is something that really inspired us and that gave the base palette for the apartment.

00:32:11And it created the perfect canvas to feature all the objects that we wanted to collect.

00:32:21We live here with our dog, Mr. Fox.

00:32:25He loves to sit by the window and look around.

00:32:41This apartment is located in the Jordaan, which is a neighborhood in the center of Amsterdam.

00:32:47The Jordaan is one of the most traditional neighborhoods in Amsterdam.

00:32:52It's very touristic in a way. People come to see the canals, the old houses.

00:32:56It's a very authentic neighborhood.

00:32:59And we decided to choose this apartment because it's located in the Jordaan, but in a very calm area.

00:33:06This building is pretty old. It's from 1901.

00:33:10So the facade faces the street.

00:33:13On the backside is like most of the houses in Amsterdam where it faces a courtyard.

00:33:19This one is specifically special because it has a kids' park with some chickens and rabbits.

00:33:28We designed the dining table and the dining pendant light.

00:33:32And the rest we collected in vintage markets as the sofa, the side table, the dining chairs.

00:33:39It's very common in Amsterdam that you can find pretty good pieces in the street, which is quite nice.

00:33:45We wanted to have a place to gather objects that we collect, but also to bring our friends, family and

00:33:53collect memories.

00:33:57The apartment was a pretty standard looking Amsterdam apartment.

00:34:02The main thing was that the bathroom was closed off and there was no natural light coming in.

00:34:08We really wanted natural light, so we decided to separate the toilet and the shower and opening the shower towards

00:34:14the bedroom area.

00:34:16We also added a bathtub and a vanity in the bedroom area so that we could use that in the

00:34:22mornings with natural light.

00:34:24We removed the L-shaped kitchen in the corner and we extended it to create this open and light filling.

00:34:38Upon entering the apartment, on the right you see the kitchen, dining room and living room.

00:34:45The living room is really connected to the dining, so it's essentially one space, but we still wanted to have

00:34:52a separation in terms of use.

00:34:55The main item is a vintage sofa.

00:34:58The nice thing about the space is that you really look out the window and you get good natural light.

00:35:05The sofa has a metal plate on the bottom that reflects the floor and makes the illusion that the sofa

00:35:11is floating.

00:35:13Above the sofa, we have a light. We can use it for reading, but if we want a more moody

00:35:19or atmospheric light, we can either turn it against the wall and have soft light or also to light the

00:35:26painting.

00:35:29In the kitchen, we use a travertine top that is very similar to the side table in the living room.

00:35:37And this was a decision in order to create a continuity of the materials in the house.

00:35:45And we also have beautiful handles to create a contrast with the black cabinets.

00:35:52The kitchen is fully equipped, so we have an oven and stove area, a dishwasher, and by the end of

00:36:01it, we have our pantry and the fridge.

00:36:07It has a shelving above, where we display a lot of kitchen items, but also decorative items that we like.

00:36:14The highlight of the kitchen area is the pendant light that goes above the table. We designed it fully in

00:36:21brass.

00:36:22And underneath it, we have the dining table, which we specifically designed for the house.

00:36:31Opposite to the corridor, we have the bedroom. When you enter the bedroom, on the left-hand side, you have

00:36:38a spacious bed.

00:36:40We have a big wardrobe.

00:36:46Our favorite part of the house is the bathtub.

00:36:50We like the ritual of using a bathtub.

00:36:53We just enjoy taking a bath and reading a book and really taking the best out of the spa, hotel

00:37:01-like experience that we wanted to create.

00:37:03While in the bathtub, we have views of the outside, so we can have a bath, relax, and see the

00:37:09sky outside.

00:37:12The sink has the skinny legs, so it makes it feel like it's floating in the air.

00:37:19Next to the mirror, we have a brass finish wall light that we found in the vintage market.

00:37:26We created a ledge not only to display styling items, but also to run all the piping for the vanity

00:37:34and the bathtub.

00:37:38Next to the sink, we have the shower area, where we chose for a Japanese handmade tile.

00:37:44You could place it on the floor as well, because of the anti-sleep characteristic.

00:37:50And we wanted to, again, simplify the amount of finishes that we have throughout.

00:37:57With the flooring, we chose to continue the parquet we had running through the house.

00:38:02The floor has a dark oil finish, which keeps the water away.

00:38:08The decision to separate the toilet from the rest of the bathroom was also thinking about guests.

00:38:16Bruno is a graphic designer.

00:38:18He was part of developing this very special wallpaper.

00:38:22And because it's a more outstanding style, we decided to use it in the toilet, which is a closed-off

00:38:28space.

00:38:29And as you open it, it really creates this wall effect.

00:38:36For the curtains, which we chose to give privacy on both sides, as we have neighbors,

00:38:42we chose linen curtains acting as shears, so the light still goes through, but it creates privacy.

00:38:49On the bedroom side, in addition to the shears, we added wooden blinds.

00:38:55We love the effect that it creates when we leave it half open and the sun goes through.

00:39:01The art pieces we chose for our apartment, they are mostly from our friends, both because we love the style

00:39:08and fits really well to the house,

00:39:10but also in order to support the local artists.

00:39:18Upgrading existing spaces reduces the need to have new construction and create a positive impact on the environment.

00:39:29We can just use what is there and make it really comfortable, practical and aesthetically beautiful.

00:39:43My name is Hugh Kleidmans, I'm an architect at Heere Vijf Architects in Amsterdam.

00:39:47My name is Jeroen Atveldtem, architect and partner at Heere Vijf.

00:39:54We're here in the north of Amsterdam in an area called Buikslotterham.

00:39:58It used to be an old industrial area, but now it's being transformed into a residential site.

00:40:03The apartment was delivered in 2016 and is part of a bigger block.

00:40:08We designed the rest of the block as well.

00:40:10And we designed this apartment as a range of three apartments for the owner, who lives there with three generations.

00:40:18His mom, himself and this apartment is going to be for his daughter.

00:40:24The apartment is 45 square meters.

00:40:26It was a single sided apartment and on the front side apartment we have functions like cooking and dining where

00:40:33you have the most light.

00:40:34And as more as you get back into the apartment, the more private functions are like the sleeping room, the

00:40:39bathroom.

00:40:41The apartment is 3.2 meters in height.

00:40:44So that gives us the opportunity to design a really efficient way of sleeping on top of these functions,

00:40:51which opened up the rest of the practical room for the main living functions.

00:40:59In our office we always like to work with other disciplines, with furniture designers, with product designers.

00:41:04And in our network we had Paul Timmer, which is also a friend of us.

00:41:08And together we worked further on the design.

00:41:13Hi, I'm Paul, I'm a product designer and I built this place.

00:41:19The single unit consists of the bathroom, bathroom and some storage inside, but it's a piece of furniture.

00:41:27There's a pretty significant grid as tiles of the plywood on the outside, goes all the way around.

00:41:35We choose the plywood material for its color and texture.

00:41:38It's nice and light, durable, and it gives a good warm feeling to the apartment.

00:41:44The living space is on a platform, and in the platform there's some extra storage for a mattress for guests.

00:41:50And with the stairs from the living room you can go to the sleeping space.

00:41:53The staircase is designed so that exactly three steps go into one tile.

00:41:59We designed the stairs not to be like a big bulky thing, but to be almost like part of the

00:42:05grid,

00:42:05and make it very airy to have some space underneath like it's almost not there.

00:42:11If you go up the stairs as you enter the sleeping space, there's space for quite a big two-person

00:42:16mattress.

00:42:17And on top of the kitchen and on top of the bathroom there's still a lot of space left and

00:42:23right from you to leave your books, your laptop.

00:42:26This is like a freestanding unit, right? It's a big piece of furniture, and we don't want to separate spaces.

00:42:33We just want one big piece of furniture with several functions in it in the middle of the room.

00:42:39So to make it more furniture-like, we edged off all the corners to make it like something really special

00:42:45standing out in the middle.

00:42:46It makes it easier to pass and not such a hard corner.

00:42:52In the kitchen we used with the same diamond edge corner as in the rest of the unit, but it's

00:42:58flipped over.

00:42:59So it has the detail on the lower side, almost on the floor.

00:43:03It gives the same effect, like it's almost freestanding, floating, and it makes it very luxurious, right, to have an

00:43:10island in a small apartment like this.

00:43:12For a small apartment like this, we do have a big kitchen, completely equipped with all furniture and all electrics.

00:43:21The kitchen has a fridge, it has an oven, a cooking plate, and ventilation about it.

00:43:30This apartment is designed for a young woman, and therefore we have a lot of storage space in the back

00:43:36of the apartment.

00:43:38The bathroom is quite hidden into the unit, because the door is from the same material and in the same

00:43:45surface as the other panels.

00:43:49The bathroom has simple clean white tiles with a grey floor tiling.

00:43:55It fits in with the rest of the apartment.

00:44:00So underneath the bed, behind the kitchen, there's a pretty big storage space where the washing machine is and where

00:44:07all the other stuff can be stored.

00:44:10In the future the pressure on the city is getting stronger, which means that all the apartments are getting smaller

00:44:17and smaller.

00:44:18This product of a small apartment is getting more common.

00:44:21I think if you make something special out of it, something personal, then it can really become a good design.

00:44:37What does a magazine look like when you jam it full of intoxicating Greekness,

00:44:41Dreamlike Logic, Compeggi's convertible creations,

00:44:44Roboty sculptures, Jaime Hion's contagious creative compulsions,

00:44:49Intimate home portraits from Japan, and Enzo Mari inspired creatures?

00:44:53Well, it looks like this, and this, and this, this, this, and this.

00:44:58And it includes sexy as hell small apartments from Amsterdam, Athens, and Milan too.

00:45:04As well as a spectacular archive of stickers and labels telling stories of design histories.

00:45:09And it also features the 100% definitive and scientifically proven principles of timeless design.

00:45:15Disclaimer, not 100% definitive or scientifically proven.

00:45:17Wait, there's more!

00:45:19There is a salami factory turned art museum, and there are very un-kitcheny kitchens,

00:45:24Laundries, legacies, mythology, and some seriously hot pots.

00:45:28Oh my!

00:45:29Get your copy now!

00:45:40The design concept of Cabin Anna is really that, instead of having a static house with closed boundaries,

00:45:47You actually have a transformative cabin, where the boundaries are constantly adjusted by yourself, with your own muscle power, to

00:45:59what's happening around you.

00:46:03What basically sparked the beginning of Cabin Anna is that my father, he passed away at a young age, he

00:46:10was 55 years old.

00:46:11I was 21 at that time.

00:46:16And in that period, I started having very vivid dreams of him.

00:46:20He would come back to me, and he kind of told me, you have to go into nature, he was

00:46:25a nature man.

00:46:27And what happened is that I basically did the most literal thing you can do, I designed a house that

00:46:33can open up to nature.

00:46:35I started to heal, I was surrounded by life, I literally came to life.

00:46:43So the first Anna that I built was actually for my mother, her name is Anna.

00:46:48It's become a really important place for the whole family.

00:46:52Anna is just a place to be, that's it, a place to be.

00:47:10This Cabin Anna is located in Wildlife Reserve of the Biscos.

00:47:16It's the freshwater delta, the only one in Europe.

00:47:21I didn't choose this location, actually we got in touch with the wildlife organization.

00:47:29They were looking for a structure that would actually help people open up to the environment and feel at one

00:47:36with nature.

00:47:40This cabin is 30 square meters in its compact form, and it can expand to 50 square meters.

00:47:49Another thing that was really important to me in Cabin Anna is the fact that it's demountable.

00:47:57So the whole cabin sits on a screw foundation.

00:48:00So it means that when we leave, you can take the cabin apart, pack it up in your truck and

00:48:06move it somewhere else.

00:48:07So that means that when we leave with Cabin Anna, we don't leave anything behind.

00:48:14This cabin roughly consists of three parts.

00:48:17That would be the fixed house.

00:48:19It has inside the kitchen, it has the bathroom, toilet and shower.

00:48:25There's a technical room which you can enter from the backside of the cabin.

00:48:28The other part has the sliding glass layer and the wooden glass layer.

00:48:32Underneath that part, there is a bed in the ground that can be stored.

00:48:37And there's a bath in the ground also.

00:48:41And it has a mezzanine with an extra bed upstairs.

00:48:45So on top of that, there's what we always call like the bonus layout.

00:48:48Is that when you push out the glass, you actually create a double sized space of 50 square meters.

00:48:54So you can basically host a dinner or a yoga retreat or whatever events you can imagine.

00:49:10When you arrive in the cabin, there's a place to leave your coat.

00:49:16In the main living space, you see these long allocated windows and they have two purposes.

00:49:21One is that you always have some kind of connection with the outdoors.

00:49:25And the other thing is that they don't allow for any direct sunlight in the summer.

00:49:30So on hot summer days, the main space actually keeps very cool.

00:49:36And then the first thing that will strike you is all these trusses.

00:49:41Because basically the sliding shells only have two walls to rely on instead of a normal house, which has four

00:49:48walls.

00:49:49There is a challenge in its rigidity.

00:49:52By using these trusses, which are cross braced and reinforced, you make sure that when the wind blows from one

00:49:59side, that your cabin doesn't blow over like that.

00:50:03You see similar constructions, for example, often in railway stations, because the train has to go through on two sides.

00:50:11We put a lot of effort in the thermal envelope and we equip the cabin with HR++ glazing, for example,

00:50:18to make sure that even when it's really cold outside, you're going to have a very cozy space inside.

00:50:28The bed is foldable under the ground with a wind system.

00:50:33And that was very important to us because in the first cabin I built for my mom, we had a

00:50:38fixed bed.

00:50:39And every time we wanted to change the use of the cabin, it meant that we had to take out

00:50:43the bed.

00:50:44So being able to fold the bed under the ground just in a couple of minutes means that you're very

00:50:50flexible in the use of your space.

00:50:54Once you store the bed, you kind of have an open plan cabin so you can host like a dinner

00:51:00or you can have friends over or you can have yoga sessions.

00:51:09So the bath in the ground is revealed in a similar way as the bed.

00:51:15It has these floor pieces that you can just lift off and then there's a special storage to fit them

00:51:20under the ground.

00:51:23I wanted to create this kind of zen experience. When you're in the bath, you're not disturbed by any lids

00:51:30that are up or hinges that are sticking out.

00:51:32So to me, the favorite part of the cabin is really the bath under the floor.

00:51:39You cannot get closer to the essence of life.

00:51:47We like to create this little invention throughout the cabin and one of them I think is particularly exciting is

00:51:52what we call the inverted Dutch bike brake system.

00:51:58The moment you start squeezing this brake, the brake releases from the rails and you can easily move the 3000

00:52:05kilos.

00:52:07But the moment you want to stop, you just let go and automatically it starts breaking on the rails and

00:52:13it helps slow down cabin shell very quickly.

00:52:21To make most use of the small kitchen space, we actually created the galley kitchen.

00:52:27This combination of stainless steel and the birch ply and we like to work with stainless steel because it's very

00:52:33durable.

00:52:34It's a very beautiful material.

00:52:37It has all the basic amenities that you need. So there's a stove, there's a refrigerator here.

00:52:42And then on the other side you have grid that allows for mechanical heating if your wood stove shouldn't be

00:52:49enough.

00:52:53In the earlier cabins, we didn't have much storage.

00:52:57It becomes messy quite quickly.

00:52:59So one thing that we wanted to redesign is actually to have a lot of big storage space that you

00:53:05can fold nicely away.

00:53:07And we just wanted to have like sort of one central storage compartment.

00:53:12And you can fold your folding table in there.

00:53:18This place is about connecting not just to the environment, but also to yourself, to food.

00:53:28So then we arrive at the bathroom.

00:53:31On your left side there's a shower.

00:53:33It's clad in stainless steel to make sure that it's fully waterproof and it's a very aesthetic material.

00:53:39And then we clad that with a Koya wood to give that like cozy feel.

00:53:43And we picked a Koya because it performs very well in a humid environment.

00:53:50So in the toilet we use the same principle actually.

00:53:53At the bottom it's clad in stainless steel, so fully waterproof.

00:53:56And then we clad that in Koya wood.

00:53:59And above that we use birch plywood.

00:54:04And then we have this big piece of glass in between the toilet and the shower so you still feel

00:54:09that strong connection with the outdoors when you're having a shower.

00:54:13Yeah, so we made these wooden hooks everywhere in the cabin just to blend away in the environment.

00:54:18And they're very useful to hang whatever you want.

00:54:26Above the kitchen there's the mezzanine and we create an extra sleeping place there for when you have guests over.

00:54:35And it's basically the same size bed as we have downstairs with a little bit of extra storage space on

00:54:41each side.

00:54:43In the mezzanine we have a small extra vent to make sure that you can blow some cool air in

00:54:48the hot summer days.

00:54:54This cabin is completely off grid.

00:54:57We pump up our water from about 30 meters below the cabin.

00:55:02The waste water goes into a three phase sewage system which means that it's actually so clean that it can

00:55:08go directly back into the wildlife reserve.

00:55:12The fireplace is connected to the boiler.

00:55:15In the summer you have your hot water from your solar energy, from the roof.

00:55:20But in the winter when there's not so much sun here in the Netherlands, you actually heat your boiler water

00:55:25just by heating your wood stove.

00:55:30I think one thing that Anna is also really about is that sort of trying to inspire that you can

00:55:37actually put a lot of quality and a lot of functionality in a very small space.

00:55:43So you don't have to live in a 100 or 200 square meter house to actually have architecturally very high

00:55:51quality space.

00:56:02This building is located in the center of Amsterdam along the canals in the UNESCO World Heritage Site.

00:56:11This building has about 10 units and all of the units are about 20 square meters and this particular unit

00:56:19is about 15.8 square meters.

00:56:22So the client's brief was to have a pied-à-terre that they could come to enjoy, relax and wine

00:56:27with the comforts of home but in a luxury setting.

00:56:32It was very important to have a color palette that was warm and comfortable.

00:56:38And that's something that I think ties with the Dutch spirit of gezellekheid, which is comfort and coziness.

00:56:44We kept the floor plan as it was.

00:56:47One of the challenges was being an old building. There were no parallel lines.

00:56:51We tried to follow the periphery of the walls and clean it up so that it would have a nice

00:56:56straight and clean streamlined look.

00:56:58We wanted to accomplish a luxury feeling with all of the amenities as the client wished and also having it

00:57:07be quiet and clean and comfortable.

00:57:10We also played with different luxury materials and different finishes and focus on aspects of art to bring focal points

00:57:18throughout the experience of the space.

00:57:21We used the frame TV from Samsung along with also a framed piece of art from Kasper Fassen so that

00:57:27it would integrate as an art wall.

00:57:30The window seat serves many functions from having dinner to relaxing with a glass of wine to also just enjoying

00:57:37the city outside the window.

00:57:39There is enough space if someone wanted to lay down and sleep they could as well.

00:57:45Important for the design is the use of high quality leather, integrating the heating and also having storage underneath to

00:57:53allow for extra functionality.

00:57:59The client choose to have a bed that was always open and not to have a bed that tucks away

00:58:04into the wall.

00:58:05In the bedroom the bed head has a gunmetal frame with a velvet upholstery that creates a bit of warmth

00:58:12as well as elegance that refers back to sort of the elegance of the building itself.

00:58:18We've integrated a lot of outlets behind a lot of the cabinet doors so that it has no visual clutter.

00:58:24We want it to be clean and neat.

00:58:27The kitchen, the materials we used were a millwork wood finish with push to open cabinets.

00:58:34The key focal point is being the onyx niche where you have a completely integrated onyx sink.

00:58:41There is an induction cooktop with two burners integrated. There's a wine cooler integrated.

00:58:49Being centrally located in the city the idea wasn't to have full meals necessarily here.

00:58:58For the bathroom we wanted it to be a really special space with fully enclosing it with marble.

00:59:04Because the bathroom is one unified space we created a moment for a piece of art.

00:59:09And it was done expressly asymmetrical so that it could be visible from the access to the shower area.

00:59:20The marble millwork hides all of the extra storage for shampoo and your toilet paper dispenser. That's all concealed.

00:59:28The door to go into the bathroom is very thick and that serves two functions.

00:59:32One in order to provide a bit of privacy as well as integrating the stone on the wall.

00:59:39We tried to maximize the amount of storage so we have storage not only in the cabinetry within the kitchen

00:59:45but as well under the bed and under the window seat.

00:59:49A big thing for us in this old building was also to respect the past and to try and introduce

00:59:55a way to bring a more modern way of construction into the interior.

00:59:59You have on the ceiling for example the beams with a shiny gloss and then the ceiling has a satin

01:00:05to create a bit of a contrast and also to articulate sort of the charm of the old characteristics of

01:00:11this old building.

01:00:14The technology in this apartment was really important for the client.

01:00:17They wanted to have it as integrated as possible.

01:00:20There's one screen that controls all of the lighting and the heating and including an integrated subwoofer that's concealed behind

01:00:29the millwork and the roll shades as well.

01:00:33I think it's absolutely important to consider repurposing old buildings and old spaces.

01:00:39This is a great example of how that can be done even at 15.8 square meters.

01:00:45The value of living in a city is you have these great amenities outside your window.

01:00:50You have the greatest living room you could ever want on the canals in the city of Amsterdam.

Category

Transcript

Comments

Recommended