The kitchen was the maids' domain. They spent most of their time here, cooking, washing up and doing other household chores. When they finished work they would eat at the little table by the window, from where they had a magnificent view of the city. The cheerful chequered curtains were supplied by Metz & Co. in Amsterdam. If you look down through the window, you'll see the drive to the garage, with a half circle for cars to go in and out of the garage. The family had two cars; Mr Sonneveld had a chauffeur who drove him to and from the Van Nelle factory. A row of small new trees along the drive separated the staff area from the family garden. The kitchen has every modern convenience: an electric coffee mill above the worktop, a laundry chute to the right of the door, and a telephone to speak to people at the tradesmen's entrance. The electric lift was used to bring deliveries up to the kitchen or down to the cellar. A buzzer was used to summon the maids, and the lamps by the door served the same purpose. The only thing that was at all old-fashioned was the cooking itself. This was done using gas, rather than electricity as many cookery books of the time advised; Mrs Sonneveld was practically minded and preferred gas because it was cheaper and quicker. The Bruynzeel cupboards along the wall opposite the cooker weren't originally in the house; they were added at a later date. They were designed by Piet Zwart in the 1930s and became a standard feature of many Dutch kitchens. Mrs Sonneveld ran the household with a firm hand. She made the tea herself and browned the meat, and she also ensured there was no slacking from the maids. There was a cult of tidiness in the house: everything was put away as soon as it had been used and the chrome always had to be gleaming.

U hoort mevrouw Schreuder hierover vertellen onder knop A.

A