A Social, Colorful Lobby Invites Students and Hotel Guests to Mingle in Amsterdam

ByMyProperty Life

Hotel Casa, which debuted in the 1950s, emerges as an all-day fashionable hangout in Amsterdam East.

Muuto socket lamps hang from the industrial ceiling of the lobby, where guests choose from a bevy of seating including Ligne Roset armchairs, Viccarbe

In the late 1950s, four entrepreneurial students, armed with just 100 Dutch guilders (around $50), dreamed up the Casa Academica Foundation. It was intended to be a clever real estate solution to Amsterdam’s student housing shortage at the time. During the school year this new structure, which opened in Amsterdam East in 1962, would function as a much-needed dormitory; in the summer months all the rooms with empty beds would transform into a no-frills, money-making hotel. Now, with an overhaul by Amsterdam design studio Ninetynine, Hotel Casa is as much a community hub as it is a convenient choice for low-key accommodations.

The reception desk, set against a backdrop of natural oak, creates a whimsical tone upon entry.

The reception desk, set against a backdrop of natural oak, creates a whimsical tone upon entry.

Read another article:Design Trends for Creating a Vacation Vibe at Home

Ewout Huibers

Through the decades there were numerous changes for the hotel: floors segregated by gender eventually gave way to co-ed options, there was a significant renovation in 1980, and in 2010 it moved to a new location a few blocks away from the original. The rooms were also upgraded with more hotel amenities like flat screen televisions and large desks. Ninetynine didn’t alter any of the 519 spacious guest rooms nor the rooftop beer garden Hopp, but instead turned the lobby into a bustling destination its own right last spring, with disparate spaces that organically blur into one another.

An aerial view of the lobby, awash in natural light from the floor-to-ceiling windows.

An aerial view of the lobby, awash in natural light from the floor-to-ceiling windows.

Read another article:Hot Trends: 20 Best Farmhouse Style Kitchens in White and Wood

Francisco Paramos

 “The biggest challenge was to make it attractive to a wide audience without being generic,” says Jeroen Vester, Ninetynine’s founder and creative director. “There is a strongly young at heart, forever young vibe and we really wanted this to be experienced throughout.”

In the mornings, guests often pick up a coffee and take it to the communal table, which sits underneath &tradition Flowerpot VP2 pendants.

In the mornings, guests often pick up a coffee and take it to the communal table, which sits underneath &tradition Flowerpot VP2 pendants.

Read another article:Revamped Small Barcelona Apartment Combines Multiple Styles and Finishes

Ewout Huibers

See the full story on Dwell.com: A Social, Colorful Lobby Invites Students and Hotel Guests to Mingle in Amsterdam

Similar Posts

  • The Sanctuary

    The clients of The Sanctuary, recent empty-nesters planning ahead to retirement, hoped to downsize and simplify in the design of their new Palo Alto home. When the clients purchased the property, an old wooden fence across the front yard and original house closed off the site from the street. Behind this rough and aged presentation however was an urban refuge of lush vegetation throughout the deep lot. This sense of discovery served as the original inspiration for the design of the house and directed both architect and client to its culmination. The proximity of the downtown Palo Alto area by foot and bike was fundamental to the clients’ decision to purchase this lot, and their belief in building to a higher density in an urban setting lead to the inclusion of a second story apartment. The couple fell in love with the overgrown garden and its obvious potential, approaching Ground Studio Landscape to help them enhance the landscape; retaining scenes of serenity and surprise while creating more of a cohesive and modern feel. Through their collaboration with Ground Studio Landscape, the clients connected with our firm, bringing with them a desire to design a long-lasting modern house that fit comfortably into the surrounding neighborhood while featuring its unique and charming landscape. The house is sited quietly behind the large heritage oak tree with its canopy stretching across the generously sized front yard. After passing under its branches, guests are lead through a series of courtyards and view gardens that weave through the undulating footprint of the building. Each interior space is paired with its own landscape moment, allowing the architecture and landscape to flow into each other. The structure floats on piers, allowing the building to participate in dialogue with the trees on site while protecting the root areas. The floor plate projects beyond the building envelope and dissolves into balconies to blur the sense of indoor/outdoor while at the same time lifting the building up from the ground. Even the driveway is constructed out of floating concrete structural slabs supported on piers to minimize the impact on the heritage oak tree. By expanding the living area to spill into the outdoor spaces, our teams provided ample room for the clients to entertain their ever expanding family. Three pavilions span the depth of the lot. The thoughtfully placed second story apartment is designed for rentals. Below, board-formed concrete walls serve as organizing elements in the main residence which separate private from public areas. Diffused natural light streams into the space throughout the day, working gently with the clean material palette of concrete and Alaskan yellow cedar. The Sanctuary was constructed as a modern house that allows the landscape to speak first. The design features its many hidden courtyards, inviting guests to experience the same sense of wonder that first drew our clients to this urban oasis.