Bright and functional house for a modern family from Holland

A house in which everything is possible. This is what he wanted to create for his sons an artist and designer from The Hague. And I got down to business with bright colors, functional furniture and unusual solutions for space planning. We study the Dutch experience to understand how to make every centimeter of the square to work for the needs of the whole family. In the house bought by designer Arno Dijkstra, a little more than 150 meters in total, two years ago in the sleeping area of The Hague. And almost a third occupies the "office" of the owner - an art workshop under the roof. But the rest of the space is entirely devoted to the family - two sons and wife Linda. For Arno, who specializes in furniture design, it has become a platform for bold experiments and unusual decorating solutions. He planned and built his house in such a way as to unite all household members, but at the same time to enable everyone to freely manifest his character and individuality. Common cause Despite the fact that the designer in the family -it was Arno who made all the decisions of the wife together. A real family home, they believe, is a common cause in which everyone, even children, should participate. That is why, in the end, the space turned out to be so bright and unusual - it became a reflection of the tastes of four people at once. The first rule of good design, they say in this house, is not to be afraid to take risks. Arno Dijkstra, designer:-We had a lot of ideas of our own. But we were afraid to implement some of them - we lacked experience. Then we called a friend-decorator, Rian, for a family council, who, by virtue of her profession, knows everything about the combination of various shades and materials. And she helped us work out the general style of the space, into which we then entered all the other elements. A glossy tile wall in the kitchen, for example, is her idea. And we are very glad that we followed the advice: this is one of the brightest decisions in the house. arnouddijkstra.eu Stick to a plan Another helpful tip fromArnaud - stick to a clear plan. During the year, from the moment of buying the house and before moving into it, the spouses arranged a monthly gathering with a detailed discussion of the problems that arose during the construction, fresh ideas and doubts about the work already done. Arno Dijkstra, designer: - It worked great.We collected many photos, sat in blogs, discussed every little thing with each other and with the children, argued until we found a solution that suits everyone. I think that's why we ended up with a house that you can only dream of arnouddijkstra.eu House-transformer The main thing in a house with two children,especially if they are boys - convenient organization of storage systems. Otherwise, constant scandals or permanent mess await you. Everything is different in Dijkstra's house, because they planned the cabinets in much the same way as the British planted garden paths: first they hung the shelves in the right places, tested them, and then "modified" them taking into account the test results. For example, they wanted to make a closed cabinet under the stairs. But in the end they left open shelves. Children were left with more interesting space for games, and bright books, construction sets and cars against the background of light walls began to look like decorative elements, not disorganization. Arno Dijkstra, designer:-The bookcase is filled with children's books at the bottom and adults at the top. Our boys read a lot and can take almost everything off the shelf by themselves. And what they can't get out with the help of a special ladder - stationery storage. arnouddijkstra.eu Kitchen Everything is planned and made by Arno's hands.The kitchen is separated from the dining room and the corridor by a long shelving cabinet with openings so that Linda can talk with her men while cooking on one side, and on the other, so that there is enough daylight in the kitchen and in the corridor. The kitchen fronts are made of birch plywood and elm, the worktop is custom made of steel, the oven and hob are Smeg, and the lights are Arian Brekveld, Droog Design. The positive mood of the kitchen-dining room createsan unusual contrast of deep blue and red accents reminiscent of the brick walls of the old Hague. Wooden chairs - Enzovorm, red plastic lamp - Twiggy by Marc Sadler. To the right of the dark gray kitchen cabinet - "Scharrelkrukje" - a stool-children's table, made according to the design of Arno. Children's Two children's chairs the spouses found onflea market in France. - Arno's favorite shade. And for a long time he achieved the desired depth of tone, and then transferred the color from the nursery to all the other rooms. For boys, the designer drew the outlines of the world map on it. And on an old suitcase - his own picture of a truck. Pride Arno - multifunctional bed withtwo sleeping places. The designer many times smoked and polished them to achieve the ideal smoothness and safety for children. At the bottom is a box for storing toys. The staircase leads to the very top - there is organized a game space. Bathrooms In the hallway, to save space,two hinged doors leading to the toilet and bathroom. Arno's favorite material is - even there. Its sheets are separated from the wall by about 5 centimeters, left specifically for the circulation of moisture. And the panels themselves are covered with three layers of a special composition against fungus and rot.