During the exhibition Thuis in Rotterdam (At home in Rotterdam), the city put its captivating architectural history in the spotlight. The doors of 24 Rotterdam houses were opened to the public for six months, so that everyone could see how the people of Rotterdam used to live. The houses formed a representative overview of internationally renowned architects, such as De Kiefhoek by J.J.P. Oud, Huis Sonneveld by Brinkman & Van der Vlugt, and residential homes from the pre-war period. The Lijnbaan apartment buildings are an example of the post-war reconstruction period in Rotterdam.
All of the houses were furnished according to the preferences of the period in which they were built. Sanny was an advisor and provided interior and household textile on loan for the Lucy Havelaar house, Huis Sonneveld, De Kiefhoek and the Lijnbaan apartments.
Lucy Havelaar house
Prince Willem-Alexander of the Netherlands and his new fiancée Máxima opened the exhibition at the Lucy Havelaar house. This house, which was built by M.J. Granpré Molière, once again breathed the atmosphere of Lucy Havelaar, its first inhabitant and the manageress of the Zuidervolkshuis. In the kitchen, the tea towels hung on a rack. An embroidered fireplace scarf fluttered. The beds were made up with freshly laundered white sheets and a bedspread, and the knitting was lying on the table, waiting to be taken up again. In the bathroom, there was even a small, cone-shaped linen hair bag with some hairs in it.
Sanny also furnished the other houses with linen and interior textiles from her extensive private collection, bringing them to life. It was not for nothing that the Dutch national newspaper De Volkskrant called the exhibition: “A treat for all peeping Toms”.
Rotterdam, April – October 2001
