Wordless Wednesday: For All Your Flooring Needs

Atmospheric Utrecht

Friday was my birthday, and after a lovely evening out for drinks and dinner, we took a quick walk around parts of town before the rain came. Well, mostly before the rain came. I’m incapable of avoiding the Domplein, so of course I headed over to see what kinds of photos I could get. I got lucky with the lighting.

There’s nothing like a Gothic cathedral and bell tower backlit by a red sky at night! Fabulously spooky!

Weekly Photo Challenge: Urban

This photo was taken a few weeks ago on a vividly sunny Sunday morning. I loved the slight curve of the street and the mix of older and newer houses of different sizes, colours, and styles. And it’s not a Dutch photo without lots of bikes! Cars are being phased out of the city center more and more, so the few that you see there are some of the few that remain. Although to be honest, I’ve got lots of photos — this one included — that would be so much nicer without the cars in the shot!

This is another Dutch urban scene taken last Saturday. We stopped at De Tafel Van 18 (pictured on the left) to try their cheesecake, since they were offering free samples that day. Very tasty, but I still crave a slice of the strawberry cheesecake that American Baking Company makes. On the plus side, ABC is going to be at the Veldzigt Bourgondia markt on Saturday (not far from Utrecht/Zeist) if you want to try their baked goods.

This is a pretty typical urban photo in the Netherlands. Lots of bikes, as well as awnings and umbrellas so that any shop that sells food can make the most of good weather and let their customers sit outdoors, and even a Chinese fast food place, Wok to Go.

Still, when it comes to the concept of “urban” my favourite photo I’ve taken is probably this old one of urban graffiti and urbane students:

Wordless Wednesday: Windows to the World

Weekly Photo Challenge: Hidden

I had various ideas of what to photograph for the theme “Hidden” this week, but after looking through my photos and thinking about what I saw while out on Saturday, I decided to go with the idea of things that are hidden in plain sight. In this case, architectural gems that are easy enough to walk past and miss, unless you look up occasionally. When you consider the height of some of these buildings and the generally narrow streets they stand on, it becomes even harder to notice their beautiful details sometimes.

In both examples for today, I had to take multiple shots and stitch them together to get a full view of the buildings. I was up against the walls and down low, trying to get a whole shot, and realized it just wasn’t going to work.

The first building is one that I couldn’t resist, because it’s such a great example of traditional Dutch architecture, with the stepped rooftop and the wonderfully painted shutters. I’ve taken numerous shots of the individual details over the years, on multiple buildings, but I never tire of spotting them.

The next building really was a bit of a hidden gem, despite being right off the Oudegracht, on Choorstraat, one of the busy shopping streets. It’s so easy to get caught up in all the sights at the street level, that it’s easy to miss the decorative details hiding just out of view on the upper floors. This one is particularly appealing because of the style of fonts used in the text that pops up in various spots.

Het huis van Ouds St. Maarten (The house of old St. Martin): Notice the striped brickwork around the window, as well.

Additional decorative details and dates (1869-1896)

After a cursory search, I haven’t turned up any specific details about the building’s history. Perhaps someone else knows and will share in the comments.

The Chauffeur’s House That Rietveld Built

While looking through some photo sets the other day, I remembered that I never did post about the Chauffeur’s House that Gerrit Rietveld built here in Utrecht. I went to see it back in March, but never posted more than a teaser. I think I got sidetracked trying to find more information about the building. It’s well-known enough, but harder to find a lot of details. I still haven’t found out all the information I’d like to know, but I might as well post what I do know and include some of the photos I took. I get quite a few visitors to my blog looking for Rietveld buildings, so might as well give them a bit more to ponder.

The house, located at Waldeck Pyrmontkade 20, was built between 1927-1928. I’ve yet to find out who commissioned the structure, and I’m still not clear if the building is related to the house on the next street over. What I do know is that the house was a shift in Rietveld’s building style, in that he began focusing on prefabrication and standardized materials and construction. The building took only three weeks to build, as the main skeleton of the building consists of steel I-rods creating an almost De Stijl gridwork. Attached to the steel framework were pre-cast concrete panels speckled with enamel. All of the building components were standard items, purchased off-the-rack, so to speak. The plans and facade were based on a simple 1 x 1 meter module. Rietveld himself described the building as “an experiment in industrialized building”.

This idea of standardization is something that appeared throughout much of Rietveld’s work. With his furniture designs, he explored ways to make items better suited for assembly line production. He also used standard materials, but in new ways. During this period, he was also exploring the concept of social housing, a concept that he called “standard dwelling”.

In the end, the Chauffeur’s House developed some structural issues. The house soon became known as “the basket” or “the sieve”. The house as it stands now has been extensively renovated, but with care to maintain the building’s original appearance.

As with the Rietveld-Schröeder House, the Chauffeur’s House sits on an attractive street filled with more traditional structures. In both cases, the structure is somewhat dwarfed by its neighbours, yet stands out in its environment.

New Versions of Old Architecture

I’ve been to Den Haag (The Hague) twice in the past couple of weeks. I’m starting to actually be able to find my way around chunks of it without a map. One spot that I’ve seen every time is this new housing development of sorts. It’s eye-catching and I love the idea behind it. They’ve recreated typical Dutch row housing, and even included a “canal” of sorts, but all with a modern touch to it. It provides a bit of continuity to the city, without staying completely stuck in the past. The canal is actually just a shallow pool, but it ads a bit of charm and life to the block. I’m not sure if it is actually housing or if it’s offices or a mix of the two. Either way, it’s a nice nod to the past, while offering modern construction.

I couldn’t resist doing a bit of searching. It turns out the complex is called ‘t Haegsch Hof and it is a residential place. There’s more info here (in Dutch). Modern living in a nostalgic jacket is what their marketing phrase translates to literally. I guess you get the point. Modern interior; nostalgic exterior.

Centuries of Architecture

Think of this as my Foto Vrijdag entry, just a day early. I’m off to Den Haag tomorrow to meet up with friends for a wedding watching party. It’s really just an excuse to get together and have fun.

As for this photo, I love this corner of the Nieuwegracht, because of the variety of architectural styles and centuries represented. In the background, rising up behind the rooftops, is the top of the Dom Cathedral, with its Gothic styling. The white building has an Art Deco feel with the tracery in the windows, while the brick building in the corner dates from 1775.

I’ll have to look into the details on the brick building. I think I might know who the architect was, but I’m not positive right now. The research will have to wait, though. Don’t forget, Saturday is Koninginnedag (Queen’s Day)! Wear some orange and have a good time!

Foto Vrijdag: Mediterranean, Dutch-Style

On our walk last weekend, I came across this beautiful building. I love the white and blue; it reminds me of some of the white and blue Mediterranean buildings I’ve always liked, but with a Dutch flavor! This is one of the side streets between Lepelenburg Park and the Nieuwegracht. It’s a wonderful area of the city to wander and admire the many different, and often historic, buildings.

Foto Vrijdag: Dutch Architecture

I love walking through the old city center, because you can always find an interesting building to admire, be it more modern or more traditional, or maybe something in between. As we were walking to the Streekmarkt Sunday, we took a slightly different route than normal and came across this lovely building from 1895. I love the warmth and crispness of the combination of the brick and white detailing, and the whimsical bits of detail add to the charm of the building. The modified stairstep facade is typical of this part of the world. Add in a beautiful blue sky and it’s hard not to stop and admire such a building.