Houzz Tours
My Houzz: Designers’ Ever-Changing Home in Amsterdam
Beautiful objects from around the world rotate through this family home
The entrance to a church becomes the door to your office? Sure. A Moorish screen becomes part of one wall? Why not? Oversize urns in the office? Certainly. No solution is too unusual and nothing is off-limits for interior designers Jacomien van Haersma Buma-Zandt and Wite van Haersma Buma, the husband-and-wife team of Fortunata. Their family’s home, built in 1900 and located one street from Vondel Park in Amsterdam, is a design laboratory of sorts to try out their ideas.
A hand-carved Moorish screen is built into one section of the wall. It is the first thing you see when you enter the house, and it has a visually dramatic effect. On the table, an antique giant clam shell holds old pods from the double coconut palm (aka the coco de mer palm), found in the Seychelles.
The dining room is a mix of traditional furniture and whimsical items, including a vintage Marc Newson Nimrod chair, an antler chandelier and an antique wooden rabbit tucked into the shelves.
“The artwork is always being changed out in the house,” Jacomien says. Currently, a white sculptural painting, a piece from the avant-garde Zero movement, is paired with a pique-fleur vase in the dining room.
A portrait of a 17th-century forefather in a corner is matched with a more contemporary lampshade.
“The kitchen used to be in the front room, where our office is, but we wanted a large, bright kitchen, so we moved it to the garden side of the house,” Jacomien says.
The Arabescato marble on the backsplash and perimeter countertop stands out against the olive color of the walls.
The Arabescato marble on the backsplash and perimeter countertop stands out against the olive color of the walls.
The homeowners’ approach of combining natural elements, such as the marble, within a space is part of their signature style.
A work by Cuban artist Liset Castillo dominates the fireplace in the kitchen. An antique Moroccan water jar is illuminated as an objet d’art that plays off the colors of the room.
Haggis, the family’s dachshund, likes to sit in the garden room where it is sunny and warm.
The garden room walls were replaced by expanses of glass that open to a patio. “We wanted the garden feel to continue inside,” Jacomien says.
The front room now serves as a home office, and the Italian glass-and-brass table designed by Romeo Rega is used when meeting with clients.
Fortunata’s eclectic collection includes diverse items such as a large Middle Eastern earthenware jar, a bohemian glass lamp, a Spanish leather chest and an original African headdress. All the items in the home are for sale, resulting in an ever-changing collection within the space.
The wooden cupboard holds a collection of 1920s Brazilian souvenirs. “We love to collect and buy, and from time to time sell a complete collection,” Jacomien says. “We can pass down this passion to the new owners.”
A section from a church was placed in the hallway and is used as the door to one of the rooms. On either side of the door are functioning armoires.
The walk-in closet, next to the master bedroom, is custom-made with latticed doors, giving the room a colonial feel.
A wide hallway connects the downstairs bedrooms. A gallery wall displays framed drawings, etchings and personal mementos.
The kitchen is a gathering spot. “As a family, we either sit at one of the dining tables or else around the kitchen island,” Jacomien says. “I don’t like the couch thing.”
Jacomien, right, and Wite are pictured with their daughter on their patio overlooking their garden.
My Houzz is a series in which we visit and photograph creative, personality-filled homes and the people who inhabit them. Share your home with us and see more projects.
Browse more homes by style: Apartments | Barn Homes | Colorful Homes | Contemporary Homes | Eclectic Homes | Farmhouses | Floating Homes | Guesthouses | Homes Around the World | Lofts | Midcentury Homes | Modern Homes | Ranch Homes | Small Homes | Townhouses | Traditional Homes | Transitional Homes | Vacation Homes
My Houzz is a series in which we visit and photograph creative, personality-filled homes and the people who inhabit them. Share your home with us and see more projects.
Browse more homes by style: Apartments | Barn Homes | Colorful Homes | Contemporary Homes | Eclectic Homes | Farmhouses | Floating Homes | Guesthouses | Homes Around the World | Lofts | Midcentury Homes | Modern Homes | Ranch Homes | Small Homes | Townhouses | Traditional Homes | Transitional Homes | Vacation Homes
Who lives here: Jacomien van Haersma Buma-Zandt and Wite van Haersma Buma of Fortunata, their three children, and their dachshund, Haggis
Location: Amsterdam
Size: 3,800 square feet (353 square meters); five bedrooms, three bathrooms
“The house felt our own the very moment we first set foot in it,” Jacomien says. “We immediately saw this house had potential to be turned into something extraordinary.”
Because the home is also home to their office, individual pieces found throughout the space change often.