Room On the Roof, Amsterdam

De Bijenkorf

As you may or may not know, I'm just back from a Euro adventure that wrapped up with a couple of days in Amsterdam. I must confess I didn't get to visit this interior, but I discovered it while doing my pre-travel research and I just had to share. This marvel of art, architecture and design is tucked away right in that tower on the left in the de Bijenkorf department store.

Room on the Roof

Check. This. Out. Room On The Roof is an artist-in-residence collaboration between de Bijenkorf and the Rijksmuseum. The interior was design by i29 Interior Architects. It occupies the previously unused tower of the 1914 building. The interior is clad in fir wood balanced with pure white and sliced through with a black iron spiral stair. It includes a mini kitchen and a napping zone — gotta say not sure I'd be able to drift off suspended in an exposed box in the air! This place sure brings a certain Dutch minimalist je ne sais quoi to the notion of an artist's garret! The first artist in residence was Maaten Baas, who created a series of illustrations and more than 16 artists have since created special project at the site since it opened in Jan 2015. The current artist in residence is jazz singer Wouter Hamel, who along with guitarist Rory Ronde recorded 3 new songs at Room On The Roof, which can be heard online or in the men's fittings rooms at de Bijenkorf. Enjoy a tour of the space: