Old Amsterdam Garage Becomes an Impressive Family Home for Barde + vanVoltt.

Natural light flows through this 1930’s converted hardware garage in the centre of Amsterdam thanks to a system of skylights and glass partitions walls. Self-described as Californian ease mixed with Japanese tranquillity, Barde + vanVoltt have transformed a 100sqm ground floor industrial space into a very comfortable home for a family of four.

Conquering the hardest client of all, themselves, to design their own home sees a shift in the studios’ clientele to more intimate private projects that demand careful and considered thought at every turn. Wide and open, the space is unique to Amsterdam that finds most apartments divided over multiple narrow levels.

Conscious of balancing the integrity of the building with their needs as a young family, Barde + vanVoltt looked to the building’s industrial past for materiality choice and refined the selection with sustainability and durability in mind.

The building’s original concrete floor, imperfections included, sets the foundation of the design. Warmth is integrated throughout by natural clay walls and custom-designed wooden Meranti wood-framed doors, an art deco flourish that references the arching detail of the period the property was built.

With a minimalist interior that utilises natural materials, it’s the Industrial style statements that really stand out. The ensuite has a free-standing tin bath and sink by Patricia Urquiola for Agape, brushed and burnished copper tapware are used in the wet areas, untreated wooden frames can be seen throughout, and a kitchen island made from rolled steel with a quartzite benchtop dominate the central space.

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Architecturally the duo converted the solid front doors to glass and raised the roof at the rear of the building, converting the ceiling into skylights. Three bedrooms, a master and two children’s rooms are divided by wooden frames filled with glass to share the natural light.

Outside the building retains its charm with the original hardware store signage left in place. The glass doors can be opened up and used as a terrace in the summer, a natural extension of the airy open floor plan. With minimal intervention, this garage conversion is now a contemporary family home where life can be lived in all its magnificence – and its mess.

[Images courtesy of Barde + vanVoltt. Photography by Cafeine.]