Modest on the outside and luxurious but understated on the inside, two worlds meet at Villa West: a former gymnasium in the center of Rotterdam that was transformed into a private home by Hiroki Matsuura and René Sangers of MASA Architects.

The client, an entrepreneur who owns three restaurants and is planning on expanding into fashion, had previously worked with the Rotterdam-based firm to construct his three culinary establishments. “[I like] making something new out of something old,” the homeowner explains.

The 1940s sporting hall was originally constructed during World War II and later served as a radio station and a day care center. The site was slated for demolition, but after the client laid eyes on the building, he “saw its potential to become a home,” the owner explains.

After a major renovation that lasted two years, the client and his family now have their own urban hideout filled with natural light, greenery, and open spaces that flow effortlessly into one another. One of the subtle delights of Villa West is the tactile contrast between the materials: The gritty, exposed brick juxtaposes with the silky stone of the kitchen countertop, the rice-patterned aluminum cabinets, and the glass dining table that changes over its length from black to brown.

From the street, Villa West’s front gate glides open to reveal an uncluttered courtyard with a carport. The house presents itself as a single-story box covered in dark corrugated-metal panels, which Matsuura calls the building’s “down jacket.” According to the architect, wrapping the building in insulation was the only feasible way to make the structure habitable—after all, the 20th-century gymnasium was never meant to be used for more than a couple of hours at a time.

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The architects worked closely with the client to maintain the openness of the original plan, which consisted of a simple central corridor between two distinct gymnasiums—one designated for boys, and the other for girls. In order to keep the light and space flowing throughout the home, the various rooms are not enclosed by walls, but rather sectioned off by opaque furniture elements that act as custom partitions, such as the aluminum-clad kitchen unit topped with frosted glass.

Now, the home’s entrance hall is situated between an office and a guest room on either side. Tall, pivoting glass doors with steel frames lead to the main living space, where a lit indoor pool glows like a gem on the far end of a glass division.

That fluidity is reinforced (in good weather) by large plate-glass windows that can be raised electronically from the floor up so that the interiors connect with the terrace and bamboo that surrounds it. Louvres on the top half of the windows—which are used in the living room, as well as the two bedrooms—shield the residents from their neighbors’ gaze.

The client was eager to maintain the raw beauty of the building’s existing brick walls and columns, as well as the concrete trusses. “It took many hours to remove the plaster from the brick—and the paint from the concrete,” says Matsuura. In the principal bathroom, the brick-clad back wall of the shower is topped with a double-purpose coat of tiny, glossy beads. “It protects the brick from the water, but it is also beautiful,” the homeowner says.

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In addition to a generous walk-in closet, the principal bedroom also includes a mezzanine level, which houses the owner’s spectacularly organized fashion collection. The resident’s clothing is displayed on racks that are held up by leather loops. Rows of collector’s items, such as sneakers, are showcased in pharmacist-style glass-and-metal cabinets.

“When I bought this building to make it into a home, everyone said I was crazy, [and] that’s probably true,” the owner laughs.

But for the team at MASA Architects, the goal for Villa West was clear. “It had to look as if it had always been there,” says Matsuura. “It’s a challenge for an architect to not leave his fingerprints on a design.”

Related Reading:

An Architect Couple in Amsterdam Turn a Garage Into a Gauzy, Light-Filled Home

A Former Warehouse in Madrid Becomes a Colorful and Adaptable Apartment

Project Credits:

Architect of Record: MASA Architects / @masaarchitects

Builder/General Contractor: Brouwers-DeJong Bouw-en Aannemingsbedrijf

Structural Engineer: Rob Eijlers, Brak & Eijlers

Landscape Design: MADMA urbanism + landscape

Lighting Design: dEP de Sfeerontwerpers / @depdesfeerontwerpers

Interior Design: MASA Architects

Cabinetry Design/Installation: Berg & Smidt Interior Construction

Electrical Engineer: IJsselstijn Electrical Engineering

Installation Company: Van Dijk Installation Technology BV

Photography: Tim Van de Velde / @tvdvphotography