level up
A creative couple turn an disused garage in Amsterdam into an inviting family home filled with collected treasures
London is famous for its white stucco terraces, New York for its SoHo lofts, and Paris’s Left Bank for its romantic rooftop apartments. The Oosterpark neighbourhood of Amsterdam, home to interior designer James van der Velden and his partner Suzette as well as their baby, Archie, is a microcosm of old Amsterdam, with everything from small houses to historical mansions. It was an up-and-coming area when the couple found their home, then a disused garage space at the bottom of a 19th-century building. “We saw it as such a special project,” says James, “where both Suzette and I could make our dreams come true – a creative adventure of turning an industrial space into a cosy comfortable family home.”
The couple had the design chops and the entrepreneurial spirit required to take on the project: interior designer James has his own business, Bricks Studio, and has previously undertaken a garage-loft conversion himself while Suzette has worked on her own creative initiatives including The Collector concept store and the Paper Planes network of pop-up coffee shows. “When I first saw the space, it had been empty for 25 years,” says James. “It was a long space about 20 metres long and four metres across but I could see the possibilities. Because it was so long, it wasn’t an easy space to work with but I had a good feeling because of the amount of natural light.”
First up, the hangar door at street level was replaced with a beautiful classical facade, which opens to the striking kitchen with decorative floor tiles sourced from Portugal, vintage bottle-green Delft wall tiles and painted green cabinetry. From here, stairs lead down to the dining area, which features a table designed by James and Tolix chairs. It was while the builders were doing essential
underpinning work that James had the idea of digging out an extra metre under the existing ground level to create a split-level plan. This means the dining area, as well as Archie’s bedroom, bathroom and a powder room are slightly lower than street level. This rear area also includes the living area, study and two small courtyards. A 40 square-metre split level is home to the master bedroom, bathroom and a walk-in wardrobe.
James describes his style as ‘timeless eclecticism’. “I often use interior elements of the original space and recycle them into my new interior plan,” he says. In this case, this meant keeping the original brickwork exposed along one wall of the building and complementing this original element with a collection of vintage and antique furniture, industrial lamps and modern art and graphics. James and Suzette are collectors and often source furniture, accessories and art at auctions and markets, especially in France. They also have many pieces handed down from their own families – “my parents were enthusiastic collectors and one day we’ll hand them down to our children,” says James, including many of his own childhood things. “I can’t easily say goodbye to my precious things, which is why our home is so packed with personal stuff. But I like it this way; everything within our home has a personal story to tell.”