Restored ornamentation sets the tone from the first room. Cornices, ceiling details and tall openings keep the historic house interior anchored in its 19th-century structure, while the layout has been adjusted to the way the house is used today. The result is not a frozen period setting, but a restored house interior where circulation feels clearer and each space has a stronger role. The open kitchen with garden view becomes one of the main through-lines, drawing daylight deeper into the plan.

Ornamental details held against a lighter layout

The historic shell is still easy to read. Sierlijke mouldings run along the ceilings, and the old ornamentation has been brought back rather than smoothed away. Against that backdrop, the new arrangement feels direct: doors align with sightlines, rooms open into one another, and the eye is carried past the kitchen toward the garden. That shift matters. It lets the restored house interior keep its stately frame while making space for contemporary living patterns that rely on openness, movement and long views.

The change in rhythm is most visible where the kitchen meets the original service room. Instead of treating them as separate leftovers, the plan creates a clear flow between them. Cabinets, openings and wall surfaces work together so both spaces remain legible. In the kitchen, the statement wallpaper is not a decorative afterthought; it wraps the room in a patterned field that catches the light and gives the hard surfaces something to push against. Dark and light cabinetry sit within that frame without flattening the room.

An open kitchen with garden view and a strong wall surface

The open kitchen with garden view is the visual anchor of the project. High doors and a skylight pull in north light, which then bounces off the sunny wall colour and softens the contrast between the fixed elements. The wallpaper has a bold bamboo pattern that turns the kitchen into a more enclosed, deliberate zone, even while it remains part of the larger interior. That contrast between openness and enclosure gives the space its tension: you can move through it easily, but it still reads as its own room.

Seen from the dining side, the kitchen is framed by pendants, tabletop edges and the repeated verticals of window and door openings. The wallpaper continues across the walls, so the eye does not stop at one surface. Instead, it follows the room’s corners and returns to the opening toward the garden. This is where the restored house interior shows its most contemporary side: not in a loud intervention, but in the way materials and light are arranged so the room can work as both passage and destination.

Daylight interior with reflected colour

Daylight plays a larger role here than any single decorative object. The north-facing light coming through the skylight and tall French doors arrives cooler at first, then takes on a warmer cast as it meets the yellow-toned wallpaper and pale finishes around it. That reflected colour changes the room throughout the day. In the living areas, pastel upholstery and soft wall tones make the light feel less sharp, while the ornamental details stay visible instead of disappearing into shadow.

The same daylight interior logic continues in the sitting room, where the palette shifts toward pastels and a few sharper notes from contemporary art. The furniture is arranged low against the walls, leaving the ceiling ornament and tall openings to carry the architectural weight. A modern lighting plan adds a second layer after dark. It does not compete with the decoration; it throws the mouldings into relief and gives the rooms a different reading once the daylight fades.

A custom library wall that carries books and objects

Further into the house, the custom library wall changes the pace again. Built-in storage spans the room with a measured rhythm of shelves and closed sections, leaving space for books, art objects and memorabilia without turning the room into a display case. A desk position near the window adds another layer of use, so the room works as a library annex and study in one. The joinery is precise enough to feel calm, but not so closed that it loses its domestic character.

That same attention to fitted storage ties the room back to the broader restored house interior. Rather than introducing loose furniture everywhere, the plan lets some functions disappear into the walls. It is a practical move, but it also keeps the rooms visually open. The shelves, frames and books give the room a denser surface, while the surrounding plaster and painted walls remain quiet. The balance comes from use, not from decoration alone.

Modern lighting plan around older surfaces

The modern lighting plan works hardest where the architecture is most ornate. Wall lights and pendant fixtures are positioned to reveal the plasterwork and the deeper surfaces of the rooms rather than washing everything flat. In the stair hall, wooden treads, a dark handrail and clean wall surfaces create a direct transition between floors. Light catches the edges of the steps and picks out the geometry of the rail, giving the route a clear visual direction.

In the bathroom, the language shifts again. A double vanity, rectangular mirrors and a freestanding bath sit against a simpler field of tile and plaster, with blinds controlling the window light. It is a supporting zone rather than the centre of the page, but it confirms the same approach seen elsewhere in the house: old structure, contemporary insertions, and materials chosen for how they register in light. The historic house interior stays legible throughout, even as the rooms are updated for current use.

Photography: Peter Baas