Amsterdam Family Residence 2021

The real challenge is to bring soul back into a house that seems to have completely disappeared somewhere along the way. This spacious, stately 1920s mansion was once owned by Wilhelmina Fruytier, a visionary Dutch textile artist who had her heyday in the 1960s and 1970s. But over the years it had been transformed into a sterile office space with suspended ceilings and many, many small rooms. No doubt it was time to take down walls and bring in some fengshui. These renovations took a total of 2.5 years. “Something I love,” says Nicole: “To really take the time and have the space to fine-tune every detail. The main goal was to make this family home, including a young child and dogs, cozier, warmer and more intimate. Nicole integrated many small sitting areas for relaxing, drinking coffee or wine. ‘All in all, they wanted something different, with a twist, but also soothing. So we chose multicolored with calming shades of green and blue, as well as rich textures and natural materials, including crystals. If you know our signature style, you could almost call it “classic.” Yet I would say it is understated with a few bold interventions here and there. She points to Paco Raphael’s colorful artwork and the entrance floor, inlaid with ten different types of marble in a striking herringbone pattern. An ode to craftsmanship, something intrinsically valued.