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July 3, 2019
Text: Marc Heldens
Piet Boon Reveals His Multitasking Nature at His Farmhouse Northeast of Amsterdam
Garden designer Piet Oudolf masterminded the landscaping at Boon’s home, northeast of Amsterdam. Photography by Verne Photography; Production and Styling by Marc Heldens.
Stereotypically Dutch weather accompanies the drive through the peat area northeast of Amsterdam en route to designer Piet Boon’s home. An imposingly cloudy sky looms overhead and a strong wind blows over vast meadows and ditches, where sheep shelter under pollard willows. Down a narrow polder road, sited alongside a nature reserve, is Boon’s modern interpretation of a farmhouse, its lime-stuccoed exterior punctured with steel-frame windows and capped by a standing-seam zinc roof. “In contrast to my other design work, this house is quite minimalist, with a classical shape,” the Studio Piet Boon founder says by way of introduction. “The symmetrical volumes read as strong and timeless.”
Strong and timeless certainly characterize Boon’s work in myriad genres, from kitchen systems and furnishings to global real-estate developments and luxury cars. Many such creations are visible in the house he shares with his wife, Charlotte. Boon bucked the open-plan trend with a compartmentalized layout that invites exploration and discovery. Each room has its own atmosphere, although the overall decor is subdued and a bit masculine, with furniture and art by fellow Dutch trailblazers including Maarten Baas, Studio Job, and Frederik Molenschot. “Those pieces stand for special conversations we’ve had, as well as for freedom of thought,” Boon explains.
A de facto gallery, the entrance hall showcases a Maarten Baas chair, artworks by Studio Job, and a Mathieu Nab sculpture. The wall-hung chain is a street find. Photography by Verne Photography; Production and Styling by Marc Heldens.
“This house brings me peace. It fits like a coat.”
Landscaping is by another friend, garden designer Piet Oudolf. The more formal front lawn is a geometric composition of boxwood and hornbeam, whereas the rangier rear seems to have become one with the adjacent nature reserve. “This garden has nourished my work,” Boon allows. “It’s very layered, always revealing a new dimension, not giving away everything at once.” He could be talking about himself.
Boon designed the Kekke dining chair, in quilted leather. Photography by Verne Photography; production and styling by Marc Heldens.In the master bedroom sits a leather A.B.C. chair by Antonio Citterio. Visible in the study beyond are a desk and stool by Mathieu Nab. Photography by Verne Photography; production and styling by Marc Heldens.Cat with White Collar I, by Marie Cecile Thijs, hangs above a Frederik Molenschot lamp and a console of Boon’s design in the foyer. Photography by Verne Photography; production and styling by Marc Heldens.The maverick multitasker also conceived the Bo modular sofa. Photography by Verne Photography; production and styling by Marc Heldens.Pietra Serena paves the floor of the master bathroom, which centers on a Boffi soaking tub. Photography by Verne Photography; production and styling by Marc Heldens.A Frederik Molenschot Oculus lamp and sofas by Boon furnish the veranda.Boon envisioned the Hero side tables (in bronze or brass) for Linteloo. Photography by Verne Photography; production and styling by Marc Heldens.Among the Boon-designed pieces in the living room are the side table, lamp, and the sofa, behind which hangs a Teddy Rogers artwork. The coffee table is by Jerome Abel Seguin and the black-leather chairs by Antonio Citterio. Photography by Verne Photography; production and styling by Marc Heldens.A bone china tableware collection Boon created for Serax. Photography by Verne Photography; production and styling by Marc Heldens.In the study, a Norman Seeff photo of Mick Jagger leans behind a book of Erwin Olaf photographs. Photography by Verne Photography; production and styling by Marc Heldens.The Gijs sun lounger in iroko. Photography by Verne Photography; production and styling by Marc Heldens.A Bart van Hoek statue graces one end of the pool. Photography by Verne Photography; production and styling by Marc Heldens.
Stereotypically Dutch weather accompanies the drive through the peat area northeast of Amsterdam en route to designer Piet Boon’s home. An imposingly cloudy sky looms overhead and a strong wind blows over vast meadows and ditches, where sheep shelter under pollard willows. Down a narrow polder road, sited alongside a nature reserve, is Boon’s modern interpretation of a farmhouse, its lime-stuccoed exterior punctured with steel-frame windows and capped by a standing-seam zinc roof. “In contrast to my other design work, this house is quite minimalist, with a classical shape,” the Studio Piet Boon founder says by way of introduction. “The symmetrical volumes read as strong and timeless.”
