Beautifully Excavated 16th-Century Antwerp Style House
This restored 16th Century house is home to artist and landscape designer Ronald van der Hilst. Two buildings have been combined into one with lots left to reflect its old past. Both house structures were built in the 1500s and then underwent large renovations in the mid-19th century.
The rooms are a collection of neon vibrants colours with tulips painted on the walls. Holland-born van der Hilst was not always a tulip lover however he became obsessed, tulips are like living antiques. Hilst has since started a tulip inspired business, selling everything from tulipped bathroom tiles, wallpaper, fabric, vases, and planters. Upon joining the two houses, after breaking through the walls, they found lots of nice surprises, hidden floors, beautiful chimneys, and stained-glass doors. But the greatest surprise was the discovery that the ground floor of the second building had housed one of the city’s oldest cafés.
*This article appears in the October 6, 2014 issue of New York Magazine.
*This article appears in the October 6, 2014 issue of New York Magazine.
