This Historic Amsterdam Canal House Gets a Japanese-Inspired Makeover

In the renovation of a historicAmsterdamcanal house, architect Dominique Hage had a source of inspiration nearly 6,000 miles away. The founder ofD. Hage Designswas working with clients who wanted her to channel the minimalist approach of Japanese design, honoring the country where they fell in love. But before she could infuse the 1881 home with sleek lines and earthy materials, she had to peel back over a century of updates, restore precious original features, and modernize the layout.

“当我们探索的空间,很明显it had quite a few owners over the years,” Dominique recalls. “We found layer upon layer of different constructions, like four or five ceilings that had just been put on top of each other. Some were just made of straw, so it was really cool in that regard. The current state was quite cute, hippie Dutch.”

BEFORE: “There was a random archway that had been put in somewhere along the lines that we got rid of,” Dominique says. “We opened it up to be as big as it could be, but it’s a small kitchen.”

AFTER: ANoguchi Akari ceiling lamphangs above the dining table. Dominique intentionally incorporated its relatives, theNelson Saucer pendantand aHay derivative, in other rooms.

As Dominique stripped away the dated finishes, she maintained the ornate plaster moldings, solid wood staircase, and classical symmetry of the building. She then refinished the existing oak floors with a natural black oil to give them a charred effect, nodding toshou sugi ban, the Japanese method of preserving timber by burning it with fire.

The dark surfaces are paired with extensive custom oak millwork that defines both levels. It begins in the living area, where a long storage bench is topped with airy open shelves to display the clients’ book collection. Along the opposite wall, which is painted in lime wash, a vintageVico Magistretti Maralunga sofaoffers a cozy place to read. It’s paired with a wovenNani Marquinarug, aNelson Saucer pendant, and aZara Homelamp.

“We wanted a bit of a mixture of highbrow and lowbrow furniture,” Dominique explains. “A lot of European vintage, which is so amazing, is available in Amsterdam. There are some similarities in the textures and color palette of Japanese design, but it also hearkens to a more multicultural style.”

AFTER: “We’ve been really clever with storage, basically,” Dominique shares. “I always try to have all the ugly things in the kitchen be put away somewhere, so we’ve got that shelf where you can hide your toaster and blender and coffee maker.”

The bespoke joinery makes its way to the recessed niches that flank the passageway, through the dining room with itsTime & Stylesoaped oak table, and into the kitchen. Once cramped and closed off by an arbitrary arch, the cook space is now open and features a sit-in peninsula. With a navy ceramicInax瓦连壁,年代tainless steel counters, and reinforced glass cupboards, it’s elegantly utilitarian.

BEFORE: Dominique kept the charming original wood staircase.

AFTER: Sunshine flows in from the skylight above.

Upstairs, Dominique addressed the darkness that plagues most row houses by adding an atrium, installing skylights, and moving the bathrooms to the perimeter. “In the Netherlands, they’ve traditionally considered bathrooms to be the areas that don’t need light,” she explains. “They’re often these little windowless rooms, whereas in more contemporary homes, we usually want bathrooms that are luxurious sanctuaries.”

BEFORE: The clients wanted to add windows to as many bathrooms as possible.

AFTER: “The bathroom was quite a tricky detail,” Dominique admits. “Getting that Roman bath made out of the tiles, but still having an overflow, we had a bit of fiddling to do with that and had to take apart some mechanisms and rebuild them. But they wanted a bath that was big enough for two people, and I think that we really achieved that.”

The primary ensuite delivers on the soothing spa vibes, with both a standing shower and a large Roman tub made of yellowWinckelmanstile, as well as—you guessed it—more oak millwork. In this case, the wood paneling and vanity had to be professionally waterproofed to ensure their longevity.

AFTER: “As we kept everything else quite restrained and calm, we still wanted to have a bit of a dynamic pop,” Dominique says. “We just embraced the sunlight, and we were also really inspired by this project in Onsen, Japan, that had yellow tiles.”

AFTER: The small hall bathroom utilizes olive green tiles.

The oak makes its final appearance in the relaxing primary bedroom, where a built-in headboard with floating nightstands is connected to the slatted sliding doors of the new walk-in closet. The natural wood acts as one continuous gesture throughout the entirety of the home, creating the sense of Japanese tranquility that the clients were seeking.

AFTER: “In the bedroom, we wanted to have some natural fiber carpeting just for the tactile coziness of it all,” Dominique details.

AFTER: A walk-in closet of dreams.