Welcome back. Did you miss reading my nonsense? Okay. I'm no Doctor Who, but welcome to my TARDIS - my blog. Can't walk you through time and space yet, but I promise I'm working on it. My biggest enemies aren't Daleks, they're my internet connection, electricity and my phone battery. Frankly, it's far more terrifying than an escaped TARDIS or a robot with lasers. You write something for hours and bam - the power goes out, the battery drops and all your hard work becomes a distant memory... I prefer the robot to that. Today, however, my TARDIS "came across" a diary. A diary left by a grandmother who had an affair with a Dutch rich man from the 1930s - a man whose DNA has the energy of IKEA embedded in it. Did I grab your attention? Okay, get on. Pupuuuu, pupuuu. (Yes, it sounds more like a Pokémon than a time machine, but use your imagination.)
We have arrived. Rotterdam a few decades ago, when our parents weren't even in the blueprints of destiny yet. We have a little problem... Google Maps hasn't been invented yet, so give me a few minutes to get our bearings. Ah, there it is - Huis Sonneveld. I hope the family's out, if not - quieter please. There are shoe bags by the entrance - we mustn't leave footprints or we'll change the timeline. Albertus Sonneveld, the director of the Van Nelle factory, is at work - someone still has to provide coffee and tobacco for the masses and the addiction. Yes, the same tobacco magnate who, presumably preoccupied with cigars and cognac, hardly spent much time at home. But his wife Gesine and their daughters were here - living in one of the most fashionable houses of its time.
The first thing you notice? Light. So much light that even Instagram influencers would be envious. Giant windows let in daylight at strategic angles - perfect for photos. Except this isn't just an aesthetic quirk, it's a fully functional choice. Welcome to the world of functionalism. What does that mean? A house without a soul. No cluttered decorations. Everything here is made to be useful. Everything has a place, everything has a purpose - like every minimalist's dream. The interior is the result of the combined efforts of architects and designers who didn't just build a house, but planned it down to the last detail. Built-in furniture? Of course. Unnecessary decorations? None. It's like you've stepped into those old futuristic movies - only this future was reality for the Sonnevelds.
In hindsight, they may just have given IKEA and the first smart homes their guidance. Each room is designed with a specific idea in mind - the bathroom with built-in cabinets, the kitchen as an oasis of efficiency, and the bedrooms as a place to relax, without unnecessary furniture to annoy you. This is the architectural movement of functionalism. Except... sometimes convenience borders on laziness. Take the steam room, for example. While everyone else is still chopping wood, the Sonnevelds simply turn a knob and voila - warm as summer. And why get up in the morning to pull curtains and wash them when you can command, "Let there be light," with another knob? And because, as well as being practical, they were pretty lazy (but, as we know, that's how you get rich), there was a telephone right next to their beds. After all, pigeons are expensive, and someone has to clean up after them.
Oh wait... Someone is sleeping in this room. A little kid. She's babbling something... "Alexa, Alexa..." She's talking to her imaginary friend from the future. Interesting. A lot of modern technology and inventions come from the past. Someone had an idea that later inspired others. Or maybe people from the future just don't have ideas of their own and steal from the past. (Yes, I'm being sarcastic again.) What was once impossible will be a reality today or tomorrow. But let's continue the walk.
Today the house is a museum and offers something any architecture geek would appreciate - a multi-sensory, 5D experience in the form of a house. What does that mean? As you walk through the rooms, you'll smell the smells that were part of the Sonneveld family's daily life - fresh coffee in the kitchen, the scent of soap in the bathroom... (minus the unpleasant smells in the toilets, of course). Even music would greet you in some rooms to transport you even deeper into the 1930s atmosphere. If they add holograms soon, it will officially be a top multimedia experience. Or maybe a ghost will make an appearance - who knows? So next time you hear someone say "Modern architecture has no soul", just show them Huis Sonneveld. Better yet, bring them here to see for themself. Just don't forget the shoe bags from the entrance - let's leave no trace in history. Or at least not ones we can't erase.
Information:
📍 Location: Jongkindstraat 12, 3015 CG Rotterdam
🕒 Opening Hours:
Tuesday – Sunday: 10:00 – 17:00
🎟️ Ticket Prices:
Adults €12
Museumcard free
🌐 Website:
Huis Sonneveld
suffer from the past, to long for the future, but to forget the present.
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