Arriving through the kitchen, Daan, co-founder and recipe maker of Mister Kitchen, leans against the island bench to describe how his home is a true reflection of who they are and how they like to live. An open, double-height space adjoins the kitchen and vertically connects the dining table to the lounge room above. “The kitchen,” Daan continues, “forms the heart of the house.” It is in this main space, where the family’s lives collide, where they come together to work and to play. 

Maartje is also a passionate and creative entrepreneur, running her own book trade. The sitting space on the upper level is defined by a carefully crafted, floor to ceiling oak frame that doubles as an open bookshelf. The design team consciously integrated oak to form a flowing visual identity through the entire townhouse. “And with the void deliberately left open, it all just feels like one connected space,” says Daan.

Across the many different floors, there is always a place for hobbies and a place to work or to rest. “We calculated that no matter what was built in the surrounding area, we would always see a piece of the IJ from our bed,” says Daan. Light floods through the floor-to-ceiling windows and you hear nothing at all through the triple glazed glass. “Silence in the city is a real luxury,” says Daan. A stone’s throw from the centre, this home is their cocoon – a place to recharge their batteries, work on new ideas and enjoy family time.