Spring is in the air in this lovely Dutch home

I love March, to me it's a sign that the long Scandinavian winter is coming to an end. And what better way to celebrate than with a Dutch home full of the joys of spring?! Photographed by Margriet Hoekstra, this light-filled three-storey apartment in West Amsterdam is the result of a major renovation by Rick and Linsey. After a re-configuration, the pair furnished the space with fab industrial / vintage finds, modern units and plants and flowers in every room. What a perfect place which to kick off the week, don't you think?!

 

VT Wonen. Photography: Margriet Hoekstra (with kind permission) Styling: Barbara Natzijl - BoulevardB.

I love the way Rick and Linsey have used a variety of plants  - from freshly cut spring flowers to year round cactus and big-leafed plants.

For more plant and flower display inspiration I've squirreled away lots of lovely images on my Pinterest board and can recommend this fab book.

Is there anything that stands out to you about this home?

More pics and full article here (in Dutch - google translate, we heart you!).

More Holland based homes full of the joys of spring here, here and here. 

Have a great start to the week! 

PS Don't forget to enter my give-away to win a String Pocket in a colour of your choice. The competition closes tonight (Monday 2nd March 2015) at Midnight GMT! Hurry!

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The stunning home of a dutch photographer

Every now again I stumble across an extra special home and this is one of them. It belongs to Dutch photographer Dana van Leeuwen and her family and is situated just outside Amsterdam. Dana and her husband bought the land and demolished the existing house before building this beautiful home. A brave move which has certainly paid off. Not only do I love the way the couple have decorated the space with white and concrete floors and muted tones (with the odd splash of colour) but I also love the way Dana has photographed it for Est magazine.

Dana van Leeuwen with kind permission. Inspired by a post from the Style Files with thanks

What a fantastic home don't you think? You can read more about it  in the latest edition of Est magazine  and take a look through Dana's incredible portfolio here.

Spot the little kitty cat?

More devine Dutch home inspiration here, here and here!

Have a lovely day. Oh and please bring back the summer so we can throw open our doors and pad around the garden bare foot again please!

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A fresh, bright and beautiful Dutch cottage

I do love a weekend escape. This white country cottage belonging to interior designer and co-owner of NU interieur /ontwerp Nathalie Fransen, architect Bas Van Egmond and their three children in the Netherlands hits the mark! The Dutch cottage has been renovated into a beautiful, fresh, light space using among other things, a lick of white paint, a new kitchen and bathroom. For a relatively small space of 34 metres square this family weekend retreat gives an illusion of space. Take me there!

Holly Marder for Decor8

I love this cottage, it has everything I could dream of in a holiday cottage, how about you?

You can see more pictures and read more about this Dutch space here. 

For more Scandinavian retreat inspiration you might want to check out this page (warning: you might want to pour yourself a coffee first, you could wile away a good hour looking through these Scandinavian rural retreats!). 

Have a lovely weekend!

PS we're off to the jungle here in Thailand for the weekend, exciting! See you Monday. 

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A bright and cheerful Dutch family home

Oh do I have a refreshingly bright, cheerful family home to share with you today. Located in Rotterdam, The Netherlands, Lenneke and Joey's charming townhouse is like a little ray of sunshine (much needed on a grey morning in Southerm Sweden I must say!). The pair decorated the home from scratch using several bucket loads of white paint, cheerful second hand pieces and a lorry load of love and patience. The result is a lovely, warm home with a unique signature style.

Photography: Jansje Klazinga, Styling: Emmy van Dantzig.  Shared with kind permission.

Such a lovely space don't you think? I always think The Dutch have a wonderful knack for injecting colour into a home, and this family has proved it once again!

Items in Lenneke and Joey's home I know and love: Dining - Eames chairs, gold / kilim cushions, Tripp Trapp children's chair. Sitting room - Beni ourain rug, this beautiful black vintage scissor lamp is similar, pick up a vintage industrial stool here. Hallway - rustic bench, panama hat, Swedish Kånken rucksack, little yellow and white children's boots. Bedroom - pink linen bedding, lovely throw with pom poms (also seen in this fab bedroom).

You can see more pics of this charming home over at VT Wonen here.

Jansje came to photograph my home a few years ago and it was such a fun, memorable day! Here are some more homes she's captured and I've featured: Valentina Fussell's lovely Copenhagen home, a Dutch home in a former kindergaten, and a home in The Netherlands with red floors (you'll be pleasantly surprised!).

A few other links I love today:

Five ways to add character to a kids room.

Sitting room storage by String (and a new way to add plants to the home). 

How to make drawer pulls from just about anything (our bathroom cabinet hasn't had door handles for several months now - looks like some craft DIY is in order!).

And finally - black bedding? Why not! (This set is on sale.... just saying!).

How to get Scandi-style for your interior by Amara (including a quote from yours truly....:).

Have a wonderful day!

PS Thank you so much to My Warehouse Home for a great review of my book (I'm going to have to pick-up your latest edition, it looks fab!). 

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A home with red floors - with surprising results!

It's not often you come across a home with bright red floors throughout, even in Holland where there's a general love of vibrant pops of colour (alla this and this home). I was sceptical I must say, but when I took the tour of the home (beautifully captured by Holly and Jansje) I was pleasantly surprised. Owners Sanne (an industrial designer) and Tim (an architect), bought this lovely space by the sea in The Hague back in 2013 and set about renovating it one design move at a time. They've filled the house with vintage treasures and upcycled furniture collected over the years (the shelves in the sitting room are made from reclaimed stair treads!) as well as the odd modern find. The result is a relaxed, eclectic and vibrant family home. Let's take a tour...

 

Shared with kind permission: Styling - Holly Marder, Photography - Janske Klazinga.

Wow! What a lovely home. I love the quirky touches and blend of old and new. And of course their cute children!

And what did you make of the painted red floor?

I had the pleasure of meeting Holly and Jansje when they came to photograph my home last year. Such a talented duo! Other spaces shot By Jansje include Tina Fussell's lovely Danish home (also styled by Holly) and a Dutch home in a former children's nursery.

If you fancy a little more beautiful Dutch inspiration today, there's also a whole archive to explore here (scroll passed the first one as it might be this home), I do love a dose of Dutch style, don't you?

Have a lovely day!

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A stunning Dutch home blending old and new. And give-away winner....

Hello! I hope you had a wonderful weekend? I ended last week with a Dutch home tour and this week I'll start with one too (talk about going Dutch!). This one hundred year old farmhouse owned by Rosemarijn van Zandvoort of Skattejakt (check out her beautiful shop and blog) has been carefully restored using a blend of old and new. I think the old world rustic charm of the beams and wooden floor against the Scandinavian blonde wood and white walls (and a touch of poured concrete) looks truly fantastic, how about you?

Photography: Margriet Hoekstra with kind permission. Styling: Rosemarijn van Zandvoort Barbara Natzijl, VT Wonen Via The Style Files with thanks

l often look around my open plan sitting room and dining room area and think I have thrown together to many different types of wood. But when I see Rosemarijn's home it gives me confidence that everything doesn't need to match. How about you?

Try here for stunning aged / reclaimed wood floors.

Thank you so much for all the wonderful entries into last week's give-away to win a Ferm Living Candleholder String from Nest. I wish you all could have won, it was so much fun reading your lovely comments. I am excited to announce the winner: Bene Artuphel please send me a mail with your address so we can organise the shipment.

Have a lovely Monday!

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Cheerful Dutch interior spaces to brighten up your day

I do love a home which puts a smile on my face and brightens up my day, don't you? And it seems Dutch photographer Hans Mossel is an expert in finding them. Each of these spaces from Hans' photography portfolio ooze the 'cheerful family home' vibe. Pure inspiration for adding a touch of colour to the home! I can't work out which room I love the most? Can you?

Hans Mossel, inspired by a post seen on Decor8 with thanks

Any favourites? I think the pink in the bathroom and hall is pretty fabulous!

I also love the rustic wooden benches which appear in a number of pictures. I found the rustic workman's benches I use as a bedside table in my bedroom here.

My daughter has the little yellow Fjäll Räven rucksack (backpack) you see hanging in the hall. It's a real, Swedish design classic and amazingly practical too. It's exciting to see them starting to appear on the backs of people in London too! You can buy them here.

More cheerful Dutch home tour inspiration here, here and here.

Have a lovely day and see you tomorrow!

PS My husband and I are planning on going for a weekend away sans children this autumn- yay! Any tips on wonderful, unique, quirky or simply beautiful places to stay in Europe? Tips very welcome!

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The 7 most popular (and fabulous) home tours

Thank you for your tremendous support and engaging comments this year and a big hello to all new readers too. I've been looking back over 2014 and feel so proud of what My Scandinavian Home has achieved.  But which posts did you enjoy the most? I took a look through the archives to find the 7 most popular posts of all time (links to each post under the pictures). Do you agree?

The fabulous home of a Dutch designer

Christmas touches in a Finnish home

A beautiful Dutch stylists home ready for Christmas

The cool home of a Norwegian Blogger

Beautiful Dutch bedroom make-over

The Danish home on a hill

A Touch of Scandinavian Christmas

I have to say, some of these posts are my favourite too (I love the Finnish and Norwegian blogger homes). Are there any in particular you enjoyed?

These posts were incredibly popular on Pinterest too.

We're heading off to my husband's family today to celebrate our Swedish Christmas - so excited! I'm a big fan of the Swedish julbord! Do you have any great plans for today?

I'll be back tomorrow with a post before the holidays begin, until then, I hope you have a lovely day!

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