DUTCH MASTER

Classical grandeur and modern minimalism meet in a 17th-century ‘palace’ along the Amsterdam canal.

Classical grandeur and modern minimalism meet in a 17th-century ‘palace’ along the Amsterdam canal

Golden-age Amsterdam rendered merchants as rich as royalty and their 17th- century canalside ‘palaces’ are still the stuff of dreams for many Amsterdammers — and the happy reality for designer Pieter Ary Bakker. Overlooking the Keizersgracht, which runs from Amsterdam’s famous fan-shaped Canal Ring, this particular city palace is a magnificent fifirst- flfloor apartment formerly inhabited by the renowned Russian pianist Youri Egorov but originally built for Dutch merchant Cornelis Arentsz van Belleme in 1686. For the past 25 years it has been both a home and a major source of inspiration for Bakker. The 17th- century Dutch merchants would outsource the design of their homes to the era’s world- class pool of architects, and Bakker has also stayed true to local talent (including the renowned designer Piet Hein Eek), but being a creative consultant in the fashion industry himself, he has taken a more collaborative approach. The home’s historical appeal reaches beyond its golden-age legacy. During the early 20th century the building housed the Royal Dutch Touring Club and the Slavenburg’s bank (the bank safe is now used as a study), and in 1928 it was combined with its neighbour — a modern, loft-style space — to create a dichotomy that appealed to Bakker. “It was my greatest wish to own a house along the Amsterdam canals, but I didn’t want to go for a standard approach with the interior,” he says. “I enjoy a modern house with clean lines and I also love to stay in a classical hotel with grandeur. The space had to be open, to give me a kind of freedom, because that reflects who I am.” It took three years to prepare for the renovations and restorations, Bakker using his eye for the unexpected to visualise how best to juxtapose the classical and modern spaces. “Obviously I had to connect those two worlds,” he says. “The furniture and my objects, which have various styles including African ethnic and industrial vintage, do have a mutual soul that connects them. For me it was important to bring back the authentic feeling.” Bakker sanded back the paintwork of previous owners to restore the structure, colour and texture of the original architecture. At the centre of the restoration was the ceiling fresco depicting Homer’s Odyssey in the front rooms. In Bakker’s opinion, the direction for today’s interiors had been set some 400 years ago. These glossy ceiling paintings are allowed to stand out now against pared back decor, and the intricate designs of original wall panels are left bare to speak for themselves. »