Kitchen renovation in Haarlem: Joris and Sabine on intuition, induction, and the red floor
Joris and Sabine Egler live with their son Otis in a beautiful early twentieth-century building in Haarlem. Sabine is a textile designer at Scotch & Soda, Joris is a creative director at TBWA\NEBOKO. We spoke to them earlier when they were in the middle of their renovation. Now everything is finished. Did it turn out as hoped?
Happy with the result?
"Very much so. It's truly a piece of furniture in our home. It defines the space and the room."
The red floor: the most exciting decision
The red floor was the choice Joris and Sabine deliberated over the longest. How did it turn out?
"The red floor is truly beautiful. It makes the kitchen unique, not something you've seen before. The finish, however, is quite sensitive. But after a while, you get used to that too."
Picture: Max Hart Nibbrig
Surprised by the result?
"It turned out pretty much as we had hoped. When you make the decision, there's a lot of uncertainty; you rely on intuition, but you never know for sure. When you finally see it, it's a kind of self-affirmation."
Cooking on induction: how is it?
"Good, besides looking beautiful, of course, you have many more possibilities in cooking speed. Cleaning is also much more practical. That's also handy because we often order in."
The biggest lesson after the renovation
"It's that it turns out more expensive than you think. Everyone says it, but it's true. What no one tells you is that once you live there, you forget about it just as quickly."
Memphis and 80s in the interior
A year and a half ago, Sabine predicted a comeback for Memphis and 80s design. Does she see that reflected now, also in their own interior?
"We bought an 80s coffee table and a lamp from Studio Areti inspired by that period."
Favorite recipes
Joris's favorite recipe by Sabine: Indian cauliflower korma. Sabine's favorite recipe by Joris: linguine with vongole.
Sabine's tips for renovating or buying a new kitchen
- "Look at the long term. The lifecycle of a kitchen is longer than any trend."
- "Choose materials that stay beautiful or become more beautiful as they age."
- "Think carefully about how you want to use your kitchen. Think in terms of different zones: where do you want to cook, wash dishes, chat, etc."
- "Dare to spend money on beautiful items and good materials. It hurts, but it's ultimately worth it."
Finally
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