What if an interior designer is given full freedom to create anything they can imagine? And what if the person who’s design it is for, is himself? Bertram Beerbaum describes himself as ‘the most difficult customer of 2021’ but the reconstruction of his own house eventually disintegrated into a fascinating symbiosis between client and contractor, with the interior designer as director.

"It was a wonderful opportunity: a spacious area with a bungalow in the woods, located on the outskirts of Laren, where studio Kabaz is also located. It’s a very comfortable and pleasant place to be, which you can feel as soon as you drive through the gates. I knew that I wanted to make the house, which originates from 1956, substantially bigger and that I would have to expand a fair bit. I briefly considered demolishing the existing house, to construct a completely new building. The history of a house, to me, is a great starting point. It took quite a bit of imagination to create the desired number of square meters whilst also keeping the zonal plan in mind; but luckily I have a team of experienced and creative architects within my company. The house is set far back on the lot as if the house just appeared out of the woods. By using enormous glass walls on the garden side, the surroundings can be appreciated from the inside. Nature couldn’t be any closer: the grass and the trees touch the windows and when you look outside, it’s as if you find yourself in a breathtaking painting. The house is built in such a way that you have an incredible amount of privacy; there are no neighbours to be seen."

- Bertram Beerbaum