My Houzz: Street Finds and Art in Amsterdam
Salvaged furniture and ever-changing contemporary art take a Netherlands rental from bleak to neat
Holly Marder
August 17, 2013
Amsterdam art dealer Hyland Mather and his family bring a lot of pieces into their rental home that they find on the street. And in a city known for being hip, there are really only two criteria for those pieces to make it into their home. “Personal meaning is key, and it has to be uniquely cool to stay,” Mather says.
The personal meaning part comes through in the artwork, which Mather has accumulated during his nearly two decades working in the art world. The latter is evident almost everywhere you look, in the coffee table hand crafted from found construction pallets and chairs snatched right from the curb. “Nearly every chair in our house is a street find," he says.
Houzz at a Glance
Who lives here: Hyland Mather; his wife, knitting designer Malia Mather; and their son, Addison
Location: Amsterdam
Size: 90 square meters (968 square feet); 2 bedrooms, 1 bathroom
The personal meaning part comes through in the artwork, which Mather has accumulated during his nearly two decades working in the art world. The latter is evident almost everywhere you look, in the coffee table hand crafted from found construction pallets and chairs snatched right from the curb. “Nearly every chair in our house is a street find," he says.
Houzz at a Glance
Who lives here: Hyland Mather; his wife, knitting designer Malia Mather; and their son, Addison
Location: Amsterdam
Size: 90 square meters (968 square feet); 2 bedrooms, 1 bathroom
A rotating selection of contemporary artwork hangs on a gray wall in the living room. Mather made the top of the coffee table from found wooden construction pallets that he dismantled, sanded, oiled and fitted together. "Both Malia and I quite like to take in a lost item off of the streets when we see something worthy of a little second-chance love," he says.
Mather has been in the art gallery world since the mid-'90s; he's now associated with Andenken Gallery in Amsterdam. The gallery wall spotlights some of his favorite artists, including Evan Hecox and Faile. "I had a wall to play with and went on a hang rampage one afternoon," he says. "It has a very loose plan. In my personal work, I make a lot of assembly and lost-object artwork, so I just play with the composition until I like it. It’s pretty subjective."
Many of the items pictured here can be found via Battalion. Mather created the string installments.
Many of the items pictured here can be found via Battalion. Mather created the string installments.
"Our couch can hold us all very comfortably, and we have plenty of wool blankets and soft pillows to add warmth to those cold Amsterdam winter days," Mather says.
An original Poul Cadovius Royal Shelving System spans the length of the living room, displaying a rotating collection of art and objects. While this constant change might drive some insane, it's what keeps Mather inspired. "No place we ever live will ever be finished," he says.
An original Poul Cadovius Royal Shelving System spans the length of the living room, displaying a rotating collection of art and objects. While this constant change might drive some insane, it's what keeps Mather inspired. "No place we ever live will ever be finished," he says.
Mather found almost all of the chairs on the street. "We have some real beauties, from old wooden school chairs to midcentury classics, to some late-'60s Danish pieces — a total mixed-nuts chair affair," he says.
The large Blek Le Rat stencil of an androgynous angel playing a violin, titled "Classical with Violin," is one of Mather's favorite art pieces. "Blek is largely regarded as one of the absolute granddaddies of the thriving stencil art scene, of which both Banksy and Faile are major contributors," he says.
The large Blek Le Rat stencil of an androgynous angel playing a violin, titled "Classical with Violin," is one of Mather's favorite art pieces. "Blek is largely regarded as one of the absolute granddaddies of the thriving stencil art scene, of which both Banksy and Faile are major contributors," he says.
The family shares meals at this kitchen table. Since the kitchen has limited storage, the couple hangs pots and pans on a simple rack. "It saves space and invites cooking," Mather says.
In a mad scramble to find a suitable place to call home after relocating to the Netherlands, Mather was drawn to the clean lines and floor-to-ceiling windows that flank the living room. "The original state of the house was bleak, but honestly we were just so happy to have a place in Amsterdam that it stayed comfortably bleak for quite some time," he says. "We made it feel like home gradually and we still, like most, desire something else — the continual hunt for home."
Mather's favorite spot is this brown leather chair. "It's my dad chair, where I sit and work and read and think," he says. "No one sits in that chair really but me. Everybody knows."
A particularly treasured piece by stencil painter Amanda Marie, titled "Face To Face With Your True Nature," hangs over the couple's bed. Mather found the shelving unit on the street.
Mather crafted the bedside table from salvaged wood. "Tons of what we have in our home is found, or rebuilt from found, and we both take pride in that," he says. "If you can get past the ‘Oh, gross’ hangup and get to the ‘score!’ mentality, Amsterdam has a ton of great street finds, big and small."
Mather relaxes on the sofa with Addison.
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What a lovely feeling of family this home brings to us, and no home worth its salt should never be 'finished'. Well done!
I remember that stage in my life, I remember stages in my life when I could afford new everything. The scrounging stage of just starting out was definitely more fun.