HOUSE TOUR | ROOMS & GARDENS | CABANA MAGAZINE
Emma Becque and Isabel Bronts peep inside Louise Snouck Hurgronje's 17th-century color-drenched canal house in Amsterdam, finding a space filled with theatrical décor, vintage finds, and a 'gezellig' Dutch tiled kitchen.
BY EMMA BECQUE | ROOMS & GARDENS | 9 AUGUST 2024
Down winding 17th-century stairs lies the cellar kitchen, envisaged as an 'English country kitchen' full of mismatched crockery © Isabel Bronts
Bathed in primary colors and an eclectic mix of Dutch antiquities and English frills, Louise Snouck Hurgronje's home is far from conventional. Thanks to her keen eye, emerging talents, handmade knick-knacks, heirlooms, and gallery walls converse throughout the four-story canal house in Amsterdam, which she shares with her fiancé. It is a home that regularly hosts dinners and immersive theatre, gifting the 17th-century building the revival it deserves.
"I love this house. It's bursting with history," remarks Louise. The art PR manager and theatre producer is not "into staging spaces." Instead, she has bolstered her home with charming concoctions. Like her very own grown-up dolls' house, the space is teeny in width yet as tall as the native Netherlander, with equally towering historic windows flushing the space with natural light. "The house is magic," she gleams.
"The previous owners were art historians and hadn't touched a thing for over fifty years, heating pots and pans on open fire in the kitchen’s fireplace." Instead of stripping the house bare, as is in vogue for Amsterdam homeowners, the couple sought to "transport the bones of the building back in time", while carefully collecting furnishings along the way.
Behind a secret door off the entryway, a jewel-box dining room painted in Yonder Blue by Farrow & Ball is fondly referred to by guests as Gezellig, meaning cozy in Dutch. "Hosting is as thrilling as crafting plays for the stage," says Louise, known locally for her elaborate soirées, evidenced by baskets brimming with ribbons from past festivities. Instigating table talk is a menagerie of objects and artworks decorating the walls.
The jewel-box dining room, painted in Yonder Blue by Farrow & Ball, is fondly referred to by guests as 'gezellig', the Dutch word for cozy © Isabel Bronts
"Finding creatives online and commissioning bespoke pieces brings me joy," remarks Louise, a fan of fantastical fuchsias. A favorite is a rainbow Crayola drawing by Claire Dufournier, depicting the couple's cherished items, next to a Pierrot painting by friend Isabella Sainty, who also designs costumes for Louise's plays under her company Amsterdam on Stage. A cascading 18th-century brass chandelier, a longed-for gift, illuminates the Parisian Marché aux Puces-found table and chairs.
Equally glistening is a tableau of shell sconces from Shiny Things London, plaster casts by Alexander Griffin, and a hand-drawn programme from a recent play displayed in green A.Prin Art frames. The house is "conveniently or, should I say, inconveniently, located a stone's throw from the Spiegelstraat antique district," offering endless inspiration and access to the city's antiques. This includes the neighbouring "must-visit" Hesdy Artist, who sourced their set of museum-worthy paintings.
Equally dapper is the light-filled sitting room, which overlooks the Keizersgracht palaces. Built in the 1700s, the house was once a servant's quarters, accessed through the mansion gardens. "I quite enjoy overlooking the small garden where we have planted wild tulips," says Louise, which bloom flares of colors mirroring the interior.
Every nook is a prop for a much-loved item collected by Louise, who often sources in miniature. "Lots of my trinkets are reminiscent of the plays I have directed, which tend to reference oranges," she explains. On cue, taking centre stage are a set of clementine ceramics by Daisy Tortuga and a posing pigeon from Michele Varian in NYC.
A bench, an auction win from Onder De Boompjes, features stuffed teddies from Laura Dolls Vintage. A series of woven cushions by Gergei Erdei brighten the canary yellow armchair and a Catawiki sofa trimmed with coral thread.
On the hunt for "punchy art", Louise found artist Andie Dinkin online, who she commissioned to create a large-scale painting. Depicting luminous green from afar, on closer inspection it shows Louise and her friends enjoying a tea party. The brief: "a theatrical feminist picnic, reminiscent of A Midsummer Night's Dream".
Down winding 17th-century stairs lies the traditional cellar kitchen, colored in sprightly Citron Yellow by Farrow & Ball. During the restoration, Louise envisioned this room as an English country kitchen "filled with teapots and cups ready for guests". Influenced by her childhood in England, her vision manifests today in a charming space, packed with crockery and ephemera. "Nothing matches, but it works."
The eclectic style of the traditional Dutch cellar kitchen is influenced by Louise's childhood in England © Isabel Bronts
Working within the confines of the small space, the couple preserved many original features: white tiles, including a hand-painted pictorial scene, marble flooring, and a traditional wood-burning stove. Weekends are most often spent trawling Dutch flea markets for heirloom-worthy antiquities, such as the kitchen's round table and old potato peeling chairs, sourced from the nearby Noordermarkt.
Just like the plays she directs and dinner parties they host, Louise and her fiancé, Alexander, leave an infectious impression on their historic house. Rather than dressing up, the building has been dressed down and restored with vibrant colors, memories, and personal pieces, writing a new chapter in its centuries-old story.
Every intricate detail has been considered including the handcrafted vintage curtain ties from East London Cloth © Isabel Bronts.
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