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When an expat French family hired us to open up enlarge and renovate their kitchen in their courtyard-facing home near de Amstel, we took notice of the client’s demands and outlined a two-step approach: repurpose some of the pre-existing elements, while blending them with newly designed, custom-made elements.

By pushing back the rear kitchen wall towards the living space, we created a centerpiece built-in wall that becomes the focal point of their ground floor. On one side it is used as cabinets for the kitchen, while on the opposite side it doubles up as a tall cabinet with nooks to display the client’s art pieces and store some of their kids’ toys.

We designed this new, custom-made cabinet for functional use, then animated its composition with small openings and light features, before painting in a matte, dark teal blue coating.

The kitchen was originally made with standard Ikea Metod cabinets, but we improved it by adding custom-made doors in two finishes: natural solid oak and smokey-blue sustainable linoleum. For the kitchen floor we used matching matte blue tiles, complemented by a light silestone marble for the countertop and the sink backsplash.