Edwin Pelser felt like he’d struck gold ten years back when he pulled tired, gray carpeting to show first herringbone parquet flooring in his Hague apartment. Up until that point, things like plastic window frames, “which I despise,” he says, made him doubt that the purchase entirely. “Though it was quite clean and comfy, there was not anything exciting about the area,” he states.
But following his discovery, and the cautious addition of classic pieces sourced out of his parents and the design boutique he possesses, Pelser feels lucky in love with his one-bedroom bachelor pad.
at a Glance
Who lives here: Edwin Pelser
Location: The Hague, the Netherlands
Size: 100 square meters (about 1,076 square feet); 1 bedroom, 1 bathroom
Holly Marder
With a total remodeling budget of 15,000 euros (about U.S.$19,586), Pelser installed replica herringbone flooring in the dining area to match the first flooring in the hallway and living area. He also updated the kitchen, and restored the house’s ceilings with classic moldings.
Pelser’s parents discovered that this dining table with an auction; his great-aunt passed down the dining chairs.
Crockery on table: Atelier NL
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Pelser’s parents also found this classic chaise longue with an auction, hidden away in a corner, and gave it to his son because of his 30th birthday. “It’s the type of piece that will always move with me,” Pelser states.
A compact, contemporary floor lamp communicates the curved traces of this classic piece, while floor-to-ceiling linen curtains add warmth and height.
Floor lamp: Tolomeo
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Pelser’s weak place for classic and antique accessories and furniture is evident in this small corner off the dining area, where a classic leather suitcase and seat sit beneath a treasured art piece.
Pelser utilized to go to France regularly to frequent antiques shops. He purchased the picture frame on one of his visits and couldn’t really work out what to do with this. He asked a buddy and graduate of The Hague’s Royal Academy of Art to make a piece of art to go inside the framework. She produced a woodcut depicting an elderly Edwin Pelser.
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Pepe Heykoop made this leather lampshade, that was created in Heykoop’s workshop in one of the poorest neighborhoods in Mumbai, India. Proceeds from sales are used partially to send street children to college.
The pendant is made of soft lambskin leather, although its shape is reminiscent of older industrial lamps.
Pelser’s favorite accessory is the white gas candelabra by Chris Kabel for design home Droog. “It’s a great illustration of the mix of heritage and contemporary design that I love,” he states. “I enjoy it when the designer considers how things were done before and how we can re-create things using those past theories”
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Pelser spared this left handed classic desk from a vessel home, brought it home and promptly replaced the table leaf having a sturdy sheet of glass. The outcome is a practical writing desk that’s a great instance of the owner’s old-meets-new aesthetic.
The magazine collection shown here spans nearly a decade. Pelser piles and piles them along walls, on tables and much more, adding to his home’s collected atmosphere.
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The bright living area boasts high ceilings, large sash windows and an original mantel. A recently reupholstered classic armchair that once belonged to Pelser’s grandma adds a lone pop of vibrant emerald green to an otherwise neutral area.
Artist and buddy Arnoud Dijkstra made the etching on the mantel as a housewarming gift.
Candelabra: Black Gold, Ineke Hans; pendant: Bufferlamp, Wieki Somers; ottoman cushion: custom, with The Vineyard cloth by Hella Jongerius
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Though Pelser has a profound appreciation for classic and classic furniture, having grown up one of antiques, he prefers to present his older bits a contemporary interpretation.
“I enjoy contemporary design, but for me it is always important to have respect for elderly things,” he states. “We are living in a time where there are so many talented designers creating lovely modern things, and that I like to combine fashions.”
So fearless and graphic art collected over the years fills the home. The larger work this is a framed poster by a Francis Bacon display in the South of France.
Pendant: Bufferlamp, Wieki Somers
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A slim, separated kitchen situated parallel to the dining area was a frequent feature in older homes; the first thing Pelser did was knock out from the wall separating his kitchen from the dining area to bring in more light. He contemplated building the entire kitchen in the dining area but depended on leaving the original layout.
He tackled the lack of distance by adding smart storage options, like this metal shelving system.
Stool: Away Cut Stool, Tom Dixon
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The shelving system holds dishes and doubles as a cabinet, with glass jars that store dry food.
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Prior to the renovation, the kitchen was a narrow area with little more than white cabinets above and gray tiled flooring below. The proprietor swapped out the outdated cabinets for a cool stainless steel industrial-style open shelving unit and updated the flooring to a hot herringbone parquet.
“I probably did not choose the most practical method of redesigning the kitchen, since I lack storage space,” Pelser admits. “On the one hand, it is very little, but on the other hand, everything is within reach. When I empty the dishwasher, I don’t need to move to place the dishes away.”
Ever since he likes to cook and entertain, the Solitaire cooker was his primary investment.
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Determined to attract back a number of the apartment’s unique charm and character, Pelser got rid of this drab carpeting and had the home’s plasterboard ceilings restored to their former glory with classic moldings.
This hallway was where Pelser was delightfully surprised when peeling back the carpeting that demonstrated beautiful original oak herringbone parquet flooring in mint state. “I felt like a small dog that had dug up something fascinating,” he states. “I saw just a glimpse of this ground, having pulled the corner of the rug, and it was such a surprise.”
Cobalt-blue walls and white trim make a striking contrast.
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The art in the hall, branded “100 percentSAP,” is by Dutch graphic design home Raw Shade. The job relies on the ability of natural colour using natural vegetable dye as raw ink to feed a new printing process. The juice of these vegetables, in this instance beetroot, slowly flowed via the engraved image to shape the shape.
Paint colour: code S6530b30g, Duluxe
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With a little extra cash remaining in his renovation budget, Pelser had this smart bed-frame-meets-wardrobe custom constructed. “The bedroom was a major struggle, since the apartment is wider at the back than at the front, so one wall in the bedroom is diagonal,” he explains. “It was the ideal method to deal with the problem.”
Gray and blue blankets: Jacob Plaid, Mölle
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Pelser awakens at home in his favorite armchair. He intends to stay within his eclectic house in the Hague, enjoying the flat’s close proximity to the harbor and beach. In the meantime, he continues to look for opportunities to furnish his home with bits by Dutch artists.
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