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CULTURE

Inside Two Converted Potato Barns

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A potato barn may not seem like the most likely place to create a home, but studio Houben & Van Mierlo Architecten have managed to transform two into modern residences. Located in Amsterdam Noord, the neighbouring barns were built in different periods using different methods; the first around the second world war, and the second two decades later.

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Various extensions were added and taken away over the years, with the architects stripping the buildings back to their original states for the renovation. What was left was open-plan rooms which were maintained and adapted, adding living spaces similar to a loft. The ceilings remain high and exposed, while the original constructions of the barns are visible and the floors are covered in new cement - all creating that industrial feel as a nod to the buildings' origins.

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Where elements have been added, they all retain that industrial aesthetic. Black steel beams sit alongside clean white walls, whitewashed wooden floors and exposed venting - all kept sleek and clean to look contemporary and stylish rather than merely unfinished.

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The most striking element of the barns though, is quite possibly the photographic studio that sits in the property belonging to photographers Maurice Sheltens and Liesbeth Abbenes. With double-height ceilings, plenty of natural light pouring through and a window looking in from the master bedroom, the space is stark, simple, yet dramatic.

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To see more of Houben & Van Mierlo Architecten's work, visit their website.

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Sarah Atkinson
Sarah Atkinson Writer and expert

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