This Amsterdam skylight house by Ooze simply “oozes” the innovative design and sleek style that these local Dutch architects are known for. Ooze was charged with renovating the kitchen, but their forward-thinking design quickly permeated the rest of the house. With a number of extensions over the past few decades, we think this latest addition/renovation finally has hit the mark when it comes to function and aesthetics.
The architects’ aim was to renew the “soul” of this old villa and bring new life by setting geometric wood-framed windows into the roof and walls, breaking up the boring while complementing the traditional-style structure, originally built in the 1920s and inspired by classic Netherlands architecture, namely Dutch farmhouse cottages.
Indeed, these surprising glazed pieces add visual interest to the home’s exterior as well as inside, where the triangular-shaped windows infuse interiors with natural light and frame the pastoral views in a most unusual way.
A void at the heart of the home serves to flood interiors with natural light while acting as the social hub.
As you make your way up through this villa, the home takes on a gradual transition from traditional to a more contemporary villa aesthetic.
According to the clients, “The house is a precedent in establishing a new culture of dealing with an existing structure. ‘Recycling’ is another nature of work; therefore it is not a formalistic but a conceptual house. The new and old come together, in fact they are melted together. The old does not disappear, it is enhanced, and all shapes of the original are still there. The new reacts to it and explodes the space, and creates an interesting expression. Everything has its value and all shapes have a reason. An openness in both parties, architect and client, was necessary to make the project more special and more stunning. We went together through an incredible process and the project is the result of this. Both the recycling of the structure and the process can be seen as a sign of the times that will make it into a landmark.”
Ooze
photo credit: Jeroen Musch
