HOME AND HEARTH ON THE HERENGRACHT

A lovely mansion, uniquely located along the Herengracht, across from a row of classicist houses designed by the architect Philips Vingboons – a row that is more intact than his other buildings. Once the residence of the renowned art dealer and collector Lodewijk Houthakker, a family lives here now. Repairing the foundations led to a total overhaul of the basement: the kitchen at the front and the sun room at the rear. The upper stories followed: bathrooms, bedrooms, open hearths and an eighteenth-century stucco ceiling. Doors open onto the garden, which is right behind De Krijtberg Church. Because we demonstrated that the passageway used to be wider, Monument Preservation and the building inspectorate approved our proposal to install these garden doors.