Sigrid van Roosmalen graduated at the AKV | St Joost Art Academy of Breda, in 2015. A year later, she got the opportunity to create an interior design for a loft at Strijp-S in Eindhoven. For this project, she partnered with Stone Natural Class. Read all about her design story in this interview.
The idea was to make the kitchen a central hub in the home, where visitors could easily join in with whatever was happening: be it sharing a meal, preparing one altogether, and everything in between.
Sigrid van Roosmalen | Interior designer
My client was looking for a kitchen island that facilitated everything from food prep to hosting a dinner. This required an island-like setup with ample space for all appliances and utilities, such as a hob, oven, dishwasher and storage space. Also, enough space for several people to work together without bumping into each other all the time. Lastly, enough legroom to be able to sit comfortably during a meal. When several people need to be able to work comfortably, the positioning of appliances and utilities is essential. The hob, for instance, needs to be close by to the faucet, and the perfect spot for small appliances needs ample power outlets. I loved this challenge.
I wanted the kitchen countertop to have a course finishing and a thicker siding, but without making the countertop too heavy. Additionally, the countertop needed to be low maintenance and scratchproof. Stone Natural Class took these needs into account, and recommended the several suitable stone types and finishings. Having samples at hand was really helpful, both for me and for my clients.
The professionals at Stone Natural Class are obviously highly skilled, not only with regards to their products, but also in kitchen design. Before I handed in the approved designs, they consulted me in, for instance, on the minimum distance between faucet and sink. Also, they suggested me to consider galvanizing the hob into the kitchen counter. Working with Stone Natural Class felt like a partnership. We had lots of synergy going. That helped both of us anticipate options and kept the momentum. I really enjoyed that.
I chose spatial design at the AKV | St. Joost Art Academy in Breda. This college teaches a mix of product design, interior design and architecture. I was, amongst others, taught to start my designs by assessing what is a given, by exploring a wide array of options, and only then to start working towards the end result. This approach really resonates with me, since it entirely revolves around both functionality and the clients needs. A house is made to be lived in. To be enjoyed. People enjoy their homes in their own unique way, though. I love the challenge to come up with a refreshing design that magnifies my clients quality of life. Every single time.
I grew up in a family of creators. In our home, my parents created a lot of things by themselves. That brought me close to the process of conceiving, designing, creating and decorating. An empty space is like an empty canvas board. There are virtually no limits to the choice of materials, colours and shapes. Designing comes natural to me, and is what I love to do most.
I design from a perspective of functionality. Every design is unique, and requires a different kind of material. This is one of the reasons I love to work with Stone Natural Class. They truly anticipate my questions and come up with wonderful recommendations.
I get inspired by many day to day activities, such as reading books and magazines. Also by the conversations I get to have with people, or the ones I get to listen in to along the lines.
Sigrid van Roosmalen | Interior designer
Following, or hanging out with innovative and liberal thinkers, is inspiring too. Friends who work with upcoming techniques, like 3-d printing. Trendwatchers like Lidewij Edelkoord. Or designers, like Hella Jongerius, who wrote an artist statement, a manifest that pleas to treat our environment more sustainably. As designer, I try to anticipate topics that everyone needs to deal with at some point.
Dieter Rams minimalistic style of design and Charles & Ray Eames more curvy designs inspire me as well.
Ricardo Bofill, who is a Catalan architect. His designs mirror the shapes and materials that are already present, but in refreshing variations. I enjoy seeing how he is able to keep one part of a sphere truly authentic, while playing around with contemporary variations in other parts. That way, he creates a truly unique, viable space. Especially when you consider the size of his projects. ‘Nowness’ shows one of his signature projects in a beautiful way: the cement factory he purchased and repurposed into his home and headquarters.
In contrast to that, I also admire architects that work on a much smaller scale and with much smaller budgets. Consider, for instance, Alejandro Aravena. His ‘Elemental’ project has brought an entirely new way of looking at social housing. Using a small plot and a minimal budget, he led the construction of a framework space that allows residents to easily and safely expand their homes when their budgets allow for it.