Project: Connecting with Nature – Bloemendaal
Design: i29 Interior Architects
Client: Private client
Floor area: 490 m2
Completion: April 2014
Location: Bloemendaal, NL
Photography: i29 interior architects
Construction: Scholz Groep & Kastwerk
Collaborative architect: Paul de Ruiter
About Studio
An award-winning design office for interior and architecture projects. We deliver progressive work that stands out for its simplicity. In a digitizing world, we shape the physical experiences around us; clear, effective, and surprising.
The great diversity in our portfolio gives us the possibility to think “out of the box” and to work inclusive for all kinds of clients and users. We do not provide standard solutions, but we do apply standardized working methods to guarantee quality, efficiency, and creativity. We are constantly changing to make relevant work in collaboration with our clients.
We make places with a strong identity that speaks loud and clear. We consciously bring each assignment back to the core and strive to create work that inspires a better future. Working on renovations of monumental heritage gives the opportunity to reuse qualities from the past to the present.
Working on new construction developments learns to look ahead and to work future-proof. Both perspectives inspire us to get the best out of every challenge.
Close to Bloemendaal, on the edge of the Kennemer dunes, the site of Villa Bloemendaal is situated. A sustainable home that follows a minimalistic design and shows respect for man and nature alike, in a unique residential area where the existing flora and fauna are given full rein. i29 interior architects worked on the interior of a villa which was designed by Paul de Ruiter architects.
From the very start, it was clear that the landscape around the villa should be preserved as much as possible. A basement was created for the house and the ground floor is semi-positioned on the slope of the hill. The first floor towers above the partially glazed ground floor and the undulating dune landscape.
Both the northerly and southerly facades of the first floor are largely made of glass, while the easterly and westerly facades have a more closed character. Special attention is devoted to the use of energy. An efficient and compact structure has been designed with excellent insulation.
The available energy is used effectively, there is geothermal energy storage, a heat pump, and solar collectors on the roof, which is covered with moss sedum. A minimal approach to the materialization and detailing of the building is a core value of both the interior and exterior design. The large expanses of glass and the patio result in maximum daylighting and give the inhabitants the feeling that the villa and the surrounding landscape are one.
In order to bring nature inside, even more, all of the interior functions in the house are made from natural materials. i29 Interior architects created large surfaces of wood throughout the whole house to connect the different areas. Cabinets, wardrobes, walls, sliding doors, beds, and even a fireplace have been made in one and the same material. Pine wood panels -normally a basic material- have been used as a high-end finish with fine details.