HOUSE N

NOORDWIJK, 2009

The seaside villa in Noordwijk was built in 1938 as a holiday home for the owner of a concrete factory. For obvious reasons it was constructed out of pure concrete which makes it quite a solid affair, difficult to reconstruct or extend. The seaside weather and salty air have taken their toll, and when Maxwan first visited the house it appeared to be in bad shape. We suggested to the client that the best and least expensive way to fulfill their wishes would be to tear the house down completely, but they felt attached to the old place and asked for a more subtle intervention.

The kitchen and the living room needed extending and the basement had to be made over. Small windows were replaced by larger ones, outdated bathrooms were refurbished and bedrooms and the attic underwent a face-lift. At last we designed a spiral staircase with a special metal railing …