Vera Steenhart realized her own loft in PATCH22

Her loft in PATCH22 – the first project of Lemniskade (the developer of Top-Up) – is not the first house that Vera Steenhart built. The previous house on the Nieuwendammerdijk, “after more than thirty years I am a real Noorderling”, had already been thoroughly renovated. Here Vera realized, among other things, a beautiful conservatory that she used as a practice room, “almost in the Vliegenbos.” It became PATCH22, where she could build a loft (122 m² with a loggia of 44 m²) entirely to her own discretion.

Sitting outside almost all year round

“PATCH22 jumped out. I had already made the choice to live in the Buiksloterham. The circular, sustainable aspect of this neighbourhood was decisive for me. The place is great, close to the bustle of the NDSM and on the water. PATCH was different from all other projects.

Architect Tom has great ideas that also appear in Top-Up now: the beautiful wooden construction, the loggias and the large windows. I regularly have people here who comment on those large sliding windows: “genius, I have never seen anything like this”. The loggia, which can be closed with glass panels, describes Vera as an “outdoor room”: “you can sit outside almost all year round.”

“Architect Tom has great ideas that also appear in Top-Up now: the beautiful wooden construction, the loggias and the large windows.”

Octagon

“Vera Steenhart thought the fact that she could fully determine her own layout” was incredibly attractive. “I have often renovated my previous house, a house must fit around you like a jacket. You can only achieve that if you can influence the layout and finish yourself.” Building the loft in PATCH22 was a “great fun challenge.”

Vera discovered that she found the octagon an ideal form to design spaces in: “the octagon is really around you, it embraces and creates very nice corners. They are nice spaces to stay in.” The view had to remain “unspoiled”: here she realized a living and working space over the entire length of the loft: “the most beautiful room in the house”. She is proud of her special doors: an Indian temple door in the hall and Riad doors from Morocco in the rest of the house. “All unique items.”

Working in the most beautiful place

Vera Steenhart has a practice at home as a relationship therapist and sexologist: heart matters. “I have been working at home for a long time and consciously in the nicest room. In this loft it is the loggia, overlooking the water and the city. I have been working in the most beautiful room for a long time: I also had my conversations in the conservatory at my previous house. That was the most beautiful place in the house there.”

The view had to remain “unspoiled”: here she realized a living and working space over the entire length of the loft.

In balance

During the structural work, Vera started writing a Program of Requirements, a fine guide. A number of things were already determined, partly inspired by the architecture: “as many natural materials as possible”. “I hired an interior designer to put my ideas to paper. She helped to see if everything was technically possible.” The walls in her loft were made of clay plaster and the floors of natural stone.

“I can advise future residents of Top-Up that it is important to have a 3D drawing made of your loft. I was able to digitally walk through my house and made adjustments based on that. You see three-dimensional much more than on flat paper. This way we optimized my layout and the home is now balanced very nicely, with all the spaces in the right place.”

More and more love for the apartment

The completion period of her loft, after delivery of the shell, lasted 4 months. “I had a great finishing team of builders.” The most important tip she has is about her own presence during the completion: “I was very involved in the construction. With coffee, cookies and an uplifting word. I often saw things that when I thought: hey, I didn’t realize that, how can we make that more beautiful? Because of the contact I had, the team built with more and more love for the apartment. And that shows.”