Cut & COLOUR
By carving up its spaces and filling it w ith saturated hues, designer Roelfien Vos has given this new build serious character
PRODUCTION Willemijn de Leeuw
home front
The Amsterdam-based interior designer Roelfien Vos of Roelfien Vos Interior Design & Architecture. She designed this Amsterdam apartment for globe-trotting clients to use as their base.
A three-storey apartment in a new development in the Jordaan area. On the lower ground floor is a child’s bedroom and bathroom, a storeroom, a ‘pyjama’ lounge, a guest bedroom and a courtyard patio. On the ground floor is an entrance hall, dining area, kitchen and living space, plus a balcony. On the first floor is the main bedroom suite, with a walk-in wardrobe and bathroom, plus a guest bedroom with a shower room and WC.
LIVING ROOM
The wood-effect vinyl wallcovering (left) feels very mid-century modern.
FIREPLACE
Newly introduced architectural detailing like the walnut panelling with inlaid-brass seams gives the new-build home a sense of age.
Clashing styles, colours and patterns is not something that deters intrepid interior designer Roelfien Vos. ‘There shouldn’t be any rules,’ she says. ‘Mixing colours and prints comes naturally to me. I don’t think you can teach that, but the trick is to ensure that an overall interior remains in tune, despite any bold elements. In fact, my most surprising and “gut-driven” designs were why these clients came to me in the first place.’
Said clients live all over the world, regularly travelling between Dubai and South Africa, but still very much considers the Amsterdam neighbourhood of Jordaan as their touchstone. ‘I think the family will spend Christmas here, as their elder children live in Amsterdam,’ reveals Roelfien.
The house was bought as a newly built shell with the owners asking Roelfien to design an interior that would reflect their cosmopolitan outlook. ‘The layout was entirely up to us to design,’ explains Roelfien. ‘The first thing we did was to remove the solid wall between the kitchen and hall and replace it with brass-inlaid glass. Looking through, the staircase now appears to float, which creates a tremendous feeling of space.
‘My work is known for the level of customisation I offer. Here, it’s all about the architectural detailing, which deceives people into thinking it’s a historic building. For example, I took the steel and brass from the staircase and replicated it in the railing upstairs to create a connection between floors. I then repeated shapes: th
