The Modern Apartment In The Old School

An old school in the Dutch city of Amsterdam, built in 1910, was converted by an architecture firm in ten large apartments. One of them, accommodating a family of four, designed by a studio and turned into an open and naturally lit place, is illustrated in the pictures below coming via Contemporist.com

Ons Dorp is the name of the century old school building that got converted into different apartments. This particular one was designed for a family of four, with the teacher’s lounge being remodelled into the bedrooms and the classroom into the living space. The main entrance opens into an open main area which brings together the living, dining and the kitchen. The living is visually divided from the other sectors by the tall door leading into the balcony.

Due to its high ceilings, it was possible to create maisonettes, which lead for the whole family to be together, but still remain with a bit of privacy. One of them was built in the living area, the second one in the master bedroom. It meant that in the living area the architects could combine all five elements; kitchen, living room, dining room, but also a play area for the children and work space into one.

Storage is of essence when designing for a family with two young children, therefore as a result furniture pieces were created under the stair cases that not only allowed for the children to put their toys, but also as a play and sitting area.

Concrete floors and steel staircases kept the characteristics of the school but when combined with plywood, it resulted in a bright and warm interior. All across the home, the design is kept minimalist which allows space to take on wider proportions. In the dining, a wood top table with iron wrought legs makes a fine combination with modern design chairs.