Rolf Bruggink, a Dutch designer, calls the crumbling town house he renovated in Rotterdam the Black Pearl, after the black painted brick facade that replaced the original one. His workshop, Studio Rolf.fr, is on the ground level.
The greenhouse on the roof, which houses a whirlpool tub but no plants, offers bathers a panoramic view of the city.
Mr. Bruggink and his dog, Bart, on the new stairs to the third-level sleeping quarters. The brick wall is original.
The antique dining table in the kitchen was modernized by Studio Rolf.fr, using orange laminate. The appliances are from Ikea, and the cabinet doors are made out of old wood salvaged from the house.
A sink designed by Roland Manders sits under the stairs to the roof garden, at right. On the left, a bathroom and walk-in closet off the sleeping quarters.
The view from the kitchen to the living room at the back of the house. The stairs at the right lead to the sleeping quarters; the ones at the left, to Mr. Bruggink’s workshop.
The new construction separates the living area and the kitchen without creating closed rooms, which “expands a relatively narrow space,” Mr. Bruggink said.
The windows of the bedroom on the third level open onto a small balcony; the shower is hidden in a closet to the right of the bed. The bench is a modernized antique.
