Until early 2019, Jacoline and Sjoerd Ribberink had lived for years in an old house in Utrecht, one of the fastest-growing cities in the Netherlands. But the pace of growth left them feeling they were being crowded out. They didn’t want to leave Utrecht, but how to fulfil a wish list that included extra bedroom space, another bathroom and room for guests? “We discovered that the owner of this boat and berth might be tempted to sell. It took several months, but it was worth it.” The result is a floating home with ample living space and a lush garden.
The couple engaged architect Lars Courage and interior designer Gerrit Holdijk to help them reimagine the space. “Using black both inside and out was a deliberate choice,” says Jacoline. “Black makes interiors more intimate when the space is large and open. And with large windows and the sun reflecting off the water, the black means you don’t need sunglasses inside. It also makes for a beautiful frame for the natural environment surrounding us; it draws the eye to the outside.”
Dark star: black steel and glass walls, wooden flooring and a 6m suspended pink cabinet in the main living area. Photograph: Rene Van der Huls/Inside Living
Getting professional help from the start was a vital move. “The concrete floor needed to be carefully calculated in advance because of the carrying capacity and stability of the boat. In short, we could have sunk!” says Jacoline.
The boat is constructed from a steel skeleton with sandwich panels and all the walls and ceilings are steel. One advantage of this is that everything can be hung on the walls with magnets, so “moving paintings is a breeze”. Electrical sockets are in steel architectural tubes, out of sight.
On the waterfront: (from top) the living area opening on to the dining room. Photograph: Rene Van der Huls/Inside Living
“By concentrating on the main ideas first, every decision afterwards was the logical consequence of earlier formulated starting points. This made it easier for us to make several daring choices, like the stainless-steel kitchen countertop, which was produced very cost-effectively by a car bodywork company,” says Jacoline. Originally, they had wanted a marble kitchen countertop, but it wasn’t possible to add another 1,000kg to the boat. “In the end the stainless-steel alternative made a perfect substitution. Not only because it’s so easy to clean, but also because it reflects the light beautifully, during day and night.
Ship shape: steps leading to the sleeping quarters below deck. Photograph: Rene Van der Huls/Inside Living
“We had a great collaboration with Gerrit. Because he doesn’t do moodboards it’s all about asking the question, ‘How do you want to live and use your home?’ For example, ‘What do you feel is important in your kitchen?’” (Answer: kitchen appliances not standing out.) “First function, then form,” he used to say, “and you can style the candles yourself.”
They had certain priorities from the first, as Jacoline explains. “We wanted to keep a clear design. For instance, the minimum of legs under furniture. And when really needed, Gerrit came up with something special, like the yellow undercarriage of the kitchen island which stands out because of the colour and seems like it’s almost floating in the air. This resulted also in a 6m suspended pink cabinet, which merges into a home office. His clear designs enabled us to make some daring choices of colour. He really showed us that there’s so much more than white.
Sculling by: the black boat as seen from across the canal. Photograph: Rene Van der Huls/Inside Living
“The choices of colour below deck – the pink toilet and a yellow and green bathroom – were meant as a contrast with all the light and natural colours used in the bedroom and home office. Yes, of course, a pink toilet is a kind of a joke, but we think humour is important in your interior. Don’t take everything too seriously, especially in the design world.”
Furniture is either vintage but newly upholstered, like the chairs or the freshly painted table, or custom-made like the kitchen island, blue kitchen cabinet wall, the long pink cabinet, the bathroom and toilet cabinets. “We are not guided by interior trends,” says Jacoline. “Our interior is about a life full of collecting beautiful things with lots of art made by family and friends.”
The best thing about living on a boat? “When the sun shines there’s a holiday feel, especially when we make a trip with our dinghy in the evening after coming home from work. The large space is fantastic to share with family and friends, and everybody loves the view from the living room to the bend of the Merwedekanaal canal. The light changes continuously, there are waterbirds, like kingfishers… It’s all picture perfect. Like we said earlier, we never ever want to leave Utrecht.”