Emma van den Berg

For as long as I can remember, my surroundings have been filled with second-hand treasures. My mom and I would often come home with thrift shop finds packed throughout the car. She had a unique way of appreciating and commemorating these items, which I inherited. We celebrated and gave secondhand goods a place of indispensable historical and emotional value. 

What started as a fascination with the 1960s and 1970s, passed down from my mom, evolved into a profound love for objects from that era and their impact on spatial quality and atmosphere. Each object represents a memory, creating a memorable atmosphere through the interplay between the object’s appearance, the subject’s perception, and the space it occupies. 

I discovered a beautiful home in Gulpen, on sale on funda, a semi-bungalow from 1964, which was sold a year later to the Schepel family. They lived there from 1965 to 2023. I chose to keep the house within the family, transforming it into a family vacation home rather than selling it. 

This home, a place of affection and nostalgia, was used creatively by the Schepel family. They maintained a space for everyone and were known for their free and extravagant lifestyle. I used their approach as inspiration for my design. My goal is to bring back the essence of their space and the value of their possessions into the vacation home. 

By redesigning it to evoke nostalgia and emotional value, I aim to subtly restore memories while managing clutter. My approach, reflecting amongst others, 1960s and 1970s architectural aspects, led to nine design criteria guiding my alterations. These changes are intended to preserve and enhance the house’s historical and emotional significance.