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Place to be

Tuning à la BRICKS Amsterdam

James van der Velden loves modern design, and he is fascinated by the visual arts. The Dutch interior designer has chosen an old garage in Amsterdam's old town in which to create a distinctive home to match his own style.
All images: Copyright ©BRICKS Amsterdam

Van der Velden's vision: masculine, austere and rich in contrasts

Van der Velden had worked for designers such as Kelly Hoppen London before opening up his own studio, BRICKS Amsterdam, whose individual style has already earned its own sobriquet: by combining classical elements with a broad contemporary approach, a typical BRICKS Design is often described as ‘timeless eclecticism’. In particular, the Citizen M hotels in London, Amsterdam and Rotterdam designed by BRICKS are the embodiment of this design.

When planning his own apartment in Amsterdam, van der Velden opted to realize his personal vision of a masculine and rather austere style that underscores his love of contrasts. Naturally there must also be room for the cameras, works of art and vehicles that he has collected over the years.

Citizen M-Hotels

Touch and see! A personal museumes Museum

The only way into the 130 square meter apartment is through the garage door, and it feels like entering a personal museum.

However, people here are allowed to touch the exquisite items on display, and even to use them. Practically everything is used, and was acquired at flea markets in Paris or London.
The rugged couch, however, which looks decidedly used, was purchased by the designer in an online auction. In the background, pencil drawings, photographs and antique oil paintings give the flat the appearance of Velden's own gallery.

Upcycling at its best

Upcycling à la van der Velden: he has repurposed an old apple crate to create an occasional table with storage space. The armchairs are also second-hand, the designer simply had them reupholstered. Antique suitcases stacked on top of each other provide unique shelf space, while the glass dome lamp
is one of van der Velden's own creations.

Outside is inside!

The apartment as a whole is all about an interesting use of contrasts – dark and light, textures and smooth surfaces – or the interplay of black-and-white elements. Van der Velden also ingeniously breaks the line between inside and outside by creating an "indoor" garden between the bedrooms and the kitchen-diner. All of the rooms border on the massive lattice window construction that surrounds the garden.

A workbench is transformed into a washbasin vanity unit

When van der Velden purchased the garage, the walls were tiled up to a height of 1.80 meters. When he removed the tiles, this original blue wall was revealed, and he decided to leave it just was it was in the bathroom to serve as an accent wall – creating a raw, industrial look. The designer converted an old workbench into a vanity unit with the surface-mounted Vero washbasin by Duravit sitting on top. White Metro tiles from Mosa further highlight the archaic authenticity

Vero

Not without my motorbike!

Perfectly parked: the design of the bedroom is dominated by a wall-mounted vintage motorbike that takes pride of place on the top shelf and serves as a reminder of the building's original use.

Bricks Amsterdam