i29 Interior Architects and Chris Collaris Architects Evoke High Contrast for a Summer Residence in Vinkeveen, the Netherlands

The summer home in Vinkeveense Plassen, a marshy area of lakes and narrow peninsulas in Vinkeveen, Netherlands, was an 11-mile bike ride to Amsterdam—a breeze of a distance for many Dutch people. And its views were verdant and panoramic. But i29 Interior Architects partners Jeroen Dellensen and Jasper Jansen, who were contacted by the owners to renovate, viewed the 80-year-old residence as a tear-down and instead teamed with Chris Collaris Architects on a replacement. Conveniently, Chris Collaris happens to maintain a desk in i29’s office.
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Strict height and size requirements restricted the footprint to 600 square feet. So the team suggested building four blocky pavilions around an alfresco courtyard with a concrete slab, the result of which nearly doubles the living space when a structure’s sliding glass doors are open. “In a project this small, not one centimeter can go unused,” Dellensen notes. The adjoining boxes also open from one to the next, each with a unique ceiling height to mark the spatial progression: from the entry to the kitchen and dining area, to the living area, and finally to the four bedrooms.
Throughout, beamed ceilings are painted white. In the kitchen, some cabinetry is white oak, but more than half is stained black. The bold palette continues on the exteriors, the unapologetically modern facades clad in pine planks that have been waxed black for weather resistance. “What’s surprised me,” Jansen says, “is how well they blend with nature.”
Project Team: Nina Van As; Egle Jacinaviciute.
Project Sources: Hay: Sectional (Living Area), Table (Kitchen). TossB: Sconces (Living Area). Kemie: Countertop (Kitchen). Shinnoki: Cabinet Fronts. Siemens: Appliances. Grohe: Shower, Shower Fittings (Outdoor). Throughout: Foreco: Wood Siding. Beton Reform: Concrete Flooring. Kreon: Spotlights. Jung: Switch Plates. LG Hausys: Solid Surfacing. De Zilverlinde; Frank Heiligers: Landscape Designers. Simon Sintenie: Woodwork. Hagoort Bouw: General Contractor.