Capital venture

When an apartment on her street in Amsterdam came up for sale, interior designer Nicoline Beerkens couldn't resist the chance to begin a new project

- FIDESSA VAN RIETSCHOTEN/JULIET BENNING

Nicoline Beerkens has come to know that if she sets herself a deadline, an eclectic and vibrant interior follows soon after. ‘A lot of people ask me how I ever get a sense that a home is completed,’ says the Amsterdam-based interior designer, ‘But the answer is simple: if I know there will be a photoshoot or an interview, then everything, down to the accessories and styling, must be done before that moment.’

Living only two doors away when this apartment in a 1939 building came on the market, Nicoline and her husband, Pieter, a tech entrepreneur, initially tried to encourage their friends to move in. ‘But when that sale fell through, we decided to go for it ourselves. That delighted me as I was ready for a new look,’ says Nicoline. ‘I actually prefer to start a new home entirely from scratch, so our last property was sold with all its furniture. We only moved the artwork and antiques, plus the two groovy blue chairs by Pierre Paulin that my husband inherited from his grandparents – they always come with us.’