River View Penthouse

Interior designer Robert Kolenik designs state-of-the-art penthouse

‘Intuitive design is where the new luxury lies’

In a monumental building at the heart of Maastricht, interior designer Robert Kolenikhas created a high-end penthouse where the luxury is surprisingly often not visible. “It’s all about the details and the durability. A perfectly finished statuario marble fireplace, intuitive LED lighting that comes on at a dimmed level when you enter a space. And materials that will outlast you. For me, this is the new luxury.”

A penthouse of more than three hundred square metres. And then being given ‘carte blanche’ for the interior design. This was a dream commission for Robert Kolenik and his team, who with his Eco Chic Design style brings together cradle-to-cradle design with warmth and luxury. Robert Kolenik explains: “Of course it’s wonderful to be given carte blanche. It shows that people trust you, but it is also a big responsibility. In order to ensure that the clients ended up with the comfortable, luxurious space that they had in mind, I involved them in the process at key moments. For example, they picked out the marble themselves for the imposing fireplace in the living room at the supplier. The variety of shades and vein patterns on offer makes this a highly personal choice.”

Scaling Up

Kolenik: “The owners did set one condition right from the start: the home must retain its spacious feel. This is something on which we automatically concurred, but we now focused on ensuring that their request played out extra powerfully in the finished design. For example, you can see it in the oak floor, in which we opted for an 180-centimetre-long herringbone pattern of instead of the more common 60 centimetres. This truly delivers a sense of spaciousness. As do the sight lines, which sometimes bridge distances of 25 metres, ranging over the rich array of furniture in the space. We call this upscaling, if you have such a large space available and simultaneously want to preserve the human scale.”

Eco Chic

In the living room, Kolenik opted for the imposing, grey Lawrence sofa by Minotti. Kolenik: “I enjoy working with this leading Italian brand. The subtle colour schemes and the unobtrusive luxury that the pieces exude fit my design style like a glove.” Minotti and Kolenik Eco Chic Design’s great fit is also apparent from Kolenik’s own walk-in collection Kabinet, which is integrated into the penthouse in both the master bedroom and wardrobe, and which is sold exclusively via the Minotti Concept Store Noort Interior in Noordwijk. Kolenik: “Kabinet is a modular wardrobe system with presets that can be mixed and matched. Just like other Kolenik Collections, Kabinet carries the Eco Chic Awareness Label, which signals that the entire system has been constructed in an ecological way. For example, we use Ecoboard: an environmentally friendly alternative to the widely used MDF. And we designed the semi-transparent Solar Onyx insert cupboard with recycled glass. This glass, which has been recycled from solar panels, has the looks of pure white onyx, but achieved in a sustainable way. This is great for displaying watches or jewellery. We have also integrated this luxury feature into the penthouse.”

The perfect finish

Another signature Kolenik ingredient is the perfect finish. In the penthouse, the Kabinet wardrobes are so sleekly incorporated into the wall that they appear to float. Kolenik: “I am eternally grateful to our craftspeople. They managed to position the imposing statuario marble block above the fireplace in the living room with perfect precision. It is laid out like an open book with perfectly mitred corners, achieved thanks to water jet cutting. And the technical side of things? From lighting to audio, from video to home automation, everything is cleverly concealed. Thus your home is seemingly working for you invisibly. This gives me great pleasure. The way that the hall lighting comes on at a dimmed level when you walk to the toilet is something that feels incredibly luxurious and comfortable. It is a small, pleasurable moment that is supported by home automation.”