Garage Transformation | Barde vanVoltt

In just 6 months Valérie and Bart, from interior design studio Barde + vanVoltt, turned this 1930s hardware store in the heart of Amsterdam into a family home for four. 

The 100sqm ground floor space located in Amsterdam’s city center, just a few steps away from the famous Rijksmuseum, was far from your typical Dutch home. It was wide, dark, and was recently a home to cars—not humans. 

The first challenge was light. Bart and Valérie focused on creating a flow of natural light from the front to the rear of the building. They converted the solid front doors to glass, and raised the roof at the rear, converting the ceiling into skylights. Below, they created three bedrooms: a master and two children’s rooms that also function as playrooms. Each bedroom is divided by wooden frames filled with glass to share natural light.

The next challenge was balancing the integrity of the property with the needs of a young family. They drew inspiration from the building’s industrial past into their choice of materials and refined their selection based on durability and sustainability. The original concrete floor complete with imperfections sets the foundation, expertly offset with the warmth and breathability of natural clay walls. Then there are the industrial-style statements: the free-standing tin bath and sink in the ensuite by Patricia Urquiola for Agape, brushed and burnished copper tapware in the wet areas, untreated wooden frames, and a kitchen island made from rolled steel and a quartzite benchtop. Real yet romantic, much like family life.

This personal project marks a shift in the studio’s clientele: 

“This is a new era for us. We’re currently working on more intimate private projects in the luxury space, such as a boutique hotel, a townhouse in Portugal, and a private guesthouse in Mexico. All of which demand careful thought at every turn.” 

This contemporary family home is where life can be lived in all its magnificence—and its mess. Proof that style need not be stuffy, it just needs to be smart.