i29 design Home for the Arts

The amount of time we have been spending at home over the past few months has changed our perspective on the meaning of home. While we used to think of the home as a place to sleep, spending practically all our waking hours elsewhere, we have now seen it become the centre of our everyday lives, whether we like it or not.
Those who have moved house during the pandemic have done so with a new post-pandemic normality in mind. The changes we have seen over the past year are too big to ignore, forcing us to truly understand the importance of living in a comfortable home.
Let us look at the case of the owners of an apartment in a new apartment building in a former industrial zone in the northern part of Amsterdam. When they bought the flat, the clients were given the freedom to co-design their own home. Those who, like us, have suffered from the museum closures and the migration of art exhibitions online will definitely find the idea of setting up your home as an art gallery an excellent distraction! The couple of writers and art collectors appointed Dutch studio i29 to design the interiors of their new home, a 180-square metre flat, very large by Dutch standards.
Exhibiting their art collection in the best possible way was the architects’ essential starting point, custom designing double-height cabinets and integrated glass display cases. The ground-floor entrance, kitchen and living room are all open and connected. In the double-height loft, the architects added an extra level to contain a bathroom, two bedrooms and an office. The tall cabinets visually connect the two levels in the home and conceal the staircase.
The custom-designed kitchen and all the cabinets in the apartment are finished with a combination of wood and grey elements, in intentionally sober, simple spaces contrasting with the colourful artworks.
The architects of i29 and the owners have created a home where every detail is designed in relation to all the others. Being able to enjoy art in your own home is a rare privilege, and doing so amid such elegance is even rarer!

Christiane Bürklein

Project: i29
Location: Amsterdam, The Netherlands
Year: 2021
Interior Builder: Coen Vleugel
Images: i29, Ewout Huibers