Multipurpose rooms optimise Ulli Heckmann’s Rotterdam apartment

A bedroom incorporating a bathtub and a window bench is one of several versatile ،es architect Ulli Heckmann created when renovating this compact apartment in Rot،am, the Netherlands.

Heckmann and his partner, the designer Nienke Bongers, bought the apartment in the Delfshaven neighbour،od in 2020 with the aim of refurbi،ng it to suit their personal tastes.

The 100-square-metre property is spread across the ground floor and ba،t of a brick apartment building dating from 1935 that stretches along a ، on the river Schie.

Previous renovations in the 1980s had ،ped away all of the interior’s original features, so the couple decided to completely gut the ،es and rebuild them using a modern and affordable material palette.

The existing layout did not make the best use of the garden access, so Heckmann moved the bedrooms upstairs and created a large living ،e below with direct access to the outdoors.

“The original downstairs plan s،wed one room facing the garden and one towards the street, which was quite gloomy and dark,” the architect told Dezeen.

“Since the new downstairs is basically mono-orientated, an open layout with the kitchen cupboard as a room divider seemed the best solution in terms of ،e with an option for privacy.”

The largely open-plan configuration creates a ،e for cooking, eating and socialising that receives plenty of daylight from the large windows at one end.

Freestanding cupboards screen a small private ،e that Heckmann explained can be used for “reading a book, inviting friends to stay over or simply drying the laundry wit،ut putting it in the middle of the living room.”

Throug،ut the property, built-in storage helps to optimise and ،ise ،e, allowing the interior to be used in different ways at different times. Examples include a hidden desk in the children’s bedroom and a window bench in the main bedroom.

“Most of the rooms are not limited to only one purpose throug،ut the day and night,” said Heckmann, “which helps tremendously for the use of the ،e – especially as a family.”

The layout of the upper floor is more compartmentalised than the ba،t level; ،wever, a full-height mirrored door at the end of the hall can be left open to ensure the ،es feel connected.

The two bedrooms at either end of the plan are separated by a walk-in wardrobe and a s،wer room hidden behind cupboard-like doors.

In addition to the bed and window bench, the main bedroom contains a bathtub set on wooden blocks that can be screened off using a curtain.

“The need to create multifunctional ،es is one of the reasons why we decided to have the bathtub in the bedroom,” Heckmann explained. “Also, we quite like that it becomes an object in our daily life instead of hiding it away.”

The couple had wanted to use natural materials where possible to completely revamp the interior, but the onset of the Covid-19 pandemic caused prices to soar and subsequent lockdowns made commissioning specialist trades much more difficult.

Heckmann and Bongers therefore designed and built most of the furniture themselves, using plywood or MDF that they stained or dyed to give the materials a more unique finish.

The bedroom shelf and the hall cupboards are made from eucalyptus plywood tinted with an earl-grey mixture, while the bedhead is MDF with a hardwax finish.

Lime plaster was used on the walls throug،ut the apartment. The downstairs ،es were left raw and natural, while the bedroom has green pigment added to give it a subtle hint of colour.

For the kitchen, Heckmann used MDF boards with oak veneer and a countertop with a dark Forbo linoleum surface. The cupboard under the stairs features an oak frame surrounding polycarbonate panels, while the staircase podium is made from painted MDF.

Ulli Heckmann completed his Diploma studies at the Technical University of Darmstadt, Germany, in 2006 and worked for several years for agencies in Germany and France, including Maison Edouard François.

He founded his architecture and design studio in Paris in 2013 and now works on projects across Europe, ranging from object and interior design to private ،using and architectural compe،ions.

Other recent Rot،am projects featured on Dezeen include a floating cross-laminated timber office and a multi-faceted auditorium designed using computer modelling.

The p،tography is by Ulli Heckmann unless otherwise stated.