Studio van 't Wout knows what fine living is
DATE
15 July 2024
TEXT
Jasper Gramsma
IMAGE
Lotte van Uitert
Wie kiest voor de meubels en materialen uit het merkenportfolio van Studio van ’t Wout kan rekenen op begeleiding van A tot Z in het interieurontwerp. “Onze projecten leiden vaak tot mooie vriendschappen.”
Interior designers Arie and Saskia Alderliesten, in addition to being partners in life, are also joint owners of Studio van 't Wout. Yet it had been a while since the two of them worked intensively on the same project. No wonder, because with their design store and 'open house' in Zeestraat, a large team and a newly expanded flagship store of Italian furniture brand LEMA on Kneuterdijk, their diaries are overflowing.
Under the smoke of Rotterdam, they found each other again in an exceptional assignment: a newly built villa of no less than one thousand square metres for which all the stops were pulled out both outside and inside. "But we can also decorate a living room by ourselves," Saskia reassures.
"With this project, everything went just a little bit differently than usual," Arie reflects in the design hall on Zeestraat full of brands such as B&B, Molteni and Porro. "This couple came to us through word of mouth and immediately fell for the style in our showrooms. Their personalities - no-nonsense with a love for beautiful things - really fit our portfolio and our handwriting. In addition, they are also very involved, have an eye for detail and had ideas of their own that they tested against us.
Studio van 't Wout
The thing was that construction had already started. Sas and I had to pull out all the stops to come up with a fully customised design in a few weeks." While Studio van 't Wout is usually involved in the early stages with the layout of rooms and the necessary connection points, here much was already fixed. Saskia: "Fortunately, the spatial layout was good, we could immediately go in-depth about style and atmosphere."
'It's your place, we serve it'
Before there is a stroke of a pen on the digital sketch paper, the interior designers have several conversations. "We do this both in our showrooms and in your home. We want to know who you are, what colours and materials you like, what art you have and how you want to use your home. After all, it is your place, and we serve you with our solutions. Sometimes they are almost like therapy sessions," laughs Saskia.
"So often our projects lead to beautiful friendships." The builders of this 'modern farmhouse' presented Arie and Saskia with a challenge: despite its scale, they dreamed of a warm and cosy home on the human scale. "And they succeeded," Arie notes with satisfaction.
 | Read also: 10 x beautiful interior design shops in The Hague The editors of Bij Ons In De Residentie on the best interior design shops in The Hague |
3D
Saskia conjures the very first 3D sketches from the projector. "Funny to see this again," she says. "Do you remember, Arie, when we were sparring together and I was working out the ideas in the sketch in the meantime? So nice to do that together again after years." He adds: "Our division of roles is still the same: Saskia is more about colours, I'm more about practicalities. We are sounding boards for each other, it goes very naturally."
After weeks of drawing, an exciting moment followed: the presentation. "At the table we are sitting at now, the clients got to see the sketches for the first time. They were immediately wildly enthusiastic, that's how cool they thought it was!", recalls Arie. "It's also very special when you walk through your new house in 3D for the first time like this."
Ambassador
"Actually, there is hardly any difference from the final result," concludes Saskia. "Yes, a different coffee table was chosen somewhere and we moved a chair once in a while, but ninety per cent of this proposal was actually implemented. This is a real design with a Studio van 't Wout signature and so these satisfied customers really are our ambassadors." In terms of style, then, everything was quickly in place. The challenges for the design duo were mainly on the technical front. "It has been quite a study," Arie states. "A floated concrete floor? We looked for the best supplier. A tile edging for the pool? We came up with the best solution. A design for a sauna? Never done before, but it looks great."
'The panelling, with built-in cupboards, ensures that this has become a kind of cocoon'
'To emphasise unity, all colours are reflected in the wallpaper wall'
"Look," continues Saskia as the photos pass by, "here in the entrance you can see how nice the sight lines are in the house; through the glass shell you can immediately see the terrace, it is a visually continuous whole. The same goes for the first floor and the other rooms. To emphasise that unity, all the colours used are reflected in this wallpaper by Italian Glamora."
And on the image of the dining area: "We opened up the fireplace area, contrary to the structural architect's design, to include the living room with sitting pit. The panelling, with built-in cupboards, makes this a kind of cocoon; we call it the 'room with a view', such an insane view." A sitting pit and wooden walls and ceilings, we've seen that before. "Indeed, you notice that seventies elements are hot again now," he says.
'We want to know who you are, what colours and materials you like'
Equipment
One (in)conspicuous detail in the kitchen is the absence of visible appliances. Arie: "That was a specific wish of the clients. The ovens, coffee machine and walk-in fridge have been given a place in the pantry. The induction hob has been incorporated invisibly under the ceramic top - the maker even made a small drawer in the top to hide the control panel. Very special." Arie and Saskia's favourite room, however, is the domain of the master and lady of the house, which can be reached via the walkway on the first floor. "For this, we designed a stone-clad 'cottage' that connects the rooms on this floor. In it you will find part of the bathroom."
'Until the last detail is right, we get involved in the projects'
All the furniture has now arrived and the paintings are in place, but the work is not over yet. "Soon, we will go with the clients to an antique dealer in Brussels who specialises in Asian antiques to pick out accessories you can't find anywhere else," Arie says. "Until the last detail is right, we get personally involved in the projects. After that, it's up to the residents."
text Jasper Gramsma / image Lotte van Uitert
Wie kiest voor de meubels en materialen uit het merkenportfolio van Studio van ’t Wout kan rekenen op begeleiding van A tot Z in het interieurontwerp. “Onze projecten leiden vaak tot mooie vriendschappen.”
Interior designers Arie and Saskia Alderliesten, in addition to being partners in life, are also joint owners of Studio van 't Wout. Yet it had been a while since the two of them worked intensively on the same project. No wonder, because with their design store and 'open house' in Zeestraat, a large team and a newly expanded flagship store of Italian furniture brand LEMA on Kneuterdijk, their diaries are overflowing.
Under the smoke of Rotterdam, they found each other again in an exceptional assignment: a newly built villa of no less than one thousand square metres for which all the stops were pulled out both outside and inside. "But we can also decorate a living room by ourselves," Saskia reassures.
"With this project, everything went just a little bit differently than usual," Arie reflects in the design hall on Zeestraat full of brands such as B&B, Molteni and Porro. "This couple came to us through word of mouth and immediately fell for the style in our showrooms. Their personalities - no-nonsense with a love for beautiful things - really fit our portfolio and our handwriting. In addition, they are also very involved, have an eye for detail and had ideas of their own that they tested against us.
Studio van 't Wout
The thing was that construction had already started. Sas and I had to pull out all the stops to come up with a fully customised design in a few weeks." While Studio van 't Wout is usually involved in the early stages with the layout of rooms and the necessary connection points, here much was already fixed. Saskia: "Fortunately, the spatial layout was good, we could immediately go in-depth about style and atmosphere."
'It's your place, we serve it'
Before there is a stroke of a pen on the digital sketch paper, the interior designers have several conversations. "We do this both in our showrooms and in your home. We want to know who you are, what colours and materials you like, what art you have and how you want to use your home. After all, it is your place, and we serve you with our solutions. Sometimes they are almost like therapy sessions," laughs Saskia.
"So often our projects lead to beautiful friendships." The builders of this 'modern farmhouse' presented Arie and Saskia with a challenge: despite its scale, they dreamed of a warm and cosy home on the human scale. "And they succeeded," Arie notes with satisfaction.
| Read also: 10 x beautiful interior design shops in The Hague The editors of Bij Ons In De Residentie on the best interior design shops in The Hague |
3D
Saskia conjures the very first 3D sketches from the projector. "Funny to see this again," she says. "Do you remember, Arie, when we were sparring together and I was working out the ideas in the sketch in the meantime? So nice to do that together again after years." He adds: "Our division of roles is still the same: Saskia is more about colours, I'm more about practicalities. We are sounding boards for each other, it goes very naturally."
After weeks of drawing, an exciting moment followed: the presentation. "At the table we are sitting at now, the clients got to see the sketches for the first time. They were immediately wildly enthusiastic, that's how cool they thought it was!", recalls Arie. "It's also very special when you walk through your new house in 3D for the first time like this."
Ambassador
"Actually, there is hardly any difference from the final result," concludes Saskia. "Yes, a different coffee table was chosen somewhere and we moved a chair once in a while, but ninety per cent of this proposal was actually implemented. This is a real design with a Studio van 't Wout signature and so these satisfied customers really are our ambassadors." In terms of style, then, everything was quickly in place. The challenges for the design duo were mainly on the technical front. "It has been quite a study," Arie states. "A floated concrete floor? We looked for the best supplier. A tile edging for the pool? We came up with the best solution. A design for a sauna? Never done before, but it looks great."
'The panelling, with built-in cupboards, ensures that this has become a kind of cocoon'
'To emphasise unity, all colours are reflected in the wallpaper wall'
"Look," continues Saskia as the photos pass by, "here in the entrance you can see how nice the sight lines are in the house; through the glass shell you can immediately see the terrace, it is a visually continuous whole. The same goes for the first floor and the other rooms. To emphasise that unity, all the colours used are reflected in this wallpaper by Italian Glamora."
And on the image of the dining area: "We opened up the fireplace area, contrary to the structural architect's design, to include the living room with sitting pit. The panelling, with built-in cupboards, makes this a kind of cocoon; we call it the 'room with a view', such an insane view." A sitting pit and wooden walls and ceilings, we've seen that before. "Indeed, you notice that seventies elements are hot again now," he says.
'We want to know who you are, what colours and materials you like'
Equipment
One (in)conspicuous detail in the kitchen is the absence of visible appliances. Arie: "That was a specific wish of the clients. The ovens, coffee machine and walk-in fridge have been given a place in the pantry. The induction hob has been incorporated invisibly under the ceramic top - the maker even made a small drawer in the top to hide the control panel. Very special." Arie and Saskia's favourite room, however, is the domain of the master and lady of the house, which can be reached via the walkway on the first floor. "For this, we designed a stone-clad 'cottage' that connects the rooms on this floor. In it you will find part of the bathroom."
'Until the last detail is right, we get involved in the projects'
All the furniture has now arrived and the paintings are in place, but the work is not over yet. "Soon, we will go with the clients to an antique dealer in Brussels who specialises in Asian antiques to pick out accessories you can't find anywhere else," Arie says. "Until the last detail is right, we get personally involved in the projects. After that, it's up to the residents."
