A Distinct Villa with Global Flair
WRITTEN BY CAROLYN M. RUNYON / PHOTOGRAPHY BY PETER BAAS
Leonie Hendrikse and her husband, Jeroen Stock, owners of Stock Dutch Design, know a thing or two about designing in the Netherlands. Due to the wet, cold climate and long winters, locals often desire warm, cozy family homes. And that is exactly what the team delivered for the couple’s personal residence. “We feel the warmth of this interior offers a true feel of the Netherlands,” says Hendrikse. Here, as in all of their projects, there is an emphasis on welcoming, yet distinctly different motifs and elements that complement and contrast.
Full-height glass doors open to a corridor between the kitchen area and the living room in the personal home of designers Leonie Hendrikse and Jeroen Stock.
“We wanted to reinvent the existing residence as a personal family house with a soul.”
Old with new, traditional with modern, bold with reserved; these contrasting elements strengthen and balance one another in this sophisticated Dutch design. In the dining area, artwork by Marie Cécile Thijs lines the back of the cabinet, while art by Casper Faassen hangs to the right of it. Throughout, quiet walls and simple furniture creatively blend with patterned drapes and antique pieces. Vibrant wallpaper with a historic feel is accented by modern furnishings.
The circa-1950s, 3,767-square-foot, three-floor villa is home to the couple, their three teenage children, and their two dogs. “We wanted to reinvent the existing residence as a personal family house with a soul,” explains Stock. “Heritage was important. We wanted a result that was stylish but still practical. And, most importantly, we wanted something that was future proof.” They achieved that modern mission with varied shades of pinks and greens interspersed with vibrant patterns, accent colors, and unique furniture and decor.
One thing that didn’t need reinventing was the villa’s location. Located in the Amsterdam beach area of Haarlem, it is just a ten-minute bicycle ride to the beach and a thirty-minute drive to the buzz of Amsterdam. Although the city is nearby, the 15,069-square-foot property, adjacent to a forest, feels worlds away. An abundance of glass windows and doors allows views of the beautiful surroundings and the bountiful passage of light into the rooms. The glass, the homeowners say, gives the house a light, airy and breezy atmosphere.
“The interior was a process in which our whole team participated,” explains Stock. He says it was a reflection of their family’s personality and shared experiences. Hendrikse and Stock spent part of their youth in Asia, which often influences their designs. “We love working with generous contrasts in all the projects we do,” adds Stock. “We work with a mix of pieces, modern and heirloom [in each of the rooms].”
Classic, rich marble floors in the kitchen contrast with a simple white marble waterfall countertop with seating for three. Above the counter, a modern rack displays colored glassware from a much earlier era. Subtle green tones on the cabinetry are accented by the brilliant rose-tone counter chairs, the black wrought-iron rack, and black drawer and door pulls.
Classic, rich marble floors in the kitchen contrast with a simple white marble waterfall countertop with seating for three. Above the counter, a modern rack displays colored glassware from a much earlier era. Subtle green tones on the cabinetry are accented by the brilliant rose-tone counter chairs, the black wrought-iron rack, and black drawer and door pulls.
The dining area continues the dark marble floors and white marble in an uncomplicated, large pedestal table designed by Piet Hein Eek. A clean-lined cabinet holds classic china and antique silverware—family pieces from long ago. An upholstered bench and three gray chairs provide ample seating, and warm, light beige walls blend beautifully with the gray. A full wall of glass on one side and opposite, a large glass slider, invite the lush green exterior and natural light into the design, visually expanding the space. The simplicity of the furnishings contrast with pattern-heavy drapes, a single red accent chair, and the pop of modern gold-toned pendants.
Off the kitchen area is an unexpected space with a desk and sitting area. Although the furnishings are subtle and visually quiet, the wallpaper by Pierre Frey is anything but. The walls are deep brown with colorful, dramatic illustrations of tribal headdresses, wearables, tools, and intricate beaded bags. Again, windows bring the outside in, and a plush, green upholstered sofa, dark-wood cabinetry, and subdued green printed draperies, contrast perfectly with the active walls.
An impressive wallpaper mural, D-Dream (daydream) by Iksel, covers all walls in the corridor connecting the dining room and living room. It is, again, a room of many contrasts. “There is a trompe l’oeil [feel] with the palm trees. It gives the room a surreal atmosphere,” explains Hendrikse. The tropical plants, birds, and animals work well with the personality-filled chairs: a bright-pink Moroso chair, a burgundy, wishbone-style chair, and a stuffed chair upholstered in tiger-stripe fabric. Again, floor-to-ceiling glass makes the exterior landscape a backdrop, blending beautifully with the powerful mural. Tucked in a full-glass niche is a vintage sofa by Arne Norell, a Swedish designer. Live plants, which the homeowner-designers say have the tendency to break straight lines and make a room more vivid, are arranged in this and several of the other rooms as a reflection of their own feelings of wanderlust.
“We always combine diverse colors, structures, and materials, completed with personal heirlooms,” Stock says of their efforts as interior designers. “We are consistently looking for a way to stress the way these elements strengthen one another.” Their personal home is a beautiful composite of these goals, and one that borrows from the past to move into the future.
This multifunctional “loungy” sitting room features golden wallpaper from Elitis. A painting by artist Elizabeth Nyumi Nungurrayi reminds Hendrikse of her childhood in Australia.
Deborah Farmer
