NEVER TOO SMALL: Contemporary Attic Conversion for Family of Three, Amsterdam 60sqm/645sqft

I designed this apartment around my family. I wanted to maintain the spacious feeling we experienced when we first entered the space. I was inspired by the existing qualities of the building, like the wooden beams, the shape of the roof, the bearing wall and the natural light within the apartment. Furthermore, we wanted to have comfort in terms of warmth and natural materials, but also in terms of stability. My name is Michiel Hilbrink. I'm a visual artist and interior designer. My partner and I like the house to be calm and quiet, a place to recharge and celebrate family and small social activities. We've combined all of our publications to date into one beautiful inspiration-packed bundle. Our two books plus our digital guide, available now for a special discounted price. Thanks a bundle. The apartment is in a neighborhood called Transvaalbuurt in Amsterdam East. The Transvaalbuurt has many big old social housing blocks that have recently been renovated. The apartment is between two parks. There are many nice coffee and dining places within walking distance and it's a mix of new and old inhabitants. The apartment building was built in 1924 as a social housing complex. The top floor was an attic, but turned into apartments during the renovation. They were delivered as just a bare shell. There was only the central wall in the middle of the house and the wooden construction beams above. The idea was to have the furniture pieces float above the ground, which adds to the spacious feeling and makes the floor seem bigger. Our inspiration for the furniture pieces come from minimalist and modernist designs. In that way, the space has a somewhat timeless quality. The first thing I did was to add a bathroom and a small nursery. The bathroom and nursery is parallel with the central wall, thus making a hallway from the entrance to the main space. From the hallway, we kept a large open plan space for the kitchen, living and dining. Finally, with a five meter high ceiling, we created the mezzanine bedroom above the living area. At the entrance, there is a narrow but lofty corridor that leads to the main space of the house. We designed a wooden niche to hold our coats and umbrellas and the shoes below. There is another hidden door to a utility closet that we use to store cleaning supplies and other items. The kitchen, dining and living rooms are part of the same space. The side of the kitchen block is a shallow oak veneered cabinet for books as well as kitchen storage. This mix of functions make the division between the kitchen and living room softer. The kitchen block has a separate fridge and freezer, an oven and a dishwasher. On the top is an induction cooktop with a built-in exhaust fan installed flush with the surface. The top of the block is made of black HPL. At the end of the block is a small overhang with two bar stools underneath. You can have dinner together or work during the day. Below is a socket to charge a laptop or for kitchen appliances. In the back corner of the kitchen is a similar cabinet as the one on the other side tucked under the roof corner. The kitchen and the two side cabinets all have the same height. The diagonal lines of the roof, the kitchen block and the cabinets form a composition of shapes. Between the kitchen block and the FITSU shelving system is the dining table. It fits exactly in the space. The dining table has a linoleum top in conifer. We added four green chairs just for the pop of color. Behind the diagonal beams in the corner there's a little nook for books. In the living room is a cozy area that shares the same open plan space with the kitchen and dining rooms. The dormers in the living area have an extraordinary height of 2.6 meters. The size of the windows allow ample amounts of light throughout the day. The Richard Lambert lounge chair and the sofa have both low design which perfectly fit under the mezzanine roof. On the sofa one can get a feeling of being embraced in a cozy space. This is due to the lower ceiling under the mezzanine while still maintaining a connection with the dining and the kitchen areas. Under the stairs is more storage space. A custom three-door cupboard offers space for clothing. I made it extra deep to have a secret shelf behind for small boxes and personal items. From the hallway there's a door that leads to a nursery. Before our son was born the room was my office. We added an IKEA storage unit on the wall for his clothes. As it is under the dormer window with a shorter ceiling height not using a bed frame makes the space feel bigger. In this room we added navy blackout curtains to help him sleep. And I built a small bookshelf below for his toys, books and a mivi lamp. The bathroom is located by the entrance. The overall design is a calm and minimal composition of wood, gray and white materials. I wanted to have soft lights and tones in the bathroom so I chose to use wall lights, some sconces and a LED tube light above the basin. Even though the bathroom is a compact space it holds many functionalities like a washer, dryer, vanity, storage, toilet and a spacious shower. The bathroom has a large dormer window that provides plenty of natural light during the day. The gray bathroom tiles are 60 year old tiles from a French factory that I found online. I used it on the wall and the floor because I didn't want to have too many different materials. In the back of the apartment the mezzanine, cupboards and stairs are designed as one whole unit. The mezzanine doesn't feel small since there is a 1.6 meter high window letting in natural light. A small window looks down below and makes the space feel a bit more open. The bedroom offers space for a queen-sized bed. On the wall around the bed we added wooden skirting that is the same material as the floor. It also doubles as a bed head. The steel balustrade prevents falling over the edge. It's open so more light is transmitted between bedroom and the living room. The mezzanine, cupboards and stairs are finished in oak veneer. The mezzanine floor has holes for ventilation. This unit is supported by the bearing wall on one side and hangs from the roof on the other. This means it doesn't require a beam to be placed in the middle of the living room. The result is a tiny bedroom mezzanine that burrows under the rooftop. It's fun to look down and see what is going on below. The communal courtyard is shared with all inhabitants of the building. In the warmer months people enjoy the silent and lazy atmosphere. In a small space when you are limited to size you have to make choices based on what you think is most important to you. I simply wanted to maximize space, light and comfort in all kinds of ways. As a result the apartment as a whole has been kept open as much as possible while the bedroom and the nursery are small and cozy in contrast. Thanks for watching. If you're an architect or designer with a project we could feature please share it with us at nevertosmall.com submissions