Dutch Social Housing Glows With Pastel Colors and Purpose

Affordable housing just got a gorgeous makeover in Hilversum, Netherlands, and it's changing what we think social housing can look like.

Dutch architecture studio Monadnock designed Volante, a seven-story residential building that replaces a former care facility with 108 social rent apartments. These units charge significantly lower rates than market prices, based on a government formula tied to local incomes.

The exterior dazzles with multicolored glazed brick in sage green, flamingo pink, and warm cream and orange. But this isn't just pretty for pretty's sake. The building sits at the center of communal green space, intentionally designed to complement 1950s-era neighbors while standing out as something fresh and hopeful.

Inside, residents enter through doorways framed by circle, square, and triangle windows into a double-height hallway with spherical lights and bright yellow mailboxes. A circular "void" connects the first five floors, flooding corridors with natural light and cheerful yellows, greens, and pinks.

Each 538-square-foot apartment includes a living room, kitchen, bedroom, and large window with a French balcony. The building runs entirely on renewable energy without any gas hookups.

The Ripple Effect

Twenty-two apartments are reserved specifically for young people with disabilities, and 30 units serve as care homes with 24-hour support available. Residents get the help they need while maintaining independence and community connection.

"I think it's cool that I'll be living in the hallway with my best friends," one new resident shared at the key ceremony this summer. Another resident, Vera, said she loves the yellow throughout because she's a "real Pokémon fan" and painted her wall sunny yellow to match.

Care and housing manager Fieke Kitslaar envisions the space as "an inclusive neighborhood where young and old live together, care for each other, and actively contribute to neighborhood life." The same block now includes other social and private homes, a physical therapy practice, childcare center, and restaurant.

Monadnock founder Sandor Naus told Dezeen the soft color palette creates contrast between the development's inner world and outer edges. Design blog Design Indaba called it "a demonstration of how architecture can balance functionality with dignity, and density with delight."

The building filled to capacity shortly after opening, proving that affordable housing designed with joy and intention doesn't just shelter people but helps them thrive.