Collection by Patrick Sisson

Mirrored Floors Pull Iconic Modernist House Into Another Stratosphere

New mirrored flooring in an iconic Dutch home lets visitors experience design in a new dimension.

When curator Petra Blaisse was designing her new installation at the Sonneveld House, on view through September 13, 2015, her aim wasn’t to add to the historic residence, but rather to expose new dimensions of a scared space. The structure, built in the 1930s, is one of the best-preserved houses in the Nieuwe Bouwen style, the Dutch branch of the International School of Modernism. It is now open to the public.

Designed by the architecture firm Brinkman and Van der Vlugt 1933, the Sonneveld House features an array of modernist furniture from W.H. Gispen, B. van der Leck, and others.
Designed by the architecture firm Brinkman and Van der Vlugt 1933, the Sonneveld House features an array of modernist furniture from W.H. Gispen, B. van der Leck, and others.
Window coverings were removed to allow the outdoor light to stream in and reflect the cityscape against the interior.
Window coverings were removed to allow the outdoor light to stream in and reflect the cityscape against the interior.
“Objects start to float,” Blaisse says. “Things that hang suddenly stand, a column becomes a metaphor, and with mirrors in the garden and on the roof, you create a waterfall of imagery. If we added mirrors on the ceilings, it would have been bananas.”
“Objects start to float,” Blaisse says. “Things that hang suddenly stand, a column becomes a metaphor, and with mirrors in the garden and on the roof, you create a waterfall of imagery. If we added mirrors on the ceilings, it would have been bananas.”
Blaisse's aim wasn’t to add to the historic residence, but to show it in the second degree, adding new dimensions to a sacred space.
Blaisse's aim wasn’t to add to the historic residence, but to show it in the second degree, adding new dimensions to a sacred space.
The project exposes the hidden dimensions of different pieces of furniture, allowing visitors to “see under the skirts” of the designs, according to Blaisse. Each piece in the museum house also has an alarm attached, so the installtion also exposes some of the secrets of the security system.
The project exposes the hidden dimensions of different pieces of furniture, allowing visitors to “see under the skirts” of the designs, according to Blaisse. Each piece in the museum house also has an alarm attached, so the installtion also exposes some of the secrets of the security system.
Mirrors were placed in the living areas, kitchen, dining room, and corridors. There are even outdoor mirrors on the grounds and terrace, and one on the flat roof to reflect the clouds in the sky. The stairs are one of the few surfaces without reflective covering.
Mirrors were placed in the living areas, kitchen, dining room, and corridors. There are even outdoor mirrors on the grounds and terrace, and one on the flat roof to reflect the clouds in the sky. The stairs are one of the few surfaces without reflective covering.
Blaisse compared the effect of the installation to looking at the back of a painting.
Blaisse compared the effect of the installation to looking at the back of a painting.