Home tour | A calming apartment in Amsterdam

Today’s home tour comes to you from Amsterdam, where design studios The Nieuw and Ibiza Interiors have teamed up to create a stunning apartment overlooking the famous Prinsengracht canal.

The aim was to provide a calming sanctuary in the heart of a busy city, and so soothing neutrals and natural textures have been used throughout. There’s also a wonderful mix of Scandinavian design classics and more contemporary pieces, creating a feel that’s minimalist, elegant and inviting.

Stretching across the front of the apartment, the west-facing living and dining room has textured grey walls and dark hardwood flooring that work beautifully with the golden light, making the large, open-plan space appear cosy and cocooning. At one end is a sleek dining table flanked by iconic CH24 ‘Wishbone’ chairs, with a leaf-like rattan pendant lamp acting as a focal point; at the other, Fredericia’s ‘Calmo’ sofa and marble-topped ‘Piloti’ coffee table, both designed by Hugo Passos, form a comfortable sitting area. There are also versatile wall-mounted lamps from DCW Éditions, together with conceptual designs such as Frama’s eye-catching aluminium ‘Rivet’ side table. I particularly love the way floor-to-ceiling linen curtains run the length of one wall, softening the grid-like steel-framed windows, and the way a large green and blue rug has been used to define the different ‘zones’ while adding a subtle pop of colour.

There’s a similar mix in the bedroom at the rear of the apartment, but here the feel is brighter and breezier to make the most of the morning light. A linen-covered ‘Ghost’ bed, designed by Paola Navone for Gervasoni, enhances the airy, laid-back atmosphere, as does Ay Illuminate’s rustic bamboo and silk ‘Z1’ pendant. A few darker elements with strong geometric forms, including Frama’s ‘Triangolo’ chair, have also been incorporated to add structure and depth.

All in all, the apartment is a fantastic example of how texture, colour and material choices can be used to create subtle shifts in mood, and it looks like the perfect place to disconnect from the urban world outside. Perhaps most importantly, atmosphere and wellbeing have been considered as integral parts of the project rather than afterthoughts – and that, to me, is what good interior design is all about.

All photography via Ibiza Interiors