De Plesman, The Hague
Monumental Modernism with a Softer Soul
Why DNA Hotels Loves It
● A former KLM headquarters transformed into a remarkable design hotel without losing the authority of its original architecture.
● Interiors by Nicemakers that soften monumental modernism through warm materials, restrained colours, and residential comfort.
● A calm, characterful base between The Hague’s diplomatic quarter, cultural landmarks, and the coast.
A Building with Wings
De Plesman occupies a building created to project ambition. Designed by Dutch architect Dirk Roosenburg as the headquarters of KLM, the monumental complex still carries the confidence of a new age of aviation. Symmetrical façades, broad corridors, tall windows, and imposing staircases reflect an era when architecture was expected to communicate progress. Today, those same spaces serve a very different purpose. Rather than offices and boardrooms, the building now offers rooms, apartments, restaurants, and inviting social spaces shaped around comfort, calm, and connection.
Modernism Made Human
Amsterdam design studio Nicemakers approached the building with restraint. Instead of competing with its strong architecture, the designers introduced warmth through oak, brushed brass, soft textiles, herringbone floors, and a muted palette of navy, ivory, and earthy neutrals. Curved furniture and gentle lighting soften the building’s rigorous geometry, while original details remain visible throughout. The result is neither a nostalgic restoration nor a complete reinvention. It is a conversation between monumentality and intimacy.
A Lobby Designed for Lingering
The lobby feels closer to an elegant private salon than a conventional hotel entrance. Velvet armchairs, sculptural lighting, art books, and carefully arranged seating create intimate zones within the building’s generous proportions. The atmosphere is composed and quietly sociable, attracting hotel guests, local residents, diplomats, and creatives without ever feeling overly formal. De Plesman does not rely on spectacle. Its confidence comes from proportion, material, and mood.
Rooms with Quiet Confidence
The guestrooms and suites continue the same measured design language. Tall windows fill the interiors with natural light, while built-in furniture and clean architectural lines refer subtly to the building’s Modernist origins. Warm timber, wool rugs, tactile fabrics, and curved lighting create a more residential atmosphere, turning spaces once associated with administration into calm urban retreats. Room types range from compact Studios and spacious Deluxe Rooms to Executive Rooms and apartment-style suites designed for longer stays. Family Suites offer additional flexibility without compromising the hotel’s visual clarity. Everything feels purposeful, but never severe.
The Hague Beyond the Hotel
De Plesman is well placed for discovering a city where architecture, culture, and diplomacy intersect. The Peace Palace, Kunstmuseum Den Haag, Panorama Mesdag, and Escher in Het Paleis are all within easy reach, while the greenery of the surrounding neighbourhood and the nearby coast offer a quieter counterpoint to the city centre. It is a location that feels connected without feeling crowded.
Why It Works
De Plesman succeeds because it allows a monumental building to become human again. The architecture provides weight and history; Nicemakers introduces comfort, softness, and a contemporary rhythm of living. Clear, balanced, and quietly expressive, it reflects The Hague itself—a city where authority and restraint coexist with culture, beauty, and calm.
