Classic kitchen in Amsterdam, Keizersgracht

Written by Cees

Classic kitchen in Amsterdam

A classic custom made kitchen at Keizersgracht in Amsterdam. At the end of 2015 we had the chance to design and install a classic and custom made kitchen in a very classic and classy environment. The canal district in Amsterdam is the most fancy and classic set of streets in the Netherlands. The good thing about this is that all elements in the kitchen can be classic like the rest of the house: marble top, classic farrow and ball paint, classic doors and solid wood. The kitchen was ordered by VIOS bouw and architect Jurg Hertog (Emma architecten).

The kitchen was designed to be installed at the ground floor, a rather low area with beams. The upper room in the typical grachtenpand (canal house) at the Keizersgracht were extraordinary high. The lower parts were the servant areas in the middle ages where the cooking was done for the rich who lived upstairs. In the upstairs rooms we installed wardrobes and classical radiator covers to match the house architecture. Of course the chandeliers and classic skirting were present.

Back to the kitchen. The idea of the custom made kitchen was to match it to how the kitchens were back in the middle ages. Classic panel doors, a lot of space where you can hang the pans and pots and a very much classic marble Carrara top. It is the kind of marble you will find in the hallway and staircases of the old city houses here in Amsterdam. The challenge was and is how to make and create a new kitchen but have the classic and old look and feel around it. The main issues are the divisions, color, the paint, the handles and the kitchen top. Those are the elements that straight catch the attention, hence the importance for this in the design.

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In the past there was a lot of color to the classical spaces. Where people choose a lot of white nowadays if you study the style-books there was more color into kitchens and bookcases. Look in the nice farrow and ball books and you will find green and even red. We have chosen here a color that is rather green-blue but very classic. The paint is very mat which gives structure to the outsides.

Above the classic kitchen top we have placed copper and brass pipes between the alcoves. Here there are copper hooks where all the cutlery and pots and pans can be shown. A very open feeling to the space is created here. In the same style we created a very small but nice box around the range hood. The range hood is on a base of recirculation. This mean that the system filter the smells but blows back the air into the kitchen.

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As you can see the stairs start in the kitchen to reach the basement. Very well designed is here the storage cabinet unit along the staircase with slanted panels in the corners. The space is effective but in the same time very pretty with the horizontal parts in solid oak. The oak is not overwhelming but it is brought very subtle. The space here was very challenging and measuring was an issue as we do not take large margins to begin with. The smallest parts are made with nice lift up kitchen systems.

The oven we have chosen is SMEG in this custom made kitchen. Smeg has all the modern features but has a neutral outlook that can be combined in both classical as modern kitchens. Of course we could go for the AGA or LaCanche but that would be too much for this kitchen.

The kitchen is placed on both sides of the room. We did not choose for an island in the space as it it the main passage to the rest of the house.

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The result is stunning. A classical custom kitchen in a classic environment but with all the modern practicalities. If you want more information about this kitchen you can always contact us here at www.oock.nl

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