4 min readThere was magic in the air. A few years ago, Carice van Houten caught a glimpse of some wallpapers and fabrics on display in a tiny storefront in Amsterdam called Shop Atelier ND and wandered in. She was in the market, after all. The actor, best known for her role as Melisandre on HBO’s Game of Thrones, and her boyfriend, actor Guy Pearce, had just bought a 1918 brownstone in a suburb of the Dutch capital. The walls were all white, but Van Houten describes herself as “a walking color explosion, a female Peter Pan, a bit like Pippi Longstocking… My trademark is my eclecticism.” A kaleidoscopic upgrade was needed.
Inside the shop that day, Van Houten hit it off with owner Nicole Dohmen, who also runs a design firm, Atelier ND Interior, and a vision for the house began to crystallize. The challenge would be distilling Van Houten’s wildly fun mood board into something her family could actually live with.
“Most of my clients are timid, but with Carice, I had to temper her love of color a little bit—not every piece can be like, ‘Look at me shining!’ ” Dohmen laughs. The pair worked with several paint brands to customize colors that formerly existed only in Van Houten’s imagination, knocked down walls and an enclosed staircase to open up the floor plan (without compromising its traditional, cozy integrity), and filled every room with a mix of vintage midcentury furniture and avant-garde accents. “There’s no formula. It’s a combination of things,” explains Dohmen.
Even the smallest nooks vibrate with personality. On the main level, Pop Art mixes with streamlined Scandinavian pieces. In the bedrooms, romantic floral fabrics waltz with edgy furniture. Everywhere, old-fashioned pieces play with cutting-edge details: Just beyond the iconic neon Ultrafragola mirror is a Victorian claw-foot tub. “Carice always wanted to have something imperfect, and I think that’s so beautiful,” Dohmen says. “Not many people would dare to do that.”
ENTRY
Original herringbone floors add patina.
A blush pink entryway sets the sweet tone for the rest of the home, which builds its palette off of this kickstart of color.
LIVING ROOM
A subtle blush color drench acts as a neutral backdrop, just with more dimension.
Houten “fell in love with this purple Kvadrat carpet,” says Dohmen, and everything else for the room fell into place from there.
STUDY
The snug space allowed the design team to go bold with paint.
While deemed too harsh for a large room, this chartreuse paint (a custom blend by IJM Studio) is perfect in Pearce’s office, located just off the lilac entry hall.
SECOND STUDY
Lemon yellow gives way to all-over pattern.
Never was there ever a sunnier workspace than this cheerful citrus one. The yellow paint (Sulfur Yellow by RAL) used on the hallway cabinets provides a sneak peek into the cheerful colors featured in the study, while a berry tone on the trim (Claret Violet by RAL) nods to the cushion and brings contrast.
DINING ROOM
Layers of drapery bring a mystical, whimsical effect.
Dohmen refers to this room as “the Glass House,” due to the expansive windows (it was used as a greenhouse in the home’s earlier years).
KITCHEN
Capiz shell pendants glitter overhead for a touch of glamour.
By the time they began working on the kitchen, Dohmen said, “No more pink!” so they went with earthy tones, though violet still makes an appearance in the Calacatta marble counter.
STAIRWELL NOOK
A quirky spot becomes a full-blown destination.
“We call this ‘the funny room,’” Van Houten laughs. A vintage Ligne Roset chair was the only thing that would fit under the sloped ceiling.
POWDER ROOM
A petite room calls for a bold dose of pattern.
The mint green Art Deco sink and hardware, sourced from Affaire d’Eau, freshen up a moody Pierre Frey wallpaper.
PRIMARY BEDROOM
Graphic patterns and shapely furniture nod to Memphis-style design.
A Vispring bed is upholstered in pink Pierre Frey mohair.
The paint color, Pontefract by Paint & Paper Library, is so unique it defies definition, which is one of the many reasons the design team chose it.
PRIMARY BATHROOM
A rare neutral space promotes tranquility.
Matching curtains, an open doorway, and a muted caramel color scheme link the primary bedroom to the en suite bathroom.
GUEST BEDROOM
70s-inspired florals read as funky, not feminine.
“We wanted the floral to be funky, not romantic,” says Van Houten of the guest bedroom. Pops of orange keep the space feeling energetic.
KIDS’ BATHROOM
Wavy tile lends pattern and movement to the space.
Bold primary colors are a welcome surprise in this secondary bathroom. That signature blush pink is still tucked into the color scheme, connecting it to the rest of the home's palette. "I saw these tiles in a '60s magazine," Dohmen says; she used them on the floors and bathtub to make the room feel larger.
