Jasper Jansen and Jeroen Dellensen have a lot in common. They both grew up in Amsterdam, they each have two children of the exact same age and they both went to cabinetmaking school. That’s where they met, before studying as interior architects – Jansen at the Gerrit Rietveld Academie and Dellensen at the Utrecht School of the Arts. Reuniting four years after graduation to form their practice i29, the duo has worked from a large warehouse, in Industrieweg on the outskirts of Amsterdam, since 2001.
“Our big industrial space is flooded with light – and it’s inexpensive. Why would we leave?” laughs Jansen, 44. “We also never wanted to live anywhere else other than in Amsterdam. It has a metropolitan allure but it’s still a small city.” Adds Dellensen, 41: “It’s gezellig [cosy and heart-warming].”