Spaces of Intention: Rini Scherpenisse's Amsterdam Duplex
In a stately townhouse from 1885, set along one of Amsterdam's graceful canals with a sweeping view over the Amstel River, lives Rini Scherpenisse – owner of the renowned interior and design store Mobilia.
Rini's home occupies the two upper floors, a spacious duplex he has renovated with an expressive sense of materiality and atmosphere: dark herringbone wooden floors, a bespoke kitchen crowned with travertine countertops, and a curated blend of mid-century masterpieces. Finn Juhl’s Reading Chair and Pelican Chair sit naturally among icons by Charlotte Perriand, Eero Saarinen, and Charles and Ray Eames, forming a home that feels at once understated and deeply intentional.
Rini grew up in Utrecht and later moved to Amsterdam for work. His path into design was unplanned, unfolding step by step. He began at IKEA, then continued at Habitat in the UK, before eventually applying for a position at Mobilia. What began as an ordinary job soon became a direction. Rini's instinct for curation quickly distinguished him, and the owner stepped back, granting him the freedom to explore and redefine the store’s identity.
"He gave me room to grow and to make the company better," Rini says. "I could set a new direction."
By 2001, he officially took over Mobilia – and the real transformation began. "The store had barely changed since it opened in 1975," Rini says. He rebuilt the whole space and since expanded the collection dramatically, and it now includes pieces from Denmark, France, Italy, America, Canada, New Zealand, and Brazil. His guiding principle is clear: offer what others don’t. "A lot of stores present the same designs. I wanted to find voices and pieces you wouldn’t see everywhere else."
Rini traces his earliest fascination with design back to his grandfather, a fruit trader with an unexpectedly refined eye. "In the 1930s, he built a house in Rotterdam, for which he hired an interior architect. As a child, I didn’t realize what I was experiencing, but it stayed with me." Once in the industry, travel broadened his perspective even further. "I visited so many designers across Europe, and I realized how many beautiful things weren’t being shown in the Netherlands," he says.
This sensibility also explains his deep appreciation for Finn Juhl. "What I love is that his pieces can’t be mass produced," he says. "They were complex and expensive to make, and therefore rare. Even the industrially produced ones from the 1950s are still unique today. You don’t see Finn Juhl everywhere – and that’s what makes it special."
Craftsmanship remains central to Rini's philosophy. "I choose brands that still produce by hand in their own factories," he says. He has seen firsthand how outsourcing affects quality. "A lot of Scandinavian companies move production to Asia. Quality goes down, distribution becomes messy, and prices go up. You can feel it when you touch the furniture – it becomes more mass-produced, less tactile, less loved."
That same appreciation for craftsmanship permeates Rini’s home. The sculptural elm table in his dining room, for example, was made by a friend using upcycled wood. "I asked if we could include it in the collection,” Rini says with a smile. "But he told me, 'No, no – I only wanted to make one, and it’s yours.'"
It’s a fitting story for someone who has devoted his life to seeking out the singular and the meaningful – pieces shaped by hand, created with intention, and built to endure.
