Classic grandeur in a modern guise

The villa at the Wilhelminapark in Haarlem was designed at the end of the 19th century by architect S.J.W. Mons, which was inspired by the English landscape style. The building served as a sound studio for years, but was restored to its former glory as a home this year. Using sleek, contemporary elements, Studio Ruim was able to bring back the classic grandeur of yesteryear in a modern guise.

Light shines through original stained glass windows onto Arabescato’s new white marble floor. In the stairwell, a modern chandelier reaches from the ridge to the ground floor. The steel door frames are made of the same dark green color as the velvet on the stairs. Modern lighting has been incorporated into the restored cornices. And the rooms and suite on the ground floor were given a modern twist by making the passage not in the middle, but on both sides.

In the middle, where the sliding doors used to close, now adorns a cupboard made of smoked oak, which connects the two rooms. A fireplace has been incorporated on the side of the front room. Cupboard space has been made on both sides and the back. There is also the kitchen, centered on the cooking island, which is covered on all sides with Fioro di Bosco marble. Above the island hangs an asymmetrical composition of slender steel, incorporating a single storage shelf and light. It was designed and made especially for this home.

Just like the vanity unit on the top floor, which is pushed into the niche of the protruding turret in the master bedroom. “Because the building has a monument status, we were not allowed to change the turret itself. We came up with this Cleopatra bathroom furniture, ”says Sigrid van Kleef. “Because the furniture is literally pushed into the turret, it also provides insulation for the walls and the window,” adds René van der Leest.

A lamp made of soap bubbles hangs above the bath, which in another version also hangs down above the dining table. The wooden wall against which the bed rests is made of the same material as the en-suite cupboard downstairs. As with the other projects of Studio Ruim, it was also important here that there is unity in the design, that the spaces are subtly connected to each other and that the routing is correct.