Antonia Reif updates Dutch townhouse with herringbone parquet and chevron-patterned tiles
Dutch architect Antonia Reif has renovated an early 20th-century townhouse in The Hague, laying herringbone-patterned parquet and installing a bath tub overlooking the garden (+ slideshow).
![Antonia Reif renovates Dutch townhouse in the Hague](https://static.dezeen.com/uploads/2016/07/renovation-project-antonia-reif-the-hague-interior-house-_dezeen_936_15.jpg)
The 1910 townhouse had previously been divided into two apartments, so Reif's first task was to reconnect the four floors to form a single residence.
![Antonia Reif renovates Dutch townhouse in the Hague](https://static.dezeen.com/uploads/2016/07/renovation-project-antonia-reif-the-hague-interior-house-_dezeen_936_14.jpg)
The young couple moving into the house had requested a more open-plan layout with better connections between dining, working and living spaces.
To achieve this, the architect opened up an atrium in the centre of the plan and installed a new oak staircase to connect the ground and first floor of the building.
![Antonia Reif renovates Dutch townhouse in the Hague](https://static.dezeen.com/uploads/2016/07/renovation-project-antonia-reif-the-hague-interior-house-_dezeen_936_2.jpg)
Oak parquet is laid in a herringbone pattern to create a sense of continuity between the spaces, which can be sectioned off with sliding doors that recede into decorative wood surrounds.
![Antonia Reif renovates Dutch townhouse in the Hague](https://static.dezeen.com/uploads/2016/07/renovation-project-antonia-reif-the-hague-interior-house-_dezeen_936_1.jpg)
"The new owners wanted to give the house more generosity and dreamed of a big open kitchen with dining, living and working spaces that would all have an open connection to eachother," said Reif.
![Antonia Reif renovates Dutch townhouse in the Hague](https://static.dezeen.com/uploads/2016/07/renovation-project-antonia-reif-the-hague-interior-house-_dezeen_936_5.jpg)
A kitchen island with integrated sink and cooker is made from a type of composite stone named Silestone. It is set in the centre of the atrium, while appliances are built into a wall beneath the staircase to keep the space uncluttered.
The kitchen acts as an axis in the house, with a larder and garden on one side, and the street-facing dining room on the other.
![Antonia Reif renovates Dutch townhouse in the Hague](https://static.dezeen.com/uploads/2016/07/renovation-project-antonia-reif-the-hague-interior-house-_dezeen_936_4.jpg)
The stairs lead up from the kitchen to a lounge, study and bathroom on the first floor and bedrooms on the levels above.
![Antonia Reif renovates Dutch townhouse in the Hague](https://static.dezeen.com/uploads/2016/07/renovation-project-antonia-reif-the-hague-interior-house-_dezeen_936_8.jpg)
Here, a free-standing bath is positioned against a window overlooking the garden, while dark oak cabinetry surrounds a sink unit that doubles as a window seat.
![Antonia Reif renovates Dutch townhouse in the Hague](https://static.dezeen.com/uploads/2016/07/renovation-project-antonia-reif-the-hague-interior-house-_dezeen_936_9.jpg)
The shower and area beneath the bath are covered in grey and white striped ceramic tiles, arranged in a chevron pattern that contrasts the herringbone-patterned and marble floors.
![Antonia Reif renovates Dutch townhouse in the Hague](https://static.dezeen.com/uploads/2016/07/renovation-project-antonia-reif-the-hague-interior-house-_dezeen_936_11.jpg)
Herringbone-patterned surfaces have become popular choices for house renovations. Other recent examples include an extension to a Victorian house in Hackney that matches its timber-covered dining table to its floor and a studio block with a pale grey brick facade in New Cross with a patterned facade.
Photography is by Luuk Kramer.
![Antonia Reif renovates Dutch townhouse in the Hague](https://static.dezeen.com/uploads/2016/07/renovation-project-antonia-reif-the-hague-interior-house_dezeen_ground-floor-plan_1.gif)
![Antonia Reif renovates Dutch townhouse in the Hague](https://static.dezeen.com/uploads/2016/07/renovation-project-antonia-reif-the-hague-interior-house_dezeen_first-floor-plan_1.gif)
![Antonia Reif renovates Dutch townhouse in the Hague](https://static.dezeen.com/uploads/2016/07/renovation-project-antonia-reif-the-hague-interior-house_dezeen_section-1_1.gif)
![Antonia Reif renovates Dutch townhouse in the Hague](https://static.dezeen.com/uploads/2016/07/renovation-project-antonia-reif-the-hague-interior-house_dezeen_section-2_1.gif)