Amsterdam-Inspired Interior Design in Judith & Robert’s Saint John Loft
Discovering Dutch Interior Design in Amsterdam
I took my first trip to the Netherlands in 2002 with Peter Smit, my husband at the time and now a dear friend. Born and raised in Amsterdam, he was responsible for my first introduction to Europe. I still remember stepping off the train at Amsterdam Centraal Station and walking into the city proper.
It was, without exaggeration, a defining moment of my life.
I was instantly drawn to the architecture. The leaning canal houses, slightly crooked and pressed together on impossibly narrow lots, completely fascinated me. It was otherworldly; I felt as if I had stepped into a film. At night, I would, and still do when I’m there, peek into warmly-lit windows and study how the Dutch live. I became obsessed with Dutch interior design: pure taste woven into everyday life. Confident. Intentional. Never overdone.
Ultimately, no other city – or rather, no other city apart from Saint John – has stolen my heart the way Amsterdam has.
Above: Robert and Judith enjoying a beer and Jenever at Cafe "De Eland", Princengracht / Jordaan Amsterdam
Since then, I’ve returned 14 or 15 times. In fact, I’ve lost count. Over the years, Dutch culture, food, architecture, museums, industrial design, and interiors have infused my vision of the world. And for all these years, I’ve kept gravitating toward one Dutch design house in particular: Moooi. Their lead designer and co-founder, Marcel Wanders, is my answer to that dinner party question: “If you could summon anyone, dead or alive, to be a guest at this table, who would it be?” He is very much alive, by the way.
Designing our Saint John Loft
Years later, fast forward to now.
Over the past two decades, Robert and I have renovated houses and cottages, built a modern architectural home, restored a Loyalist cottage from 1802, and now live in an extraordinary loft directly above TUCK Studio inside the former Saint John Post Office. The building was rebuilt after the Great Fire of 1877 and still has its original clock face.
Not surprisingly, one of the first places we visited together was Amsterdam. His love for this city may not rival mine which explains why, after his fourth visit this past year (and ten straight days of rain) he smiled and said, “The world is a big place, Judith. Where else shall we go?” However, his respect for the Dutch Masters runs deep. You see it in his paintings. The shadows. The tension. The emotional weight.
The Night Watch Mural that Inspired the Loft
Last September as we were leaving the Rijksmuseum after once again visiting Rembrandt’s The Night Watch, I said casually, “You should paint this in our loft when we get home.”
“Sure,” he replied.
And he did.
Editor's Note:
The starting point for the entire space was Robert Moore’s mural inspired by Rembrandt’s The Night Watch. If you missed the story behind the mural and Robert’s interview with Katie Wallace, you can read it here: Going Dutch: Robert Moore Takes on The Night Watch
Entrance
To begin with, our loft has 22-foot exposed concrete ceilings. The scale demands intention. I never wanted to fill the space. I wanted to create warmth and drama within it.
Robert’s mural an interpretation of The Night Watch (1642) became the anchor. A Dutch Golden Age masterpiece transplanted to a nineteenth-century Canadian landmark.
Featured: Branch-3 Shelving Unit & Averak Plug-in Sconce
When you enter, you catch a glimpse of the original clock face, quiet but commanding. That first peek sets the tone. Time is layered here.
From there, texture, lighting, and subtle Dutch references are calculated to gradually unfold. I didn’t want the space to feel themed.
Featured: Old Yeller by Robert Moore, Stackable Polycarbonate Shelves, Flexible Love Chair by Chisen Chiu, Menagerie of Extinct Animals Round Carpet, Menagerie of Extinct Animals Pillow & Porcelain Vessel by Yolande Norris Clarke
Living Room
At first, you do not see Robert's mural. Instead, you come upon it. It sits on the wall adjacent to the clock, and when it reveals itself, it commands the room without overwhelming it.
Naturally, the deep curved velvet sofa was a must. Its shape echoes the bends of Amsterdam’s canals and the saturated ultramarine blue feels moody and timeless.
Meanwhile, the Smoke Armchairs by Moooi, designed by Maarten Baas, are sculptural. A large rustic round coffee table grounds the space in honest wood and visible grain; beautiful and durable enough for drink spills and rowdy friends.
The Graham chair, with its simple spindles, feels almost Old World, like something you might spot in a Dutch master painting. Faux sheepskin softens it and keeps the room informal, relaxed.
Underfoot, the rug was chosen to add warmth and texture without competing. The mural is the drama. Everything else supports it.
On the table sits one of my favourite pieces, “The Killing of the Piggy Bank,” designed by Marcel Wanders; playful, provocative, and unmistakably Dutch.
In the evening, through the large glass panel that connects the living room to our bedroom, the Moooi Heracleum lights glitter softly.
Featured: Kipton Sectional, Shep End Table, Thoroughbred Cushion, Ryan Oak Coffee Table (discontinued), MacGee Cloth and Company, Jeremiah Brent x Loloi Barrow Rug, Graham Chair, Romani Floor Lamp, Sina Pendant, Gilded Citrus Candle, Spindle End Table, Faux Olive Tree, Mustard Striped Cushion, Sina Pendant, Spindle End Table, Faux Olive Tree & Mustard Striped Cushion
Dining Room
Featured: Persian rug, Gather Chair, Lewis chair, Harper dining table, Reversible Votives & Spiral Taper Candles
Because the entrance, living, dining, and kitchen flow as one open space, the materials had to work together.
To complement the coffee table, I chose the Harper dining table with simple lines and organic warmth. Above it hangs the Dear Ingo Chandelier, designed by Ron Gilad for Moooi. It brings an architectural edge that holds its own beneath the concrete ceiling.
Similarly, the Monster Chairs, designed by Marcel Wanders for Moooi, continue the Dutch thread and sit beautifully alongside the Smoke chairs.
Over the fireplace, Robert’s After Vermeer hangs above a Persian rug layered beneath it. Age supporting age.
Featured: Pear Candle, dried florals, Egg Vase & Delft Blue vase Model 3 (Moooi)
Kitchen, Peninsula and Mini Bar
Featured: Judith & Robert; Snug Counter Stools, Demille Flushmounts & The Broadview runner
When choosing stools, I stayed within the colours found in The Night Watch. Soft orange fabric mixed with dried florals feels very Dutch in spirit.
Interestingly, look up and you will see ceiling lights that have nothing to do with the Netherlands. I simply loved them. Designed by Mandy Cheng, they resemble clouds or garlic bulbs finished with delicate glass baubles. Sometimes design is that straightforward: You love it, so you use it.
In the kitchen, I wove in our travel history. A photograph by Dutch artist Lois Cohen sits behind glass as a functional backsplash. It protects the wallpaper while remaining art.
Pieces and dutch gilded treasures collected over the years live naturally among everyday objects. My favourite is a simple tile we bought for ten euros at an Amsterdam flea market in the pouring rain.
The mini bar offers contrast through plexiglass from Simons, highlighting glassware from Glassroots originally designed for Eric Scouten at Kakuteru. It holds local gin and an old bottle of BOL’S Zeer Oude Genever, long emptied. Above it hangs one of Robert’s portraits titled Spirits.
Featured: Gold Jigger, Bell Brass Jigger, Seahorse Bottle Opener, Brass Shaker & Green Coupe Glasses
Featured: Valier Plug-In Sconce, Succulent Branch, Rosehip Branch, Clea Vessel (Four Hands), Ribbed Stone Wood Planter, Hobnail bowl (Deichman), Thistle (Galbraith Florist) & Brass Candles (Brass N things)
Today, murals are not common anymore. They demand scale and make demands on a space.
Even so, we chose to paint one anyway, adding our chapter beside a clock face that has measured time in Saint John for nearly 150 years.
Therefore, in this loft, 1642 meets 1878 meets 2026.
Robert, thank you for always saying ‘Sure.’
Photography - Kelly Lawson
Interiors & Narrative - Judith Mackin
Mural - Robert Moore
Explore more of Robert's work HERE.
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