Architecture & Interior Design

Real Estate Advisor in Tulum Architecture and real estate investment advice in Tulum are two different areas of expertise, and when they overlap – as in my work in the Tulum area – confusion sometimes arises. That is why I have decided to make my services more clearly separated. Until recently, I offered both my…

Frequently Asked Questions When Building a House Building a new home is a big dream for many people, but it often raises many questions and uncertainties. How long does it take? What should I pay attention to? What are the costs? As an architect, I regularly receive questions about this process, and in this blog…

Investing in Tulum Investing in Tulum offers a unique opportunity for those looking for returns in the real estate market. The days of large-scale resorts, such as in Cancun, are long gone. Today, it’s all about luxury and small-scale. The smartest investments focus on developing one or more spacious, unique villas in the area. Luxury…

Design of Luxury Houses As an architect with projects in both the Netherlands and Tulum, Mexico, I work with Stilst to design luxury homes. Homes that find a harmonious balance between aesthetics, functionality and sustainability. At Stilst, we believe that a home is more than just a place to live; it is a sanctuary where…

Villa for Building Plot This concept design is for a unique detached house in a beautiful location. This plot is located directly on the through waterway of the Noorderdiep and has its own mooring of more than 20 meters. The water strip, more than 3 meters wide, is fully owned, which offers a special feeling…

Building plot in Oisterwijk In the middle of the forest, on the edge of a winding road lies this building plot in Oisterwijk. It is the perfect location for a sustainable villa that completely blends into the surrounding nature. It is situated on a plot of 4,535 m², surrounded by lush greenery and protected by…

You want your own dream home and you are having an eye on a plot, now what do you do? You’ve been dreaming of a home designed entirely for you for a while now. A perfect symbiosis where you can live your best life. A place where you experience the peace and strength to be…

An extraordinary yoga villa in the lush jungle of Tulum, an oasis of peace and well-being. This yoga villa was designed with simplicity and modernity in mind. With a warm atmosphere. The architecture of the villa is sleek and contemporary, with large open spaces that bring nature inside. The combination of natural materials such as…

For a spacious plot in a wooded area in the Netherlands, Stilst recently designed this magnificent villa that strives for the highest standard of sustainability. This design offers a future-proof home that meets the residents’ requirements in every way. We are proud to present this as the most sustainable villa in the Netherlands. Every detail…

In a wooded setting, this stylish, brutalist villa blends seamlessly into the landscape. This villa, with its L-shaped floor plan, harmoniously combines robust materials with a refined aesthetic. The façade is executed in light gray bluestone, which emphasizes the strength of the design while giving it a serene look. Large sliding glass doors create a…

Building lot in the Groene Hart Are you looking for a unique place to build your dream home? How about this building lot in the Groene Hart? Between Zoetermeer and Alphen aan de Rijn, there is a building lot of almost 3500 m² for sale. This lot offers a great opportunity to live in a…

Villa in the forest A simple but enchanting villa in the forest that blends perfectly into its natural surroundings. This villa combines modern simplicity with a rustic charm reminiscent of the classic architecture of rural houses. The minimalist design gives the villa a timeless and familiar silhouette, while the glass creates a warm and inviting…

Plot by the Water: Your Dream Location Discover this unique plot by the water, ideally located between Leiden and Amsterdam and only 5 minutes from the A4. This beautiful building plot offers an outside opportunity to realize your dream home, in the middle of the Randstad and just 200 meters from the expansive Braassemermeer lake.…

Buying a house in Mexico as a foreigner is absolutely possible and relatively easy. However, it is important to understand the legal process and local context. We can fully guide you in this. Here is a general guide to help you navigate the process: Research: Start by researching the area where you want to buy…

Interior Holiday Home Suppose you buy a house in Mexico, Spain or Italy. You rent it out through booking and airbnb. The location is great, the purchase price is good and you have a knowledgeable property manager. Let the tenants come. However, you forget one important thing. Something with which you can distinguish yourself par…

Stilst Furniture Design Three designs of Stilst in one snapshot! Wardrobe cabinet On the background you can see the storage cabinet I designed back in 2006. I built it myself entirely and it was inspired by the old Dutch wall tiles that used to vary in colour due to inferior production techniques It’s exactly those…

Vintage armchair When I was studying to be an architect, I fell in love with this somewhat unusual, vintage armchair. I found it in a vintage design store called Beljon in Rotterdam, which no longer exists. Being a poor student at the time, I could barely afford it. Still, I scraped my pennies together and…

Property in Mexico Stilst recently started working with the Dutch organization Vastgoed in Mexico (Property in Mexico). It was founded by Barbara J. de Lalaing who lives in Yucatán with her family and works from there. The area is developing tremendously, offering many opportunities for entrepreneurs but also for people looking for a new homeland.…

Fragrances in architecture When we think of architecture, we often imagine buildings that excite our visual senses. However, there is a dimension of architecture that is often overlooked but has a profound influence on our experiences and memories: smell. Olfactory architecture is the integration of scents into architecture of spaces. It has the power to…

House under construction in Tulum Casa Noor is a house under construction in Tulum. We talked about it in an earlier post. Meanwhile, the shell construction is just about finished. The house consists of concrete floors and the walls are constructed of hollow concrete blocks. The advantage is that you can work quickly and in…

Nestled amidst the picturesque polders to the north of Amsterdam stands a minimalist, modern house that effortlessly merges with the timeless beauty of Dutch landscapes. This architectural gem is a testament to contemporary design and sustainable living, offering a serene and peaceful ambiance that perfectly complements its natural surroundings. Minimalist exterior At first glance, the…

A wooden coffee table seamlessly fitting into a warm interior. In the enchanting city of Merida, there is a modern villa with a luxurious pool. A place that ignites the imagination. This breathtaking residence is an oasis of comfort and style, with a hint of Mexican warmth that warms the soul. The villa is an…

This wine table is a masterpiece of craftsmanship and creativity. an ideal side table for wine enthusiasts. It captures the essence of elegance and functionality in a unique piece. The base of this side table is a beautifully large three-liter (Jeroboam) wine bottle, carefully selected and lovingly transformed into a functional work of art. The…

Rammed earth, also known as ‘pisé,’ is an ancient construction technique. It’s distinguished by its unique characteristics, durability, and versatility. This technique is experiencing a resurgence and is seen in modern architecture and furniture design due to its ecological benefits and aesthetic appeal. Layered It is a construction material primarily composed of earth, sand, clay,…

Dutch designer Ronald Knol designed this majestic marble coffee table. It is a special edition of the coffee table he has had in his collection for a long time. He releases this collection of furniture under his own labelRKNL. This modern marble coffee table with rounded edges is a masterpiece that strikes the perfect balance…

Paulina Villa is an architect and founder of the architectural firm CO-TA in Tulum, Mexico. She has been working there for many years and has experienced the (sometimes stormy) developments in Tulum. From a small village to the current hotspot. When we visited her we talked about architecture and about her approach to the profession.…

In the jungle of Yucatan, Mexico, near Tulum, you will find the breathtaking Azulik Uh May, an absolute highlight of organic architecture. It is a place that is hard to describe in words. It is an art center, a place for spirituality, a place where the culture of the Maya is honored, a place where…

Choosing the right shape for a coffee table is an important aspect of decorating your living room. We’d like to help you get started with some tips. The coffee table is one of the main pieces of furniture in your home and deserves proper attention. After all, it is the centerpiece of your living room,…

We derive part of our identity from our environment. In the two western provinces of The Netherlands, that identity is very pluralistic, with urban and suburban areas clearly predominating. In it, rural and natural areas have become almost like reserves and are under severe pressure for further urban infill and the desire for rural living.…

We recently created this all walnut coffee table for a client in New York. A variation of the white version with walnut edges only. Walnut comes from the tree that bears walnuts as its fruit. It is a beautiful wood species with beautiful markings. It is hardy, sustainable and comes from responsible sources. There is…

A fitted wardrobe is a closet that covers an entire wall. So it is not a stand-alone cabinet but one that is connected to the space in which it stands. In most cases, it is a cabinet that has full fronts (doors and drawers) but there are designs with open shelves for objects to be…

With the popular Apple TV series “Drops of God”, wine culture is tapping into new markets. According to Victor Deupi, a professor of architectural history, theory, and design at the University of Miami, good wine resembles good architecture. They both emerge from the necessity and ingenuity imposed by the location. Both wine and winery design…

When designing furniture, designer Reinier de Jong takes an architectural approach. This stems from the fact that in addition to being a furniture and interior designer himself, he is also an architect. These modular shelves are a good example. The design was inspired by claustras, or openwork partition walls. In traditional Western architecture, these were…

What if you design a seating object that can take different forms? A seating object that is as multi-functional as possible. That was the starting point for this particular product. Broadly speaking, three seating heights can be defined: that of a lounge chair, that of a dining chair and that of a bar stool. For…

Kleinmann architecture is an architectural firm in Rotterdam founded by Pieter Kleinmann. After studying Architecture at Delft University of Technology, he lived abroad for many years. He worked at architectural firms in Antwerp(Vincent van Duysen), London, New York(Gabellini Shepard) and Singapore. For Pieter, a building’s interior and furnishings are inseparable from its architectural design. Consequently,…

Geometric design What exactly is geometric design? Geometric design is a fascinating and inspiring art form that emphasizes the beauty and order of mathematical shapes and patterns. With its clean lines, clear volumes and harmonious proportions, it has the power to excite our senses and stimulate our minds. Clear forms Literally, geometry means measuring the…

Several months ago at the TEFAF art fair in Maastricht, we already saw some Op-Art artworks including work by Carlos Cruz-Diez. Op-Art stands for Optical Art and emerged in the early 1960s. It is akin to Minimal Art and, to a lesser extent, Pop Art. Op-Art is characterized by optical illusions, often through subtle deviations…

Of all the architectural movements, Brutalism is perhaps the most reviled. For a long time, it stood for everything that people found ugly about modern architecture. And yet there now seems to be a revival and reappraisal for Brutalist architecture. For example, a book was recently published called Bruut, in which the authors give an…

Artificial intelligence (AI) is poised to profoundly change the practice of design and architecture in ways we can hardly imagine. Almost everyone acknowledges that AI will bring about a greater revolution in the coming decades than the advent of the internet. And every field will be affected by it. Including disciplines where human creativity and…

We recently visited Proarh in Zagreb, one of Croatia’s leading architectural firms. The firm was founded by Davor Mateković in 1993 and has completed many notable projects. There we spoke for an hour and a half with Vedrana Jančić about their projects and about local architecture. She has been involved in many projects as a…

We recently spoke at length with lighting designer Romy Kühne at coffee bar Unfolded in Rotterdam. Although she also designs tableware, unusual, mostly metal lighting fixtures are her specialty. We talked about what and who inspires her, what sustainability really is and her dream project. You have a unique and distinct design style. Where do…

Totally in keeping with the Scandinavian design tradition, Milan-based design studio Skrivo has designed this beautiful designer armchair for Danish brand Bolia. Inspired by famous Danish designers from the 1950s and 1960s such as Hans Wegner and Finn Juhl, Croatian-Irish designer Stefan Krivokapic designed this timeless chair called Bowie. A perfect lounge chair for a…

Minimalist interior design is the art of creating an interior that is not only soothing and stylish, but also functional. Minimalism is about leaving out unnecessary elements and creating a tidy and simple space. In our hectic world, minimalism has become increasingly popular and understandably so, as minimalist interiors offer many advantages. Calm atmosphere One…

In an earlier blog post, we briefly touched on a project of ours that is currently under construction. It is a villa in Tulum, on Mexico’s east coast. The house is being commissioned by a Dutch family who will live there themselves for some part of the year. And they will rent out the house…

Can you color wood naturally? Are there any purely natural dyes you can use to add color to wood? That’s the question we asked ourselves when developing a new side table. And the answer is yes! How and what are we going to discuss in this blog. The idea for the shape of the side…

For a photo shoot of the REK bookcase, we used a beautiful, low Eames office chair, also called the management chair. Presumably it is the 682 (EA116 or the EA124) from the so-called “Aluminum Group,” which is an icon in the world of office furniture. The series of chairs was designed in the 1950s by…

Designer Reinier de Jong designed this minimalist custom TV cabinet on behalf of Stilst for a client in Rotterdam. This client’s special request was to integrate an electric fireplace into the furniture. We took advantage of the space in the living room by designing a long, low cabinet no less than four meters long (13…

Anyone who has ever been to Venice has consciously or unconsciously encountered Carlo Scarpa’s architecture. His work is connected to the city of Venice as the gondolas are. Except that the work of this Italian architect and designer is less conspicuous than the usual Venetian icons. As a result, it is much less known to…

Stilst created a new logo design for itself in 2021. What does it take to design a corporate logo? If you ask a layperson about graphic design, logo design will be the first thing that comes to mind. It is the most eye-catching visual of a company and a company can immediately give an initial…

We recently designed and put into production a new special coffee table at Stilst. The coffee table was named Terms. Where did the inspiration for this table come from? Where does creative inspiration come from in the first place? In this blog post, we are going to try to answer this question. Creative inspiration To…

Modern Architecture in Paris Traditionally, Berlin, London and Paris are the big three European cities. Of these big three, Paris is the only one whose 19th-century city is largely intact. As is well known, the inner cities of London and Berlin were significantly destroyed. After the destruction came reconstruction in which there was plenty of…

Jan Dijker, Bouke IJlstra, Lex Horn, Harry on the Laak… Who knows who they were? In the reconstruction period, they were leading artists. They were radical in their time, innovative and made abstract art. Often art of monumental proportions. Unfortunately, they have fallen into oblivion – unjustly – and that is a shame because once…

By the term Minimal Art, art historians designate a form of abstract art, nowadays better known by the broader term Minimalism. Generally, Minimal Art refers to a period in the 1960s and early 1970s. People talk about artists such as Donald Judd and Sol Lewitt. Minimalism in a broader sense extends beyond visual art, and…

For a Dutch client, we are currently busy furnishing their new home in Tulum, Mexico. The house is currently under construction and is expected to be completed in August. The client will occasionally use the house themselves but they intend to rent it out most of the time. Location Tulum is a coastal town in…

A pleasant living environment, how do you create it? Numerous studies show that a sensory connection with nature has a positive impact on almost everyone. It is something that can help people relax and concentrate both at home and at work, and it helps reduce anxiety and stress. Taking natural elements into account is therefore…

Real wood is indispensable in your interior . Wood is durable, beautiful, warm and versatile. There are so many types of wood and so many finishes. And a suitable application can be found for every interior design concept. In this article, we list some basic principles for you and provide tips to consider when using…

An important part of creating a complete interior design is the lighting plan. After all, a good interior falls or stands with the choice of the right lighting in the right place. And of course, consideration of daylight is an essential part of that. Daylight When designing a house, an architect already considers where daylight…

The newest addition to the REK series is this black coffee table. The existing versions have a white finish with edges in walnut, oak, ash or white full-core laminate. The black version has black stained oak edges and dark gray, almost black surfaces. Design REK coffee table The origins of the REK coffee table lie…

A common term in the world of interior design these days is “Japandi. You can’t open a magazine or scroll through your Instagram feed without coming across it. What is Japandi and what does it stand for? Origin Japandi The word Japandi is a compound of Japanese and Scandinavian. It refers to the minimalist design…