Studio Modijefsky Reworks 196 m² Canal Apartment on Amsterdam's Herengracht

Studio Modijefsky has redesigned the entrance sequence, guest facilities, kitchen and pantry of a 196 m² canal-side apartment on Amsterdam's Herengracht, with the project dated 2026.

The apartment sits in central Amsterdam on the Herengracht, one of the city's principal canal rings. It looks out over the water while trees surrounding the façade shelter the interior from the street. Esther Stam served as lead architect on the project.

What did the client ask Studio Modijefsky to change?

According to the text description provided by the architects, the commission covered four elements of the home: the entrance sequence, the guest facilities, the kitchen and the pantry. The brief also asked the firm to refine the circulation toward the private quarters.

Studio Modijefsky describes the outcome in its own words: "The result is an interior that balances bold material gestures with a calm and timeless spatial experience."

The firm frames the setting in equally specific terms. "Nestled in central Amsterdam on the prestigious Herengracht, this canal-side apartment enjoys expansive views over the water while remaining sheltered by the lush trees surrounding the façade," the architects state.

Which manufacturers and studios supplied the project?

The project draws on a nine-strong list of manufacturers and studios:

• Acier Studio
• Astro Lighting
• D line – Bjarke Ingels Group
• Gergiev Kiril
• HEAKO
• Henk Studio
• New Works
• Sabu Studio
• Spaces Within

Maarten Willemstein photographed the completed interior.

The range of suppliers points to a mixed material palette spanning lighting, hardware and bespoke elements — from Astro Lighting's fixtures to hardware by D line, the fittings line associated with Bjarke Ingels Group.

Who is Studio Modijefsky?

Studio Modijefsky is an Amsterdam-based interior design practice led by Esther Stam, who acted as lead architect on the Herengracht commission. The firm works on hospitality and residential interiors across the Dutch capital, where canal-house renovations impose particular constraints: protected façades, narrow plans and vertical circulation.

The Herengracht project fits that pattern. The intervention concentrates on the transitional zones of the home — entrance, guest areas, kitchen, pantry and circulation — rather than a full structural overhaul, leaving the protected shell of the canal house intact.

With a 2026 date on the project and photography already completed by Maarten Willemstein, the apartment now stands as a reference work for how Studio Modijefsky handles heritage-adjacent residential briefs: targeted programmatic surgery on the service core of the home, executed with the material confidence the firm claims in its own description.