Caroline Ellerbeck

An illustrator and publisher of ‘Kleursprookjes’ (Colour Fairy Tales) Caroline Ellerbeck lives with Gilles and her three children Luuk (9), Fien (5), Flores (2) on a ground floor apartment (from the nineteen twenties) in Rotterdam West. 

Seven years ago Caroline and Gilles bought this ground floor apartment in the New West part of Rotterdam. An apartment in this case doesn't mean one floor ... no there are three floors, and the back is bordering a surprisingly large garden. She has a nice view of her garden from her office located on the ground floor. Also Gilles works from home. He is a freelance writer and marketer, and mostly works in the cultural sector. This setup works well for them right now with three young children. This is why they also do a lot of work in the evenings. Caroline is very happy with the way things are going.

“During the week we prepare fast pasta meals, but in the weekend we like to cook and prepare elaborate meals, such as sushi. We make sure the kids are in bed early and we enjoy a nice meal together. The two of us spent a lot of time in the kitchen together anyway, while our kids play in the living room next door. We use the little window between the kitchen and the living room to keep an eye on them, especially the youngest one, as she still needs supervision. We actually never watch TV. We don’t even own one. We watch some shows via the Internet on our laptops (i.e. ‘Uitzending Gemist’ or ‘YouTube’). Our children are avid online users.” 

Caroline: I really love going shopping on my own. Visiting different bookshops, looking for inspiration.

Jessica Nielsen

{Photography: Marjon Hoogervorst ~ Words: Sandra Jacobs ~ Translation: Nanette Watson}

Jessica Nielsen has been living together for 4 years now with her boyfriend Eelco who is an architect in a cool apartment in the North of Rotterdam. Light dominates this rental apartment. They painted the concrete floor white themselves. They share a studio that is a stone’s throw away and they usually continue working on their laptops together at night while sprawled out on the large sofa in the living room.

When we are at home we also like to cook together; we are real pizza lovers. We own a red brick pizza oven by Ferrari in which you can bake a delicious pizza within 3 or 4 minutes. Once you have tasted these pizzas, you’ll never want anything else… Friends of ours regularly ask us when they can come over for pizza again;-). We got a secret recipe for pizza dough ;-) from an Italian cook. Our favourite pizza is Pizza Bianco (without tomato sauce) with mozzarella, smoked cheese ('scamorza'), rosemary and olives.

Lucas and Lucas

{Photography: Marjon Hoogervorst ~ Words: Sandra Jacobs ~ Translation: Nanette Watson}

Lucas and Lucas are Sander Lucas and Marijke Lucas-Geurts. They live with their 1.5 year old son Joris in Tilburg, the Netherlands. Type of house: working class house from the nineteen thirties

How would you describe your neighbourhood?

All houses around us here are old working class houses. Close to the city centre. We live close to the station, the large supermarket and the ‘TextielMuseum’ (Museum of Textiles). The city is redeveloping the area around the railways. In the old days, the railway area was also where the workshops of the railways were located. There is a lot of industrial heritage that is now getting rezoned. It will be an up and coming neighbourhood ;-)

What do you like to do most when you are at home?

When we are at home we do very little. Since our son was born, we have a strict regimen of getting up, taking Joris to daycare, work, get home (late) at night, cook and taking Joris to bed. So at the end of the day we are pretty much ‘done’. Certainly because, until recently, Marijke was getting home late as she was working in Amsterdam as a graphic designer for ELLE Decoration. We love to cook (Asian and Italian), eat nice food, and have a glass of wine with friends.

Marijke: sometimes we watch a movie or a nice documentary at home, or a tv-show such as ‘De Grote Verbouwing’ (the big renovation) or ‘24kitchen’. It wouldn’t surprise me if Joris becomes a cook or an architect later in life ;-). I breastfed him for 10 months and have often watched these kinds of shows during breastfeeding.

Mar.ly by Marly Gommans

{Photography: Marjon Hoogervorst ~ Words: Sandra Jacobs ~ Translation: Nanette Watson}

Founder of Mar.ly is Marly Gommans and she lives with Mark and their cat Ralph in Tilburg, the Netherlands. A link house in a charming old neighbourhood.

When you look out your window you see

We live in an old neighborhood that is being renovated. The neighborhood is very mixed, with lots of young families, as well as elderly people and students, close to the city (only 8 minutes on foot). I used to want to live in Amsterdam but that is simply unaffordable these days and now I actually prefer living in Tilburg as it is so centrally located in the Netherlands. Why Tilburg? Mark studied in Tilburg so it made sense for us to settle here and we’ve stayed on after Mark completed his studies. Historically, Tilburg has been quite an industrious town; hard working, friendly people who respect each other. Especially in a neighborhood such as ours this is very noticeable. Everyone is friendly and doing his or her own thing but still very much part of a close-knit community where no one really lives in isolation.

What do you like to do most when you are at home?

I like to watch art movies such as Les Amours Imaginaires! But this weekend we saw a Quentin Tarantino movie and I love that too, so I guess you could say I have broad interests ;-) There have been times when I could watch as many as 5 movies a week but on average about 3 or 4 for sure. I also like to mill around the house, organize things, DIY stuff. I can actually get pretty frightened by the idea that our house might actually be finished because we do not want to leave here yet. I was raised with the idea that when your house is finished, you move. I like to make things fit together in our home. It is different from designing for my work because that is really aimed at creating products. At home there is no rush to get things done and less pressure, so that gives me a nice and relaxed feeling. 

Do you take your work home with you?

I try not to do that and make my home really my home.  So I am very glad I have a work place outside of the house. The only work that I do at home is photo shopping. I am more relaxed at home and allows me to focus a bit more. I have two interns, so my day ‘at work’ is rather structured.

Do you use your designs in your own house?

Yes! The scratching pole ‘Cats in Style Scratch Post!’ of course, and the cat cushion and cat litter box and my bag ‘Woodbag’ is hanging on the coat rack in the hallway. The Dressed Wood cabinet XS is also in the hallway.

Ontwerplabel Vij5

  {Photography: Marjon Hoogervorst ~ Words: Sandra Jacobs ~ Translation: Nanette Watson}

Face-to-face: a designer's profile with Arjan van Raadshooven and Anieke Branderhorst from ontwerplabel Vij5

 

Arjan and Anieke are ontwerplabel Vij5 and live together with their 2 black cats named Joey and Stein. The type of house they live in is a corner unit from the nineteen fifties in the Netherlands.

When you look out your window you see 

Our 15 metre deep backyard, with lots of edible stuff. We don’t really have green fingers but we do our best. We like everything that is edible in our yard. We already grow a lot: grapes, tomatoes, raspberries, herbs, etc. We enjoy sitting on the bench in front of our fire basket in the back of the yard. 

What do you like to do most when you are at home?

Not a lot. We like to read a bit or watch a movie. Arjan: I prefer watching shows such as ‘Game of Thrones’ in which I can completely lose myself. It’s a very nice way to ‘switch off’. Anieke likes to cook a lot, which varies from baking cookies to preparing complete meals. She can easily spend 45 minutes in the kitchen after a day of work. We don’t eat anything involving packaged or ready-made meals. We find it important to eat healthy, which also makes it easier to sustain long working hours. Anieke takes a PowerYoga class once a week and also does some exercises at home.  

Do you take your work home with you?

No. Work is often on the mind still, but we try to avoid crawling behind the computer at home. We do work late sometimes, but then we do this at our studio, and not at home. We also talk a lot in the car about our work because we are on the road often. 

 

Jurianne Matter

{Photography: Marjon Hoogervorst ~ Words: Sandra Jacobs }

Face-to-face: a designer's profile with Jurianne Matter of Jurianne Matter, Paper Design from Holland

 

Jurianne lives with Peter and sons Eise and Brecht in an early 60s link house in a pitoresque village in the Netherlands.

If you look out your window you see

Green! Always green, everywhere. That's what makes this place special. While the view into my garden may not be extensive, it is not blocked by any houses.

What do you prefer to do when you get home?

Well, to be honest, I am always working when I am at home. Somehow my work and private life have always merged. For me the most precious time at home is Sunday mornings. Getting up early and starting my day with an espresso and newspaper when everyone is still asleep, I end up blogging and ‘pinteresting’ in my office. Still a bit of work! Once everyone wakes up, I make Sunday breakfast (with fruit shakes and eggs). Then the men in my house basically disappear to do their thing – I guess that is what happens when raising two adolescent sons...

My workroom feels like a (custom made) coat. Compact, small, with a door that can be closed! It’s also necessary because I am easily distracted. I only put music on when I'm ironing, driving, or designing. 

 

Jannita van den Haak

{Photography: Marjon Hoogervorst ~ Words: Sandra Jacobs ~ Translation: Nanette Watson}

Face-to-face: a designer's profile with Jannita van den Haak from Jannissima

Jannita Lives with Arwin Caljouw in a working class home from 1956 in the Netherlands.

When you look out your window you see 

Tranquility and space; our garden faces south. When you look the other way, you can see new developments where there once used to be a park. The entire neighbourhood has been renovated. Kind of useful as now we have a supermarket and tennis courts at our disposal.

What do you like to do most when you are at home?

I like to spend time lazing in my sun bed with an Italian novel or magazine. I love the sun. I like to read Italian. My dad always listened to Italian music (Eros Ramazzotti) in the car and from I was 6 years old I started noticing that.  I started to learn Italian this way, from the back seat of the car while going on holiday. I also enjoy tidying up my clothing cupboard on a Sunday afternoon. That really relaxes me. I don’t have time for that during the week. When I am at home we are also cooking and eating. Arwin is really the cook in the house. I am the hostess when people come over for dinner and I like to dress up the table. Arwin is very refined! Everything has to be perfect. This way, we have nicely divided the tasks ;-)

Do you take your work home with you?

We talk about it but being at home means to relax. There are books for inspiration but we do not work at home. I also check my email on my Ipad but I can’t really recommend that to anyone. It is a real automatism and not healthy to be online all the time.

Do you use your designs in your own house?

Arwin has done all the customization in our house. We also have a nice mix of our own designs, antiques and Ikea furniture. I made a dish of glass (a project at the Academy), I knitted copper on a knitting machine and melted glass over that. This resulted in a kind of stillness in the glass. That was the start of working with glass. From this I discovered how diverse it is and what all you can do with it. My jewellery collection originated from that. And of course the bags I designed. First backpacks and now also leather purses. For years, I’ve been putting the travel theme into my designs. We also own a lot of souvenirs. I now have my first Fornasetti (an Italian designer) and I am very happy with that. It is a ceramic object of a winking woman.

We love to travel because of the experience and like to take with nice souvenirs from our travels. Nice ceramics with a story; like the Sicilian head. The story behind that is that an Italian woman fell in love with a slave, a forbidden love. Her dad killed her slave and put the head on the land. She went to sit and cried above it and then the land became very fertile and the family very rich. Ever since then, the ceramic variant of the head is a symbol for fertility and richness.

Floris Hovers

{Photography: Marjon Hoogervorst ~ Words: Sandra Jacobs ~ Translation: Nanette Watson}

Face-to-face: a designer's profile with Floris Hovers from Floris Hovers Designs

Floris lives with Eva, their children Ronja, Katrijn, Abel and Winnie the cat in a small working class home (from the 19 hundreds) in Raamsdonk, the Netherlands.

When you look out your window you see

At the front of the house, we can see horses. A little while ago, there were even air balloons lifting off in front of our house. At the back of the house, there is a big field where they grow corn. You can also see the dykes from there. It is a very nice and open area. 

What do you like to do most when you are at home?

I like to work in the garden. Keep myself busy. I like being at home anyway and keep things neat. I am also the one who cleans the house. It doesn’t have to be spic and span but it does need to be tidy again at the end of the day. What is a useful about this being a small house, is that it takes only 10 minutes to vacuum and mop the floors.

You work from home. Do you find it easy to let go in the evenings?

Mostly, but it is a continuing process; similar to the business itself really. I am a night owl and enjoy ending the day with a nice glass of port, while sitting on the garden bench. That has become kind of a ritual. It’s my way of pondering over the day. Get everything in order again.

Do you use your designs in your own house?

Yes, I use lots of prototypes, all experimental things. Those are actually the nicest, as no concessions have been done to them yet. I don’t own a lot of design, other than a table by Piet Hein Eek (I bought it for very little at the end of my apprenticeship), which I use as a desk now. I also own a ‘Lluslamp’ by Ontwerpduo and a chair by Tiesencoo. In this phase of my life, everything has to be practical and affordable. I also own things from Ikea. I know very well what is nice but it doesn’t fit here right now. The standard chair by Jean Prouvé (Vitra) for example. I would love to have that next to my kitchen table. Or the ‘polder’ couch by Hella Jongerius, which is also very beautiful. I generally tend to like ‘has beens’. I like it when things come together in your home. I inherited a cupboard from the previous occupants. I was allowed to keep it. The inside was already green and I really liked that! I took out the doors so you can see the colour better. Things have to grow over time and that is the same with an interior.

Anne Olde Kalter from LaFarme

{Photography: Marjon Hoogervorst ~ Words: Sandra Jacobs ~ Translation: Nanette Watson}

Face-to-face: a designer's profile with Anne Olde Kalter from LaFarme

Anne lives with Dirk in a very characteristic and authentic house, which used to be a small farm in Watergang, a small village near to Amsterdam.

When you look out your window you see

I see a drawbridge, the canals of the wetlands and a small orchard. During the past winter, the canals were frozen and thousands of skaters came by in our usually quiet little town. In the summer, you can see many boats go by.

What do you like to do most when you are at home?

I work at home so I am there quite a lot. The nicest thing about living here is being outside, close to nature. I also love to cook together with Dirk. We also use fresh produce from our own backyard, as we have our own kitchen yard since this year!

Do you take your work home with you?

Work and private life aren’t really separated. I enjoy the luxury to work in my pyjamas in the morning. I am not jealous of all those people stuck in traffic jams. I try to do a lot of work during the day, but it can get late sometimes. I just want to do quality work and it is nice and quiet at night. I do have a lot of perseverance I think J. I don’t stop until I’m happy with it. I do try to make appointments in town. From here, I can be in the centre of Amsterdam within 15 minutes. It feels as if we are living partly outside of the city.

Do you use your designs in your own house?

Yes I do. It makes me rather happy. I try to make things that I like to look at myself. In addition to graphic design work, I’ve started doing ceramics, mostly for relaxation, although the china cupboard is getting slightly full from it!

Nienke Sybrandy

{Photography: Marjon Hoogervorst ~ Words: Sandra Jacobs ~ Translation: Nanette Watson}

Face-to-face: a designer's profile with Nienke Sybrandy from Studio Nienke Sybrandy

Nienke lives with Sander in a new apartment in IJburg, Amsterdam, the Netherlands.

When you look out your window you see..

I see the playground from the school located around the corner, with children playing the entire day. We used to have an open view of the Rembrandt tower but now everything is completed filled with new construction. What’s good is that the trees are getting bigger all the time.  We don’t have a garden but we do have lots of windows. What’s also nice is that we are right at the lake (IJsselmeer) as soon as we walk out of our street.

What do you like to do most when you are at home?

I like to cook and eat together with Sander. We love Italian food: lots of pastas and risottos. I recently found a very nice book with lots of delicious recipes: La Cucina Verde (the most delicious Italian vegetable recipes). I also like to read a lot of books. The television is hardly ever on. It is actually silly that we have two television sets.

Do you take your work home with you?

YES. I often keep working in my studio until late, so we also often eat at Italian times. Sander has usually prepared dinner by then. Sander is really my sidekick. When you work alone, it’s still good to be able to consult someone every now and then.

Do you use your designs in your own house?

Not really, except for the new cushions. I have one damask tablecloth, but that really only gets used at special occasions. Sander really wanted to have one of those. When you move into a home, there are often already holes in the wall. The house is passed on to the new occupants with a past of its own. By putting a golden plug in the wall you can mark the spot, reminding you of the previous occupants.