At the Wilhelminalaan, nestled right at the Rijn, you can find a beautiful characteristic house facing the waterfront. With its protected cityscape and memorable detailed façade dating back from the early 20’s, the location and space, create a unique design opportunity. Studio Modijefsky was involved from start to execution into expending the potential and creating several luxurious spaces such as a bar, a wellness and a wine room. Meeting the clients wishes for hosting friends and family, and enjoying a view of the Rijn in an unexpected design. The house is a combination between a classical main house and several add-on spaces. Making this a unique creative challenge for the studio.
Starting off with a hallway that felt too big, with an unlogical routing and separated spaces. We went through a complete reconfiguration, a welcoming large entryway was created with layered sightlines and a smoother transition into the main living areas. The hallway forms the spine of the house, leading towards an atelier that is located in one of the two serres, where light comes in from all angles, creating the perfect space for a home office. The small home office has a view towards the front garden and features custom-built furniture that combines functionality with sculptural character. The central focus point is the hallway staircase, designed as an architectural element in itself, illuminated by a skylight that brings natural light into the core of the home.
Through textured glass doors, the living area unfolds as a warm and inviting space where comfort and material richness go hand in hand. An open fireplace anchors the seating area, furnished with soft fabrics in earthy tones. The materials throughout the house were carefully curated to create warmth and depth, materials like walnut wood, natural stone flooring, wool upholstery, and copper accents form a tactile and cohesive palette.
The living area is acknowledged by its carrying wall element, creating continuity between the different spaces. The wall element also integrates custom cabinetry and open shelving, enhancing both function and spatial rhythm. The main living area is extended by a see-through fireplace towards the serre. A custom sofa, perfectly designed for the nish in the serre, with carefully picked details in legs and subtle integrated led lighting creating an intimate corner for reading, while enjoying the ambiance and warmth of the fireplace. Throughout both spaces, thoughtfully selected furniture pieces add tactile contrast and depth to the material palette. Rugs with orange tones, create little warm moments on the tiled flooring. The dining area seamlessly links the living room and the kitchen. Here, a dark walnut table offers a striking contrast to the soft, neutral tones of the surrounding spaces, grounding the palette and introducing a new visual layer that defines the zone without disrupting the flow.
The kitchen back wall is both highly functional and aesthetically refined, featuring integrated storage and custom wall elements. Textured glass fronts one of the large cabinets, adding a layer of transparency and visual interest, while warm-toned wood cabinetry makes the kitchen feel like the welcoming heart of the home. A generous kitchen island faces the garden and includes a cozy breakfast nook, an ideal spot to start the day. The stainless-steel countertop introduces an industrial touch, providing reflection and weight to the otherwise warm and natural material composition.
The ground floor is flowing into a new extension of the house, divided into a bar, wellness and a multifunctional room, making the house exceptional in it’s use. Brown warm tones in the bar lift the space to another level with beautiful terrazzo details around a squared pattern wood floor. The refinement of the bar draws inspiration from the existing architectural language of the house, adding another layer to the volumes. Brass accents on the back wall create a geometric structure for storing bottles and glassware, making the bar not just functional but also a visually stunning feature, with direct views to the garden. Different colour Zelige tiles in combination with terrazzo, marble, textured glass and darker wood create a rich material pallet for a brown bar at home. The perfect place for hosting and coming together.
The bar leads into the wellness, with a steam bath, sauna and jacuzzi. Fully dressed in a travertine floor and warm toned walls. There is a beautiful detailed backwall with engraved travertine, creating lines and direction to this space. A travertine covered jacuzzi with a view towards the garden is the perfect spot to relax. The travertine space provided with large plants, create a green oasis. The glass wall gives a peak into the multifunctional space. The multifunctional room is furnished with a curated selection of designer and custom pieces, creating an ideal place to unwind after time spent in the wellness area. Warm lighting, sculptural lounge chairs, and handcrafted side tables form a balanced blend of bespoke and collectible items. A round rug softens the terrazzo floor, while a custom-built cabinet cleverly conceals a fold-out bed.
Across the garden, directly parallel to the bar and wellness wing, another extension houses a boathouse, wine room, and garage. The material palette echoes that of the main living spaces and bar, lending identity and cohesion to this smaller volume. Within the wine room, custom-designed cabinetry offers storage, a high table is added for seating tastings, all with a direct view to the boat and water beyond, creating a serene yet sophisticated experience.
Via the main hallway, from downstairs towards upstairs a subtle hall landing enlightened by the rooflight above the stairs, lead into the different rooms. Each room has a smaller pallet based on the material pallet from downstairs, offering a clean basis as well as charasteristic rooms. A seamless poured floor runs throughout the upper level, enhancing the sense of flow. Custom-designed bedheads integrate lighting, sockets, and detailing to provide both visual coherence and practical comfort. Built-in cabinetry offers ample storage and a continuation of the crafted aesthetic.
The master bedroom is designed as a beautiful light room with selected furniture, custom bedhead and carefully picked rugs. Leading into a custom wardrobe by sliding doors that disappear behind the cabinet. A large mirror and beautiful selected wood, creates a very nice base. Leading into the bathroom fully dressed in a shower, toilet and large sink that relates to the bathtub by travertine plints with a view at the garden and De Rijn. This bathroom combines tiles, poured flooring, and travertine in a light, cohesive palette, creating not only a functional space, but one that is peaceful and pleasurable to inhabit.
The garden, designed by Arjan Boekel, seamlessly connects the main house, extensions, boathouse, and waterfront. Thoughtfully placed furniture in light materials by Studio Modijefsky, form various seating areas throughout the garden, each corner serving a different purpose. Whether enjoying dinner with friends near the BBQ or soaking in the final evening sunlight by the water’s edge, the garden invites you to slow down and appreciate the flow between indoor and outdoor life.