The Multi-Sensory House

The bathroom that smells of soap, art that you can touch and music from the thirties that fills the space: a visit to Museumwoning Huis Sonneveld is now an even richer experience with the addition of a sensual layer of touch, smell and sound. With a number of interventions, designers Simon Dogger and Hedwich Hooghiemstra bring the house even more to life, and make it accessible to people who are blind or partially sighted.

Modern villa

Huis Sonneveld, now a national monument, was inhabited in the 1930s by Albert Sonneveld, director of the Van Nelle factory, his wife Gésine and their daughters Puck and Gé. The modern villa is a pristine example of functional architecture, furnished according to the taste of the avant-garde of the time. In Huis Sonneveld you enter the world of a wealthy Rotterdam family in the 1930s.

Coffee

A subtle scent indicates the function of a space: the kitchen smells of freshly brewed coffee and a soft soapy scent greets you in the bathroom. You can also experience the progressive technology for which the house is known. For the residents at the time, the ringing of the telephone was part of modern life and there are no fewer than 12 telephones to be found. We also hear music and conversations from that time from the radio speakers.

Audio tour

In a specially developed (Dutch) audio tour for people who are blind or partially sighted, Simon Dogger takes visitors through the house. In addition, Dogger and Hooghiemstra have designed a tactile model, so that visitors who are blind or partially sighted can form an image of the house. A tactile floor plan with relief helps visitors to orient themselves further.

Guided tours

Around the multi-sensory house, Omleiders, in consultation with Dogger and Hooghiemstra, have developed a tour with an emphasis on sensory experiences. Check the agenda for dates and times.