The kitchen island sits at the center of a renovation that changed the way this 19th-century merchant house is used. What used to be an open stair void has been closed off, taking the draft with it and making room for two extra chambers. A new staircase now rises from the kitchen, set opposite the coffee corner, so the ground floor and the living room above are tied together by one clear route. The result is a modern classic interior shaped by circulation as much as by material.

From an open void to a clearer ground floor

The former staircase opening once pulled cold, damp air through the house. Closing it off was not only a technical move; it changed the scale of the plan. The new layout holds the kitchen more firmly on the ground floor, while the upper level feels connected rather than separated. Near the entrance, a stair once appeared almost suspended and exposed. In its place, the kitchen staircase now gives the room a grounded edge, with the kitchen island set as a steady counterpoint in the middle.

That shift also created two additional rooms, which helps explain why the plan now feels less fragmented. The route from one level to the next is shorter and easier to read. In a house with two front doors, that kind of clarity matters. The staircase in kitchen no longer competes with the rest of the space; it supports it, letting the kitchen island and the surrounding cabinetry take on a more deliberate role in the composition.

Walnut cabinetry and stone set the tone

Custom kitchen cabinetry in walnut gives the kitchen its main visual weight. The timber runs in clean, fitted lines and keeps the room from feeling overworked. Against it, the natural stone countertop introduces a colder surface with visible movement in the veining. The contrast is direct: wood absorbs light, stone sends it back. That is what makes the kitchen island read so clearly in the room, even before you notice the details around it.

The same attention to fit appears in the built-in cabinets along the walls. Their placement makes room for storage without breaking the line of the space, and the integrated niches keep smaller objects from scattering across the kitchen. Close by, the wine storage niche is treated as part of the architecture rather than as an afterthought. It is one of the clearest signs that the project was shaped around daily use, not just surface effect.

Light, grain and the edges between them

Seen in daylight, the kitchen island becomes a quiet pivot between the tall windows and the darker wall planes. The stone surface picks up the light from the room, while the walnut cabinets hold onto shadow. That tension gives the kitchen its pace. Nothing is overdone. The materials do the work through grain, reflection and edge detail, especially where the stone meets the timber in tight, measured joints.

The visible craftsmanship is strongest where the cabinetry turns into built-in cabinets and niche fronts. Openings are kept narrow, finishes are restrained, and the storage reads as part of the wall rather than as separate furniture. For a modern classic interior, that restraint matters. It allows the kitchen island to stay central without becoming heavy, and it keeps the room open enough for the staircase in kitchen to remain legible from several angles.

Pattern and color in the adjoining rooms

Beyond the kitchen, the palette changes more quickly. In the small hall, floral wallpaper introduces a more animated note, with a botanical pattern that shifts the mood as soon as you enter. The wallpapered interior is not loud, but it does mark the threshold. Its pattern stands in contrast to the walnut grain and the pale stone nearby, which makes the transition between rooms feel edited rather than abrupt.

The drink cabinet doors are painted in a deep green tone that pulls the eye without overwhelming the wall. That color sits comfortably next to the kitchen’s quieter surfaces. In the playroom, another floral wallpaper keeps the room lighter and more relaxed in appearance, while the living room curtains bring a stronger graphic rhythm. Their linen content softens the fall of the fabric, but the pattern still gives the windows a clearer outline.

Curtains that frame the room instead of hiding it

The pattern curtains in the living area do more than cover glass. They shape the edge of the room and guide the daylight as it enters through the large windows. In some views, the curtains run from almost ceiling height down to the floor, creating a vertical line that balances the broader surfaces around them. The fabric’s structure keeps the folds readable, while the linen adds a little slack to the drape.

That same attention to texture appears again in the seating area and near the fireplace wall. A mirror sits above the surround, catching light and reflecting the darker wall treatment. Nearby, stone and fabric sit side by side without trying to match. The room works through that difference: hard against soft, polished against matte, open against enclosed.

Rooms linked by small but specific moves

What makes the project distinct is not one dramatic gesture but the series of smaller ones that hold it together. The new staircase in the kitchen makes the route practical. The kitchen island anchors the center. The custom kitchen cabinetry keeps storage close at hand. The built-in cabinets absorb clutter. Even the wine storage niche has a precise place in the sequence of rooms, so the house moves from one function to the next without losing orientation.

Across the interior, the same discipline repeats at different scales. Stone appears as a work surface, in a fireplace surround, and in reflective details. Pattern appears in wallpaper and curtains, but never in the same register twice. The house now reads as a modern classic interior because the changes are structural as well as visual: the plan was altered, the draft was stopped, and the main rooms were given a clearer relationship to each other.

Photographed by Space content studio. Suppliers and materials include Proest interieur bouw, Jan Reek natuursteen and Interior & Elements steel doors.