A 17th-century townhouse in the Netherlands | Unknown Architects
A 17th century townhouse in the historic center of Leiden, the Netherlands, was renovated to provide a “pied-à-terre” for a couple who spend much of their time traveling. Dutch studio Unknown Architects began the project by gutting the small house, removing all the interior walls. Their new design uses built-in furniture in place of partition walls to give the house a much more open and functional layout. The non-original ceiling finishes were also pulled down to reveal the original beams, marked by centuries of wear. The beams were left as they were found to contrast with the refined look of the new built-in furniture elements. A minimal winding staircase with open risers links the three floors of the 75 m2 (807 ft2) house.
The ground floor is a multiuse space that can function as home office, living space or guest bedroom. A storage unit was built to separate the entrance from the office area at the front. The bathroom is in one back corner and on the other side the architects designed a raised sitting area with a pull-out guest bed concealed below.
As the owners wanted the kitchen to be the main social space, the architects placed it on the middle floor, making it the heart of the house. The middle floor was also the brightest, with large windows front and back providing lots of natural light. New walnut kitchen cabinets line one wall. About half the remaining floor space has been used for a furniture unit consisting of extra kitchen storage with an attached dining table and a built-in bench that doubles as a guard for the stairwell. The bench apparently provides the best views to the outside, but as you can only slide into it from one end, it may not get as much use as it would otherwise. The bedroom is up one more level, tucked into the attic space.
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Photographs by Raoul Kramer, courtesy of Unknown Architects. Via Dezeen.
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What an interesting use of space. I understand now about the ground floor dining area being on risers if there is a pull out bed underneath, but for *me* I would have preferred a drop-down murphy bed so that I could arrange my table however way I wanted, even to the point of having no table there and using the space for a small sofa and chair instead. Putting that riser there limits what you can do with furniture. I see how the middle floor built in seating makes a great guard for the stairs, and that table is beautifully designed. But I agree that it would be more useful to residents if the table weren’t attached. It might be nice to move it out of the way for easier floor cleaning or a different set up for seating, etc. I see many places where the designers could have added much needed storage shelves or cabinets, but for some reason chose not to do that. There’s a difference between simplifying and being simply lacking.