In Heemstede, just south of Haarlem in North Holland, a former seminary originally built by Jan Stuyt in 1923 was converted into luxury apartments by Stijlgroep in 2007—all minus the chapel which was cold, humid, and dark with high ceilings. “Not many people saw the potential to transform the chapel into a nice and intimate living space,” says Matthijs van Cruijsen who, along with Ina Meijer founded Ina-Matt, a design and architecture practice based in Pingjum. With a background transforming large, old farms in North Holland, Ina-Matt was ripe for the task. The clients, a couple with grown up children working in furniture and fashion, was looking for a home to open up to friends and family. “With old monasteries in mind, we wanted to build a modest yet monumental sculptural interior with an unambiguous approach using honest and tactile materials.” Join us for a tour.
Photography by Inga Powilleit courtesy of Ina-Matt.
![a view of the chapel connected to the main hageveld seminary in heemstede. 17](https://www.remodelista.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/ina-matt-chapel-conversion-netherlands-inga-powilleit-2-733x1100.jpg)
The 2,260 square foot home is made up of three bedrooms and two baths. The biggest structural changes were the rooftop skylights that follow the rim of the construction and the addition of square windows beneath the existing stained glass windows to bring in more natural light.
![the exterior brickwork from \19\23 is made of up typical dutch red bricks situa 18](https://www.remodelista.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/ina-matt-chapel-conversion-netherlands-inga-powilleit-3-733x489.jpg)
![\2\20;in a way we treated the main living area under the curved rooftop 19](https://www.remodelista.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/ina-matt-chapel-conversion-netherlands-inga-powilleit-22-733x1135.jpg)
![a view of the two rows of square skylights/windows across the arched ceiling an 20](https://www.remodelista.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/ina-matt-chapel-conversion-netherlands-inga-powilleit-5-733x1100.jpg)
![the dining table is the in between table by &tradition, and the dining chai 21](https://www.remodelista.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/ina-matt-chapel-conversion-netherlands-inga-powilleit-7-733x1135.jpg)
![a view from the living room designed with a vintage moroccan rug, a wegner ch\2 22](https://www.remodelista.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/ina-matt-chapel-conversion-netherlands-inga-powilleit-6-733x1100.jpg)
![the wood burning stove is from dik geurts. the pendant lights are the jasper mo 23](https://www.remodelista.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/ina-matt-chapel-conversion-netherlands-inga-powilleit-9-733x1135.jpg)
![architectural wood doors with windows lead into a hallway and downstairs bedroo 24](https://www.remodelista.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/ina-matt-chapel-conversion-netherlands-inga-powilleit-26-733x1135.jpg)
![a once lightless area is transformed into an efficient bedroom with light enter 25](https://www.remodelista.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/ina-matt-chapel-conversion-netherlands-inga-powilleit-17-733x1135.jpg)
![the entrance to the kitchen is flanked by aj eklipta wall lamps. 26](https://www.remodelista.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/ina-matt-chapel-conversion-netherlands-inga-powilleit-10-733x1100.jpg)
![the custom kitchen is designed in triplank wood cabinets painted in clay (39) f 27](https://www.remodelista.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/ina-matt-chapel-conversion-netherlands-inga-powilleit-15-733x1135.jpg)
![the backsplash is designed with cottoceramix atelier blanc de lin glossy tiles. 28](https://www.remodelista.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/ina-matt-chapel-conversion-netherlands-inga-powilleit-16-733x1135.jpg)
![a freestanding china cabinet in the kitchen; beyond is a built in china in the 29](https://www.remodelista.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/ina-matt-chapel-conversion-netherlands-inga-powilleit-14-733x1135.jpg)
![under the stairs is a space for washing machines: \2\20;the scullery& 30](https://www.remodelista.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/ina-matt-chapel-conversion-netherlands-inga-powilleit-12-733x1135.jpg)
![the old walls of the chapel were painted in mineral paint with an open structur 31](https://www.remodelista.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/ina-matt-chapel-conversion-netherlands-inga-powilleit-4-733x1100.jpg)
![a curved wood wall is made of ash veneer on curved multiplex and on a timber fr 32](https://www.remodelista.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/ina-matt-chapel-conversion-netherlands-inga-powilleit-23-733x1135.jpg)
![the curved wall functions as a partial shower enclosure in the ensuite bath. 33](https://www.remodelista.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/ina-matt-chapel-conversion-netherlands-inga-powilleit-25-733x474.jpg)
![the main bedroom is designed with a tolomeo wall sconce and eames stool. 34](https://www.remodelista.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/ina-matt-chapel-conversion-netherlands-inga-powilleit-19-733x1135.jpg)
![the room is comprised of a series of floors, stepping up into the bedroom and a 35](https://www.remodelista.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/ina-matt-chapel-conversion-netherlands-inga-powilleit-18-733x1126.jpg)
![a pair of aj eklipta wall lamps illuminate the bathroom along with a flos glo b 36](https://www.remodelista.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/ina-matt-chapel-conversion-netherlands-inga-powilleit-20-733x1135.jpg)
![drawings of the heemstede house. 37](https://www.remodelista.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/ina-matt-chapel-conversion-netherlands-drawing-733x473.png)
![the ground floor layout. 38](https://www.remodelista.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/ina-matt-chapel-conversion-netherlands-architectural-plans-ground-floor-733x524.jpg)
![the first floor layout. 39](https://www.remodelista.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/ina-matt-chapel-conversion-netherlands-architectural-plans-first-floor-733x524.jpg)
For more Dutch interiors see our posts:
- “This Is the House I’d Leave Amsterdam For”: A Family’s Airy, Springy 1893 Quarters in Haarlem
- A Collector’s Vintage-Filled Home in a Former Tavern in Amsterdam
- Texture and Light: A Designer/Photographer’s Own Family House in the Netherlands, Revamped
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