A riverside residence reimagined through adaptive reuse with warm materials, precise joinery, and new social and wellness programs.

Project Overview

Home Wilhelminalaan is a comprehensive residential transformation by Studio Modijefsky in the Netherlands. Framed as adaptive reuse, the project updates an early 20th-century house along the Rijn with contemporary additions—including a private bar, wellness wing, wine room, and multi-functional spaces—while retaining the presence of its detailed historic facade. The design centers on entertaining, everyday comfort, and a sustained dialogue with the riverscape.

Across the interior, custom joinery, a continuous wall element, and a calibrated palette of walnut, natural stone, copper, and textured glass create visual continuity between the original structure and the new volumes. Large openings frame the Rijn, tying living, dining, kitchen, and garden spaces into a cohesive whole.

The exterior of a classic red brick home with modern glass extensions and greenery.

Site and Urban Context

Set directly on the banks of the Rijn, the house benefits from long, lateral views and shifting light across the water. Landscape design by Arjan Boekel organizes terraces, seating areas, and paths to connect the main residence, extensions, and waterfront. Outdoor zones near the BBQ support gatherings, while smaller alcoves at the water capitalize on evening light and quiet views. This calibrated exterior sequence echoes approaches to indoor–outdoor continuity seen in Bamboo Pathways.

Adaptive Reuse and Design Concept

The design strategy preserves the classical character of the original residence and extends it with clearly legible contemporary volumes. Programmatic density is placed within the additions—a darker, atmospheric bar; a travertine-wrapped wellness suite; and a flexible lounge—allowing the historic core to remain generous and calm. Alignments across thresholds maintain sightlines to the garden and river, ensuring that old and new read as a coordinated whole. The project’s careful stitching of eras parallels heritage-conscious additions such as Harmonious Heritage and demonstrates how new volumes can clarify rather than overpower an existing structure, a principle also legible in urban cultural work like the New Museum Extension.

A cozy living area featuring warm wooden cabinetry and inviting, textured seating.

Spatial Organization

Entry flows into a central hall where a skylit staircase draws light deep into the plan and sets up a clear vertical axis. Textured glass doors open to the living room, anchored by an open fireplace and a continuous custom wall element that visually links adjacent rooms. Dining occupies a hinge position between living and kitchen; a walnut table articulates the zone without interrupting openness. The kitchen forms a working centerpiece facing the garden, with a large island and built-in breakfast nook for daily use.

New extensions collect social and restorative programs: the private bar addresses the garden with large windows; adjacent, the wellness area integrates steam bath, sauna, and a travertine-clad jacuzzi overlooking greenery. A multi-functional lounge with concealed fold-out bed supports guests and informal use. A light-filled atelier/home office introduces a different, brighter register within the overall sequence. Upstairs, bedrooms adopt a quieter material palette and storage, while the primary bathroom continues the travertine language with views to the Rijn.

A warm dining area features a wooden table surrounded by light upholstered chairs, illuminated by a sculptural light fixture.

Materials and Facade

The historic brick facade and classical detailing remain the project’s anchor, counterpointed by modern glazing in the additions. Interiors balance earth-toned fabrics, walnut wood, natural stone flooring, copper accents, and wool upholstery. In the kitchen, stainless steel counters bring a restrained industrial note against warm timber cabinetry and textured glass fronts. The private bar intensifies tactility with terrazzo, marble, zellige tiles, and geometric brass shelving over a patterned timber floor. The wellness wing consolidates travertine across surfaces and engraved feature walls to establish a calm, continuous field.

A sectional sofa in a sunlit corner with layered textiles and wooden accents.

Light, Climate, and Atmosphere

Daylight is a principal driver. Large windows orient everyday life toward the Rijn, while the central staircase pulls top light into the circulation core. Filtered light through textured glass softens transitions between zones; at dusk, the bar’s darker palette creates a controlled mood still connected to the garden via broad openings. Outside, varied seating niches capture changing light conditions and extend the social program across seasons—an approach discussed more broadly in the adaptive reuse architecture: complete guide to reusing existing buildings.

Design Highlights

• Historic Brick Facade Retained and Paired With Modern Glazing To Articulate Old–new Relationships.
• Central Skylit Staircase Brightens The Circulation Core and Organizes Movement Between Levels.
• Ground Floor Continuity Achieved Via A Custom Wall Element That Visually Ties Living, Dining, and Kitchen.
• Kitchen Combines Warm Timber Cabinetry and Textured Glass With Stainless Steel Counters for Durable, Refined Utility.
• Private Bar Extension Adopts A Darker Palette With Terrazzo, Marble, Zellige Tiles, and Brass Shelving Facing The Garden.
• Wellness Suite Wrapped in Travertine Integrates Steam Bath, Sauna, and A Jacuzzi Oriented To Landscape Views.
• Landscape By Arjan Boekel Structures Terraces and Seating Zones To Link House, Extensions, and Waterfront.
• Large River Facing Openings Frame Views of The Rijn, Reinforcing Visual Continuity Across The Plan.

Key Facts

Frequently Asked Questions

What were the main additions to the historic house?

The project introduces a private bar, a wellness suite with steam bath, sauna, and jacuzzi, a multi-functional lounge with a concealed bed, a wine room, and improved connections to garden and waterfront.

How does the design link the old structure with the new volumes?

A continuous custom wall element, consistent material palette, aligned openings, and large windows establish visual connections across thresholds, preserving the presence of the historic core while clarifying the new extensions.

How is daylight managed throughout the home?

Large river-facing openings frame views and bring light deep into the plan, while a rooflight over the central staircase brightens both levels. Textured glass modulates light between adjoining spaces.