B.O. van den Berg (1919-2009) Only a small part of Bart Olof van den Berg's archive has survived. This became apparent when the oeuvre list was compiled: Van den Berg's notebook contained many more works than was expected on the basis of archive material. As a result, few details are known. For example, Van den Berg often mentioned the address of the client, but rarely the place where he accomplished a project. Sometimes it was even unclear whether it was a client's address or the location of the project. In the latter case, the address was included as if it were the location of the work, in order to preserve as much information as possible. Van den Berg's immense oeuvre consists of designs for furniture, alterations, restorations and housing. In 1941, B.O. van den Berg graduated as an interior designer. Immediately he began an enormous series of renovations in Amsterdam. This did not prevent him from studying at the Academy of Architecture in Amsterdam. He would also develop to his full potential as an architect. His oeuvre shows that for Van den Berg a number of things were paramount: a house had to be functional and pleasant to live in. In this the views of modernists such as Mart Stam, Johan Niegeman, Gerrit Rietveld and Theo van Doesburg can be recognized. For Van den Berg, simplicity of design, horizontal and vertical lines and harmony between interior and exterior were central. That Van den Berg was schooled by the Nieuwe Bouwen is also evident in his education. He studied interior design at the Instituut voor Kunstnijverheidsonderwijs (IvKNO) in Amsterdam where Johan Niegeman (1902-1977) was head teacher. Director of the course was Mart Stam (1899-1986), icon of the Nieuwe Bouwen movement. To put his views into practice, Niegeman and others set up the Federatieve Stichting Goed Wonen in 1946. The foundation included delegates from designers, manufacturers, retailers and consumers. All with the goal of improving housing culture for broad segments of the population. People could only become happy if they could live more practically and spaciously and surrounded themselves with beautiful objects. The Goed Wonen Foundation did for the interior what the New Building had done for architecture and urban planning. Even in the interior, the functions of living, working, recreation and traffic were separated. This manifested itself in splitting sleeping, sitting, eating and exercise, each of which was given its own space. But because Goed Wonen aimed at the general public, due to lack of space and money, some functions had to be accommodated in one room. Often living comfort could be increased by small interventions. Especially after the Second World War, because of scarcity of money and materials and poor housing, the emergency situation was suitable for introducing the ideals of Goed Wonen. Where there was no space, a design by Van den Berg could offer a solution. He managed to create or suggest space by, for example, arranging a kitchen in a closet. This idea was published in Goed Wonen 7 (1954) 7. In the seventies Van den Berg had his own column in the magazine Avenue. In it he launched many interior design ideas for people on a tight budget. These were the years of the rise of home decorating magazines and DIY stores. The years of prosperity and a great desire for change led many people to take care of their own homes. To help them do this, Van den Berg gave readers numerous ideas. For example, he advised residents of houses with many small rooms or rooms en suite to break up their homes to get more light inside. They could give the large space hierarchy by creating level differences. Especially homes with high ceilings lent themselves well to this. Steps appeared in many houses separating the dining room from the living room, or the dining and living rooms from the kitchen. Highlights of his oeuvre include villas and country houses such as the Landhuis with garage A. van Cleeff in Heemstede, Woonhuis L.H.J. van Kempen in Velp, Woonhuis Hercules in the Segherslaan in Bilthoven and his own bungalow in Maarssen. His own bungalow, as well as the Landhuis with garage A. van Cleeff, are characterized by staggered facades and flat roofs. The facades consist vertically of glass alternating with light brick. The glass surfaces have a low wooden parapet at the bottom and overhangs at the top that partially extend over the brick. The brick sections protrude above the overhangs. The large overhangs above the garden door and the staggered facades created a sheltered terrace. As for the interior, Van den Berg placed the living room on the south corner. On the emergency west side and on the northeast side came the other rooms. This diagonal placement gave the living room and terrace plenty of sunlight. From the living room, the Van den Berg family could see the sun rising in the east and setting in the west. The arrangement of the other spaces made hallways unnecessary. For Van den Berg, this was the last project he developed as an architect cq interior designer. He went to live here after his retirement. Education: Institute for Arts and Crafts Education Amsterdam/1941;Academy of Architecture/ Side activities: Competition Het Huis van IK/jurylid/1960;Balamundi Nederland Huizen (NH)/jurylid/1963;Beauty committee of Baarn municipality/member/1979 [about];Beauty committee of Bussum municipality/member/1979 [about];Welstandstoezicht Gemeente Eemnes/member/1979