ARCHITECTURE, DESIGN AND CONSTRUCTION CRAFTSMANSHIP WITH AN ITALIAN FEMALE TWIST

ISA Lab

Meet Isa

Meet Isa

From a creative corporate manager to an entrepreneurial adventure. Isabella, now, bets on a woman's success in construction.

Isabella grew up in Milan, a prominent city in the field of fashion, design, notably interior, architectural, industrial, and urban design.
Her passion for spaces and design inspired her to graduate in architecture from the Milan Polytechnic.
She loves to experiment and master several types of crafts. Her strength is to find out what the potential of an existing space is, so she can solve for the desires of her clients. In that process she can cover the whole spectrum - from design to actual construction.
Isa brings all the richness of Italian culture - attentive to beauty and the quality of details in all her work.

projects

Sometimes it suffices to repaint your house to make your space feel fresh and renewed. Sometimes it is about using your space better to get a whole new experience - using unused nooks in your kitchen, changing your seating furniture, so you can also store things in it or re-arrange a storage room so you can also use it as an office. And sometimes it is about creating unique pieces of furniture to make your space stand out. Whether it is for your own house or for a commercial space, Isa can come and discuss what you desire, will problem-solve it with you and make it happen with the care and quality you look for.

Remodeling of bedroom to Sneakerwall and Dressing

Remodeled a former guest room into a luxurious dressing finished off with a locally inspired sneaker wall.

The dream was a walk-in wardrobe. But after some discussion with the owners, sneaker collectors at heart, it was clear that a sneaker wall had to be the centerpiece of the walk-in wardrobe. Another consideration was to minimize waste and hence optimize the use of available materials.

We joined two small rooms by demolishing the border wall. The unified space allowed us to remodel the space to accommodate a 7mt wardrobe, and the 3mt sneaker wall. The main structure had a central position so that the sneaker wall really functioned as a personal ‘gallery’ when walking into the room. This posed a bit a of challenge as the structure could not be anchored to a wall – so we hung the two structures to the pitched roof. In order to overcome the many irregularities in the space we chose to use MDF plates that could be cut to fit all crooked angels. We used Ikea sliding shelves and lighting to create an atmosphere of luxury and to create highlights in the sneaker wall. The design of the sneaker wall was inspired by typical Andalusian geometric shapes, another passion of the owners.

Remodeling of bedroom to Sneakerwall and Dressing

Remodeling of bedroom to Sneakerwall and Dressing

Restoration of an Antwerp Designer Loft

A timeless designer loft in the heart of Antwerp with crisp and clean lines distorted by humidity. A neglected roof terrace that had collapsed due to faulty construction. Fully restored to its former, minimalist glory.

In both bathrooms, humidity and water deteriorated the walls to the bone. A radical intervention of removing the old rotten structural plaster was necessary. We put new plaster in layers to reconstruct the missing parts and cracks and openings in the showers were sealed.
A new coat of primer and varnish finished up the restoration to return clean lines to the bathrooms.

The terrace had collapsed and was neglected, so needed to be restored as well. When looking into it I realized we had to find a solution to access the rain draining pipe. The rainwater was stagnant on the terrace because leaves and sand were blocking the draining gutter. There was no point of access to these pipes in the original deck. So we created a gateway to the gutters by camouflaging a hatch in the terrace structure. The renovation of the terrace involved the complete removal of the wooden supporting structure and the wooden floor. Not to mention, the removal of widely present sand and dirt. In the process, the ivy also got some good pruning. Then we built a new structure and deck floor with Brazilian hardwood. To minimize waste and costs, we used leftovers from some of the planks to build the step.

At the entrance to the terrace from the inside the sills suffered from rain, wear and tear.
We removed the rotten parts, applied quality filler to the frame and painted to restore the clean and crisp design.

Restoration of an Antwerp Designer Loft

Restoration of an Antwerp Designer Loft

Restoration of an Antwerp Designer Loft

Renovation of a “Herenhuis” Apartment

A recently bought apartment in a “herenhuis” in Utrecht with a lot of old charm that now needed to accommodate three, instead of two people. With a limited budget spent on the right elements we were able to create more useable space, while refreshing and modernizing the look and feel of the apartment.

One of the downsides of an older “herenhuis” is that kitchens are typically small and not very exciting. The new owners liked cooking and therefore the kitchen needed a renovation. When looking into how best to remodel the kitchen, we bumped into some hidden space that we were able to turn into modern shelving and a customized wine rack. The red kitchen element was in good condition, so instead of replacing we decided to recolor it to give it a more modern industrial feeling.

One of the advantages of an older “herenhuis” is that they often have beautiful, good quality parquet flooring. But these wooden floors hardly get the maintenance they need, so we had to restore the floor. By polishing, putting and oiling we brought back the intended warmth and beauty of parquet flooring.

The staircase entrance to the apartment was crappy – a smelly sisal carpet, rotten plaster on the wall and a front door where paint was falling off. We decided not to add, but this time take off materials to give the entrance a more modern, industrial and more premium feeling. After a prolonged period of heat and sun exposure, freezing and thawing, tiled roofs often suffer damages in the junctions, resulting in leaks. Maintenance is the key - small regular interventions save you from possible significant damages. We put new mortar in for the perfect, storm-resistant final finish for the roof.

Renovation of a “Herenhuis” Apartment

Renovation of a “Herenhuis” Apartment

Renovation of a “Herenhuis” Apartment

Construction of iconic entry in a Fitness Club

There is no more rewarding job than to bring a design dream to life.

Ivo, the architect, played with volumes as in a three-dimensional sculpture, giving shape to the floating "balie" (counter) and a bar area at the gym entrance.

To properly translate that design intent, we had to pull out all our artistry. In order to give the tiled surfaces a smooth and soft feeling, we had to create rounded corners. We developed a layering of sturdy and more flexible materials as a solid base to fix the tiles on. A lot of patience and precision went into this construction challenge.

The result is an iconic entry that identifies the "arty soul" of the gym owner.

Construction of iconic entry in a Fitness Club

Construction of iconic entry in a Fitness Club

Construction of iconic entry in a Fitness Club

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Projects

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There's certainly more than one way to design and build a space or a piece of furniture. From wood or steel framing to bricks and cement structures.

Choosing between restoring, renovating or remodeling something can have big budget implications.

Are you looking for a fresh way to approach home or furniture (re)construction? ISA Lab will work with you on creative problem-solving and design solutions.

Design

Restore

Renovate

Remodel

Design

Restore

Renovate

Remodel

ISA Lab is always focused on design and simplicity.

Simplicity is the Italian cultural approach that ISA Lab brings in, the idea that simple solutions can solve complex problems by overcoming the limitations imposed by materials.

And to overcome budget constraints it could mean a very well executed Ikea hack.

Customized Furniture

Paint might seem superficial, but a good paint job makes a significant difference in the final look and feel of your space of furniture or windows.

What makes a good, or even an excellent paint job is in the details, such as crisp, clean edges, even coats, and well-adhered layers. And the secret: it is all in the preparation work.

Painting

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At ISA Lab we can go the extra mile.

We can make a maintenance plan for you so you can avoid sudden big expenses (like when things break down). For a monthly subscription we can even start to tackle all these nasty jobs for you!

We can clean, trash and organize your cluttered garage, cellar, attic or warehouse into a practical space. Now you can use your space again – create that home office or workout area you always wanted.

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Maintenance

Extreme Maid Services

Maintenance

Extreme Maid Service

Services

References

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Isa likes to work in full transparency and prefers to build long term relations rather than doing a lot of quick fixes. For all of the projects shown, the clients have agreed to be a reference and are happy to share their experience working with ISA Lab. So if you want to check out the work shown, get in touch with Isa and she will connect you with the references.

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...and get to know my partner "Smekkie"

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Contact

ISA Lab

isalab.studio@gmail.com

+31 6 510 045 37

Netherlands Nederland

Chamber of Commerce /KvK #78236355

ARCHITECTURE, DESIGN AND CONSTRUCTION CRAFTSMANSHIP WITH AN ITALIAN FEMALE TWIST

Meet Isa

Isa's

projects

Start Your Journey

Design

Restore

Renovate

Remodel

Design

Restore

Renovate

Remodel

Customized Furniture

Customized Furniture

Painting

Painting

Maintenance

Extreme Maid Services

Maintenance

Extreme Maid Service

References

Get a free quote