My Houzz: Handmade Ceramics and Textiles in a Live-Work Home
A Dutch artist’s atelier home is attached to her charming studio and store in Amsterdam
Tempelman’s shop, called Atelier Tempel, is located in the heart of a lively area full of restaurants. The neighborhood was developed to house the working class, and many worked at the original Heineken factory just down the street. The first floor of the buildings along this street were originally owned by shopkeepers, many of whom lived in the back of the store.
A hallway connects Tempelman’s shop to the rest of the house.
Recent foundation work created a good opportunity to renovate the house. “We turned the largest room into the kitchen and the smaller room, that used to be the kitchen, into the living room,” Tempelman says.
The kitchen cupboards were built by a friend, Hanns Bartels, out of reclaimed wood. The curtains are made from handwoven Hungarian flax wheat bags.
A 19th-century chest from a knitting factory in the English Midlands stands in the kitchen, resting against the wall beside the hall that leads to the studio.
Ceramic pieces made by Tempelman can be found among her other collectibles.
The kitchen sink and faucet were once in a science lab. The box under the sink is on wheels so it can be pulled out. The counters are poured concrete.
Morroccan tiles: Zellige
Morroccan tiles: Zellige
The small painting above the pegboard was done by the American illustrator J. Otto Seibold.
All of the glassware came from thrift stores.
“The seascape painting, which covers a hole in the wall, was made by my friend and surfer Robbie Buttner,” Tempelman says. The green Sahara crockery came from Tamegroute, Morocco.
Many of the fabrics in the house are of Tempelman’s own design. She designs and sells pillowcases, blankets and tea towels, among other items.
A 19th-century French armchair is tucked under an accordion wall lamp.
More of Tempelman’s fabric designs are seen in the living room.
The side door in the living room leads to a cozy back patio.
A trellis gate separates an outdoor seating area from the storage shed in the backyard.
Fabrics designed by Tempelman cover the living room sofas and pillows. She also made the fabric lamp that sits on the table behind the sofa.
The couple’s bedroom is tucked away in a small room that gets plenty of natural light.
The one large bathroom in the house has a shower and tub.
In her studio workshop, Tempelman creates hand-painted pottery, scarves, paper goods, pillow covers and other home decor.
The store is full of ceramic plates, cups and vases, arranged on bookshelves and an antique dresser. Photographs that Tempelman takes herself embellish some of the plates.
The kiln sits in the studio beside the front desk.
“These mugs, each with a gold ring, remind me of the Golden Age of Amsterdam,” Tempelman says.
Tempelman is seen here at work in her studio, ready to greet customers just a few feet away from home.
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My Houzz is a series in which we visit and photograph creative, personality-filled homes and the people who inhabit them. Share your home with us and see more projects.
Browse more homes by style: Apartments | Barn Homes | Colorful Homes | Contemporary Homes | Eclectic Homes | Farmhouses | Floating Homes | Guesthouses | Homes Around the World | Lofts | Midcentury Homes | Modern Homes | Ranch Homes | Small Homes | Townhouses | Traditional Homes | Transitional Homes | Vacation Homes
Who lives here: Hilde Tempelman and Jan Roodenrijs
Location: De Pijp district of Amsterdam
Size: 900 square feet (83.6 square meters); one bedroom, one bathroom
Year built: 1876
After leaving her position as head of design for Oilily children’s wear, Hilde Tempelman turned the front room of her home into a working studio. “I was using the front room for my ceramics studio, but people kept knocking on the window wanting to come in,” Tempelman says. “So I turned my workroom into a shop.”
Tempelman and her partner, Jan Roodenrijs, who works in marketing for the University of Amsterdam, have lived in the De Pijp district of Amsterdam for over 20 years. Their home used to be a dairy shop.