Architecture duo Joost Woertman and Anna Everding snagged this five-story construction in Rotterdam, the Netherlands, for only 1 euro. Within a civil initiative to rescue rundown areas of Rotterdam, the status of this exceptional deal was that the severely burned property required to be restored to its former glory. The deal was just too good to turn down, but the whole house, both inside and outside, had a comprehensive facelift. “Everything needed to be redone,” Woertman states. “When you renovate an old home, new problems arise all the time. Things that need work seem that weren’t observable at first, so you end up paying more than you would if you were constructing a new home from scratch”

Woertman, an architect with his own firm, Joost Woertman Architect, handled the job as part of his portfolio. Bold and innovative design choices were made as a way of demonstrating his abilities, while ensuring the layout suited the couple’s lifestyle. Within the span of a year and a half, the building underwent extreme renovation to make it what it is today: a broad, abstract and practical modern home.

in a Glance
Who lives here: Joost Woertman and Anna Everding
Location: Rotterdam, the Netherlands
Size: 235 square meters (2,500 square feet); 3 bedrooms, two bathrooms, workshop, garden, indoor parking
That’s interesting: The whole first floor is covered with an uneven surface to hide wear from regular use. Talk about foresight.

Joost Woertman Architect

In a bid to attract young families and professionals to live in the city, the municipality of Rotterdam purchased a large amount of severely damaged historical properties at the many derelict areas of the city. These buildings went into an initiative called “Klushuizen” (roughly translated as”handyman houses”), permitting individuals to buy an inexpensive item of property with the intention of renovating it. And while these properties are located in some of the more dubious areas of the city, the municipality plans to turn these areas into attractive, livable locations.

“You get more space for less money but in locations where it’s difficult to sell a home,” Woertman states. “This region still hasn’t got a great reputation, but it has to grow. You need to start somewhere.”

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Within this view from the kitchen, plenty of natural light pours through the skylight. Massive windows extend until the third floor from the dining area.

“There has been a lot of debate about just how much floor area we could cut out, because we had total freedom in the design procedure. We could have demolished everything,” Woertman states. While there was ample space from the five-story home to create a wow factor concerning layout, the duo chose to prevent designing a showroom, creating instead a home to enjoy living in.

Recessed lighting by Belgian company Kreon was used from the kitchen to illuminate work surfaces. High-gloss MDF cabinets are topped with high heeled laminate. “We wanted to have a tough surface that we can batter around a bit,” Woertman states. The countertops are additional spacious with a 70-centimeter surface for ample storage in the drawers beneath.

Joost Woertman Architect

At the front entry, an oak staircase leads up to the first floor and beyond. An unfinished wall with exposed brick patches to the left lends an industrial touch to the clean lines of the interior.

Woertman and Everding turned the ground floor into a workshop for design and furniture upholstery, and that they do together with the help of Everding’s mother.

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The kitchen is a functional area that reflects the couple’s love of cooking and entertaining. A semi-industiral electrical Falcon stove includes three ovens: a bread oven, a grill and a conventional oven. The heavy-duty stovetop has five burners.

“That which within this kitchen is very functional, for serious cooks that mean business,” states Woertman.

Stove: Falcon CKR 1092 stove stove

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The home took one and a half a year to reestablish; Woertman and Everding attempted to do as much of the renovation themselves as you can, with some assistance from friends. “We did a lot ,” Woertman states. “The whole house has underfloor heatingsystem, and we did the very best three degrees ourselves using a DIY system. We also did all the insulation work ”

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Chinese slate floor tiles length the first floor. “We wanted to use the most uneven floor surface we can find. This chamber is used a lot, so we wanted to have a rough floor we can walk on without worrying about damaging the floor,” Woertman states.

The crimson AVL Shaker seats out of Moooi combine traditional craftsmanship with a contemporary aesthetic, and the color adds vibrancy to the neutral palette. Woertman is working on a new dining room table in his workshop downstairs using material from a bowling alley.

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The warm gray on the walls is a custom color offered by the painter. A built-in shelving unit is used to store items often used, such as wineglasses, a sound system and CDs.

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From the next floor, a glass balcony from your living area and library seems down onto the floor beneath.

“For us, this was about a clean slate, a new and modern interior,” Woertman states. “That said, I do appreciate it if there are details left which may be restored to former glory, and combining those with more modern and new capabilities.”

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Everding is an avid reader and collector of books, therefore Woertman recently established this bookshelf to save some of their favorites. The three pictures on the wall were purchased on a trip to Peru.

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The solid wood dining table at the library is a family heirloom, passed down through three generations. The first owner was Woertman’s good uncle, a priest who used it to write his sermons on.

Vase: Piet Hein Eek

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The living area on the third floor is open, spacious and light. The crimson chairs were reupholstered by Woertman and Everding. Bamboo floors run across the top few floors of the home.

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“We are capable of making the home more private,” Woertman states. “And there is so much space to put personal touches that I think we will be living here quite awhile.” 1 way of doing this is to build custom bookshelves. New sash windows were made to resemble the original windows in the home.

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On the fourth floor, the master bedroom is light and just designed. The couple plans to include built-ins.

Light fixture, bed linen and laundry box: IKEA; drapes: habit

Joost Woertman Architect

The bathroom walls and walls were treated with béton ciré, a solid, waterproof cement including stucco which may be implemented to bathroom surfaces, kitchen counters, walls and floors as well as to furniture and other items. A row of downlights provides a warm ambience over the bath and rain shower.

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The bath and basin are Duravit. The hardware is by Hansa. A tall shelving unit stores towels and bathroom necessities.

The end required the speedy and precise application of seven layers. “This was definitely a labour of love and has been quite strain on the connection,” Woertman states.

Joost Woertman Architect

Three bedrooms occupy the fourth floor of the home. A bit of the ceiling has been left open to allow light to enter through the balcony on the floor.

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The fifth floor is the guest suite. Exposed beams, ample lighting, two large sleeping places and a bathroom make for a personal retreat.

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The landing leading into the guest suite will get plenty of sunlight.

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The guest bathroom has also been treated with béton ciré, now in a color of terra cotta. Light pours into the little space by means of a skylight.

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The construction of the home has been a learning curve for Woertman, that mostly advises clients in the design procedure. “There’s a difference between the theoretical and the practical side of architecture, which interests me very much. When you put a design down onto paper, there is the liberty towing it in ways,” Woertman describes. “You move from a huge picture to smaller details and then zoom again. As you work your way to a last layout, every stage in the design procedure must fit. During the 10 years I’ve been an architect, jobs have always remained on newspaper, and that I have not been involved with the construction of the property. I have never made the connection between the construction stage and that which was placed on paper. This was a big learning experience for me, being involved from start to finish and being hands. The construction of this house has taught me to rely on a lot on other disciplines, such as many suppliers, to receive a more integrated end result.”

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Woertman waves out of his front door.

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