Kraaiennest Metro Station

Location: Amsterdam, the Netherlands

Architect: Maccreanor Lavington

Maccreanor Lavington's stunningly original redesign of Kraaiennest Metro Station is the perfect example of how even highly functional design can be beautiful. Located beneath a concrete bridge in Amsterdam, the station hardly sounds like the location of one of the Europe's best-designed, but Kraaiennest Metro Station proves you can find good design in the most unlikely of places.  

Laser-cut stainless steel creates an intricately patterned surface on the walls, allowing natural light to enter during the day; at night, internal lights made the patterned screen walls glow. The upgrade of Kraaiennest Station was part of a series of infrastructure improvements in the 1960s. 

All images: Luuk Kramer