This Amsterdam Home is Full of Colorful Surprises

Though intuition plays a part in every home renovation, it takes guts to lead fully from the heart. But in the case of this classic Amsterdam townhouse, that’s exactly what its owners did, in collaboration with Dutch interior design studio Framework Studio.

Despite the rigor that its name suggests, the firm has earned its credentials by thinking outside the box, whether creating Karl Lagerfeld’s headquarters in Amsterdam or boldly combining classicism with color in the home of the studio’s founder, Thomas Geerlings. So, it’s no surprise that this modern home features all its signature moves: expect the unexpected.

Owned by a Dutch couple — one half of whom has Turkish roots — and their two boys, 10 and 14, the 18th-century house is close to the Amstel River in a central neighborhood they were long familiar with. But they knew it needed a significant restructure to accommodate family life. The solution was to bravely take the building back to brick, adding a basement and extending the first, second, and third floors in line with the ground floor’s footprint.

“We wanted to create elegant spaces where we could come together as a family, as well as cozy rooms in which to hibernate and be alone at times,” says the female owner. “And, given my Mediterranean roots, I was also looking to create a different layout to those you’d typically find in historic Dutch buildings. Flow was important, but so was the idea of being timeless and bold.”

Those ambitions, often opposing, were brought together in easy confluence by Framework Studio. Described by Francesca Finotti, the project’s co-lead, as “quietly surprising”, the interiors balance entirely classic elements (think geometric stone flooring and elegant fire surrounds) with deeply confident pieces (inflated stainless-steel wall sculptures and chairs as art objects).

The ground floor’s tendency to darkness was countered with exposed painted beams, as well as arched doorways connecting one space to another. That shaping is repeated in the sweeping curve of the wildly generous kitchen banquette, the trellis-like backs of the dining chairs, and the bold marble-clad tub in the main bathroom.

Much of the space has been turned over to meaningful “pause points” throughout: the library table is stacked with books and two 1970s stools to perch on; the kids’ floor features a built-in daybed to lounge across, and a whole room, finished entirely in red, is devoted to chess playing.

Though the shell of this house is essentially neutral, surprising color moments hold their own. “The light blue of the kitchen cabinetry wanted to suggest a connection to the Mediterranean,” says Francesca, “while the red study just wanted to be unexpected and sexy.”

A relaxed rejection of trends contributes to that easy design confidence. And function works just as well as form. “The house now accommodates all our needs, including the boring logistics like utilities and cloakrooms, which leaves more time for fun,” says the owner. “We cook together as a family, host dinner parties, work, study, watch movies, and have big sleepovers.”