Maxime and Tristan met on a beach in Nicaragua — a chance encounter that set the course of everything that followed. A decade living and working across London, Mallorca, and the Netherlands. A shared obsession with property that took hold gradually, then entirely: renovating their own homes, developing an eye for what a space could become, and an instinct for when a building was worth fighting for. Eventually they found themselves back in Maxime's home city of Amsterdam — a place where beautiful architecture is, fortunately, in no short supply.
Though Tristan founded Studio Francis alone in 2015, the studio has always been shaped by both of them. Today, holding over 15 years' experience designing and project managing renovations, they run it together with clearly defined roles that play to each other's strengths. Professionally complementary. Personally inseparable.
Tristan
Creative Director
Tristan's relationship with buildings started early. Growing up, he worked alongside his father on construction projects, learning to read a structure, understand materials, and to take pride in the detail. That grounding led him to study Architecture and go on to work in several interior design and architecture practices in London before founding Studio Francis in 2015.
Today he leads all creative work at the studio, from the initial concept through to the last piece of furniture placed in a room. Beyond interiors, Tristan's artistic output extends to painting, furniture design, and sculpture. When he's away from the drawing board, you'll find him on the canals of Amsterdam, often with his hands in the engine of his boat rather than at the helm.
Maxime
Studio Director
Max brings to Studio Francis something that design schools don't teach: the ability to make complex things run smoothly. After completing a Master's in Marketing Management in London, she built her career managing large-scale projects at some of Amsterdam's most prominent creative agencies, coordinating teams, timelines, and the kind of competing priorities that would unravel most people.
At Studio Francis she oversees all operations, and with construction projects, that means a great deal of moving parts. From contractor coordination and site management to budget oversight and client communication, Max keeps every project on course. When she's not on site, she's most likely scouting the next opportunity: the overlooked canal apartment, the building that nobody else has seen the potential in yet.
What We Do
We take on a small number of projects at a time, deliberately. Every client receives our full attention, and every decision, however small, gets the thought it deserves. We work with trusted craftspeople, ateliers, independent suppliers, and we are straightforward with clients about where to invest and where to hold back.
See the services we offer below
Our Services
Interior Architecture & Design
Every Studio Francis project begins in the same place, with the building itself. Before a single line is drawn, we study what is already there: the scale and proportion of the rooms, the way light moves through the space across the day, the relationship between inside and outside, and the layers of history embedded in the fabric of the structure. It is this understanding that shapes everything that follows.
From that foundation we develop interiors that are both intuitive and meticulously considered, spaces that feel inevitable rather than imposed. We believe, without qualification, that a home should be built not only to be lived in but to be loved. That means designing for life as it is actually lived.
Bespoke Joinery & Furniture Design
All cabinetry, built-in furniture, and architectural joinery is designed in-house. Where the perfect piece doesn't exist, we make it, working closely with the client and independent craftspeople, to create something entirely personal, unique to the home.
FF&E Sourcing & Procurement
We source and specify all furniture, lighting, fabrics, finishes, artworks, and decorative objects for residential projects across Amsterdam and the Netherlands, managing the entire process on the client's behalf. Our network spans Dutch ateliers, independent European makers, and specialist suppliers, giving clients access to pieces that don't exist on the high street. From first specification through to delivery, installation, and final placement, every item arrives on site ready for day one.
Project Management
Every Studio Francis project is managed in-house, from first site visit to handover. We assess each building, its potential, its constraints, its permit implications, and manage everything that follows: architectural drawings, planning applications, contractor selection, cost control, and site coordination. One project. One point of contact. No loose ends.
Property Acquisition
Finding the right building is where every great project begins. Drawing on years of first-hand experience in the Amsterdam canal property market, we advise private buyers on acquisition, identifying properties with upside development potential and guiding them through heritage permit implications, renovation feasibility, and realistic cost planning.
Our network gives clients access to off-market opportunities that rarely reach the open market: the overlooked canal house, the undervalued Grachtengordel apartment, the listed building others have walked past.
Turn-Key Delivery
For clients who want to hand over a brief and return to a finished home, we manage everything, from acquisition or initial concept, through to final styling and handover. Every detail resolved. Every decision made. Residential projects delivered in full across Amsterdam, the Netherlands, and Europe.
Design Development
Alongside our design practice, Studio Francis acquires, restores, and brings to market residential properties in Amsterdam's historic canal belt. We focus on buildings that deserve restoration, canal apartments and listed properties in streets worth caring about, returned to a standard we aspire to live in ourselves.
Every development is executed with the same rigour as our client work: materials chosen for longevity, craftsmanship that honours the building's provenance, and an eye for the details that make a home genuinely exceptional.
If you would like to be among the first to hear about upcoming properties, or have a building you are looking to sell, we would be glad to hear from you.
Get in touch