Featured in VT Wonen 3, 2023

VT Wonen March 2023

Dutch leading interior magazine ‘VT Wonen’ features a 14 page article on my home/ studio in their issue nr 3 (March) 2023

The issue is available from March 7.

‘Art is about emotion, I am so happy when I discover a piece of art that touches my heart’

Ger-Jan and Gjermund think the interior should be warm and secure. So their dike house is full of vintage finds that are also comfortable. There is a lot of art on the walls, because that creates a good atmosphere and a modern contrast next to the mid-century furniture

The inhabitants

• WHO: Ger-Jan de Gilde (59, fashion designer, artist, studio owner PrintedPlant), Gjermund Kiserud (53, architect, cook, troubleshooter in company catering), dog Alex, cat Bjor
• ONLINE : printedplant.com, @printedplant, @gjermundkiserud
• WHAT: dike house from 1939, 175 m²
• WHERE: De Kwakel, since 2002
• INTERIOR TASTE: ‘Vintage is beautiful, but there must also has to blow a contemporary wind through the house
• SPECIAL: The carefully selected vintage furnishings furniture, functional and essential, with art as the buzz

In 2002, Ger-Jan and Gjermund became ‘Kwakelaars’, such as the inhabitants of De Kwakel are called. In this small village under the smoke of Amsterdam the men found a dike house, not the small and cute type but large and prominent. “It towers over the dike’, says Ger-Jan. “It was light, felt spacious and good, and still had authentic elements such as a bridge to the front door, stained glass windows, en-suite doors and wooden cheese boards floors. We instantly fell in love with it. And we could go right in, we just ran the paintbrush through.”

Sleep under the roof

Only in 2018 the couple starts a big house renovation to the plan they already had in their heads from the beginning.  The ground floor – once a garage, later an office – is converted into a large ‘one’ living room with kitchen and a second bathroom ‘where we can wash the dog’. The first floor for sixteen years the living space is now Ger-Jan’s studio. The bedroom remains on the second floor, cozy under the roof of the house. Ger-Jan and Gjermund wanted the new living space to create a warm, safe atmosphere. Therefore they painted the walls and the woodwork warm white and one wall coral red, like an eye-catcher. “I just googled it ‘colored living room walls’ and this color appealed to me’, says Ger-Jan. The floor is not in concrete, but a stone layer finished with leveling compound. “It’s less sterile, it seems there is a layer of soap over it. It is something more difficult to clean and a bit fragile; if you drop a pan you can have a scratch. Anyway, how often do you drop a pan! I don’t mind either. You live in  your house, and yes, sometimes something gets damaged.”

Measuring tape

As a student of the Arnhem Art Academy Ger-Jan was already a lover of thrift shops and the love for vintage stuff has always stayed. But nowadays he is looking for vintage specialized (web)shops: ‘Thrift stores are often full nowadays with clutter, as a result of the waste culture. I like ‘last century’ vintage especially from the 50s and 60s. It has such a high quality that has lasted all these years and I’m sure it will last for many more. The originality of these designs really appeal to me; they were new and innovative, not a copy of a copy like one sees these days. Those mid-century ones are also tricky in the design: ‘The seating furniture has such a straight sit. The couch therefore was the most difficult to find. But we found one where we can really relax on.” And he didn’t even pay full price for it: “I think it’s a sport to buy budget consciously. The decoration of the living room is grown very slow. I knew exactly what I wanted. I searched for a long time, always with the tape measure at hand, and let much pass by.”

Fresh headwind

‘Vintage is beautiful, but there has to be a contemporary wind blowing through the house’, says Ger-Jan. “After all, we live in the present. So I like to find the contrast.’ That arises among other things by all the art in the house, the most of young artists. “They are still affordable. Buying art is purely about emotion. I get so happy when I find a work of art that touches my heart.” The dining area also contrasts with the sleek mid-century design. There are cozy café chairs and a dining table which is custom made from recycled teak wood floorboards. The same floorboards are used as wall shelves in the sitting area and kitchen. The kitchen is from Kvik, modern colored in high gloss anthracite and white. The height of more than three meters has been used with a double row of wall cabinets. Gjermund shouted about the kitchen:“I need a lot of space!”. He’s crazy about cooking and doesn’t want to have to empty half a cupboard before he finds what he needs.” The bathroom is also contemporary with a graphic black and white tile pattern. Something he had seen similar in a restaurant toilet in Hong Kong, says Ger-Jan, who for his work as a designer for fashion brands as Claudia Sträter travels the world. “The inspiration is found in the street.”

Gjermund longed for light, air and space, that’s why the couple is from Amsterdam moved to De Kwakel. Ger-Jan: ‘He’s originally from Norway, is an outdoorsman, wanted a dog to take out into the fields and a vegetable garden offering fresh greens every day. At first I found moving from the city hard and did all groceries shopping in the city for years. But it also has brought me a lot. Through the walks with the dog I got an eye for nature and now I make my botanical art prints.’ Recently Ger-Jan suggested overconfidently: shall we move to Norway? ‘I did not expect Gjermund to be positive about this proposition. There is a piece of family land with a farm on it. Collapsed, but still. Who knows. I am happy though the farm is not too far from Oslo.’