Meet interior designer Anita Fraser. After a career as a litigation lawyer, she studied interior design at the University of the Arts London. Today, she collaborates with designers and architects to refine and elevate residential and working environments.

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When architecture and design are created with care, balance is achieved.

Anita has a passion for architecture, design, and creating spaces that envelop their occupants with positive energy. In her work, she constantly seeks the right balance between form, function, and materiality. After a career as a litigator, she changed course and studied interior design at the University of Arts London. She now works with other designers, architects, and project developers to refine both living and working spaces.

In Amsterdam's Apollo neighborhood, interior designer Anita Fraser worked on a home with austere, powerful architecture made of steel, glass, and concrete. Here, she sought out the original layers of the house. The result is an interior made of natural and honest materials, which is completely in harmony with the light, air, and space that make this home so special.

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Silence as a way of life

The sense of calm and serenity that fills this waterfront home comes from the pale tones that adorn its elegant modernist form. My aesthetic leans toward spaciousness—where carefully chosen emptiness creates elegance and expressiveness," says Anita Fraser. "That leaves room for silence, and with silence comes—for me—creativity."

The building was designed in the 1940s by Dirk Brouwer, a Dutch architect and resistance fighter during World War II, and the exterior has status national monument. The house consists of four floors of glass, steel, concrete, and brick, with open spaces and floor-to-ceiling windows that create a harmonious interaction with the outside world.

“When we started, none of the original interior features were intact,” Anita recalls. “It was colorful, eccentric, and had lost its connection with the austere architecture.” For the renovation, which took over a year, Anita was inspired by Japanese and Belgian influences that blend naturally with the modernist character of the house. "It felt important to respect the simple, clean lines while adding warmth and tactility," she says. No major structural changes were made, but she chose to open up the circular stairwell and add steel and glass partitions—mirroring the windows and doors on the outside—to create distinct zones and greater functionality. Floating wooden planks now serve as a partition on the ground floor.

No major structural changes were made, but she chose to open up the circular stairwell and add steel and glass partitions—mirroring the windows and doors on the outside—to create distinct zones and greater functionality.

Form follows function

Although function must always guide form, Anita strongly believes that creating a beautiful atmosphere that appeals to all the senses is essential. She quotes architect Peter Zumthor, who once said, "Experiencing architecture in concrete terms means seeing, hearing, and smelling it." She believes her understated palette is an essential part of the tranquility that this house exudes. It is a soft backdrop that gives space to the light reflecting on the canal, the vibrant colors, and the rustling leaves of the greenery outside.

Far from cold or austere, this family home now feels like a pearl, with a soft glow of texture and soul. This is mainly due to the handcrafted finishes that Anita considers crucial for giving character to a space, especially one with a neutral palette. "Many artisans contributed with their own hands," she explains. "Walls with clay plaster, wood, natural stone, metal, and rough and soft linen add layers of tactility." She loves how these materials age with use and time, telling the story of a life lived. "The metal of the kitchen island develops its own patina; the scratches on the marble are souvenirs of conversations and drinks with friends and family. Air bubbles in the clay plaster are a reminder that it breathes too," she says with a smile.

“Lighting is fundamental to any space. It adds depth and evokes emotions,” says Anita. She collaborated with Antwerp-based studio PSLab (a lighting design and implementation company) to develop a lighting plan based on a study of the Van Doesburghuis—a house once owned by Dutch painter Theo van Doesburg, founder of the De Stijl movement, who sought purity in design through the absence of decoration—an approach that aligns seamlessly with Anita's own values. In a world she describes as “often fast and intense,” this serene retreat is a refuge for her family. It is, she says, “where we feel free to be ourselves, where we celebrate the good times and get through the difficult times together.” For her, less is clearly more.

The kitchen is Anita's favorite room because of the view of the canal. "There's always something beautiful about the surface of flowing water and how it reflects light and shadow," she says.