“I had furniture that suited an old house in South, but nothing for a light loft in Noord,” says Jan Willem Sieburgh, director of the Stedelijk Museum and resident of PATCH22, the building next to Top-Up. “So I went looking for new wooden furniture, and ended up in Antwerp, where I saw a dresser. A beautiful Danish design.
I told this to architect Tom Frantzen who pointed me to a store in Copenhagen. That’s how it all started. Sieburgh has several Danish designs in his loft, the most striking of which is a desk by Bodil Kjær from the ’60s. “This working table can be seen in three Bond films. I was looking for a desk and when I saw it, I couldn’t find another one more beautiful than this. You are then forced by your own taste.
I now know that it makes no sense to look for another desk. They are investments. I told my children: it will remain worth the same, or it will be worth more … “
Museum director Sieburgh (former business director of the Rijksmuseum) was reminded of the project at the very beginning of PATCH22 by a former colleague.
“The head of the museum’s restoration department, who now also lives here, introduced me to Tom. That’s how it started. “
I found the flexibility and sustainability appealing. The freedom to classify was special. With a lot of new property construction the ceiling is close on your head. Tom’s buildings however have high ceilings. It is a pleasant thought: both generously horizontal and vertical. “
“I was one of the first buyers and I moved in last. Just before Christmas in 2017. The shell has been empty for a long time. In between, I was busy with a job at the Wereldmuseum in Rotterdam and, after selling my Amsterdam house, I temporarily rented an apartment there.
All of a sudden I had to move back to Amsterdam, where I started working at the Stedelijk. Hurry was then called. I moved in while the construction was still underway. Uncomfortable, but it also has its advantages. You can still make small but important adjustments.”
Jan Willem used the same team as architect Tom Frantzen for the realization of his loft.
“I asked Tom often, let’s see what you picked out. And then I took that one on one. Tom and I have a taste agreement. I think everything he has thought up is beautiful. At one point Tom said: you have to choose everything now. I relied on him to a significant degree. It felt safe, it was always spot on.”
“Out of the 68 years that I have lived, I have lived in Amsterdam for 66 years. Born on the Prinsengracht and via the Wolvenstraat, Amstel, Oranje Nassaulaan and Schubertstraat to Noord. Previously always center or South. Now the switch over the IJ.
The space and the light are striking in Noord. The light is very different here. I started to love the light in Rotterdam. The older this plant gets, the more light it needs.”
“You live here near the nicest pop-up pizza parlor of Amsterdam: De Klaproos. Noord is much rougher and less polished than the rest of Amsterdam. I love that!” Sieburgh falls for the mixed area: “industrial heritage, temporary functions, a lot of DIY-buildings. The environment is constantly changing. It will look very different here in 5 years time.”
“My apartment worked out very well. Through the layout you feel the full size of the building, the depth, the width, and the height. I live on a corner. There are many places where you can look away in three directions. I am very happy with the kitchen. It is open but also closed due to its orientation. When you are eating you never have a fully used kitchen in sight, a problem with many cooking islands.
Tom suggested very beautiful tiles for the bathroom, special, custom-cut marble strips, vertically up to the ceiling. It has become beautiful. I’m very happy with it. This loft feels comfortable wherever you are.”
“I would like to advise buyers of a loft in Top-Up: enjoy! Enjoy the freedom and make the home you want. Don’t be too conservative. Use the possibilities to your advantage unlike limitations you encounter in other projects. It is a greater responsibility, but it also gives you greater satisfaction.”