Dutch studio Unknown Architects used four oxide-red steel columns to open up the previously constricted interior of this apartment in Amsterdam.
House With Four Columns is a two-floor apartment situated in Amsterdam's De Baarsjes neighbourhood.

The apartment previously had old-fashioned interiors and, despite measuring 200-square-metres, a poor sense of space as the ground floor was dominated by a central load-bearing wall.
Unknown Architects was brought on board to refine the home's floor plan and give it a more modern fit-out.

The practice first set about removing the obtrusive load-bearing wall. In its place simply stands a series of four exposed steel columns, turning the ground floor into a singular open-plan living space.
When the columns first arrived on-site they had been finished with an oxide-red primer, but due to Dutch safety regulations, a black fire-resistant coating had to be applied.
Instead of leaving them like this, the practice decided to add a top coat of paint that matched the columns' original shade.
"As a result, the steel structure becomes the most distinctive element of the interior, which makes sense to us because it is the most dramatic element in the transformation," the studio told Dezeen.

With the load-bearing wall gone, the ground floor is instead anchored by three elements ? the first is a boxy white volume that accommodates a fridge, wardrobe, toilet and extra storage space.
The second element is the nut-wood breakfast island i...