This Sun-Kissed Dutch Home Feels Like a (Very Chic) Summer Camp

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Like a battle cry against the age of consumerism, Emily Henson’s new book The Reinvented Home directs its readers to “Reuse + Reclaim + Renew” right from their first glance at the cover. With photographs of various homes that do exactly that, the book is convincing not just because of the smart and earth-friendly ideas packed into every project, but because the homes that adapt them are so incredibly chic. This is the aspirational side of sustainable living, and Henson is kindly sharing one of the books’ projects exclusively with Domino readers.

Sitting on the shore of Reeuwijkse Plassen, one of 13 lakes in Reeuwijk, Netherlands, is this newly built house, one of ﬁve developed by project developer and contractor Peter Kool. Peter and his partner, Larissa van Seumeren, designed and built two of the properties, including the one featured here. As well as owning a webstore, The Eye has to Travel, Larissa is an interior designer whose other home was featured in my ﬁrst book, Modern Rustic. It’s fascinating to see how a designer’s style develops over the years, but even more interesting to see how their core values and signature style remain the same.

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Reinventing reclaimed materials and sourcing new items sustainably is at the heart of the couple’s designs, just as it was almost ten years ago when we photographed their previous home. This house was designed to be climate neutral, so as well as using lots of recycled materials, they invested in features that would beneﬁt them and the environment. Solar panels provide electricity, plus there’s a ground source heat pump for heating and hot water, and triple-glazed windows for optimal insulation.

a-frame landing with seating area — In the upstairs chill-out area, reclaimed wooden walls are punctuated with blocks of muted color. Off the far corridor are the children’s bedrooms, arranged dormitory style.

When I envisage a new build, I can’t help but picture white walls and boxy rooms. But Larissa and Peter have created a home with interesting angles and rich textures teamed with a compelling colour palette. The ground ﬂoor is mostly open-plan, except for some bedrooms tucked down a hallway. A vaulted ceiling above the kitchen and dining area lets in light from the ﬂoor above, and a handmade rope hammock is built into the ﬂoor between the two levels. Upstairs there’s a chill-out room with views over the lake plus a long hallway with the children’s bedrooms ranged along each side. This space has the feel of a cool summer camp like in the movies, only far more stylish.

wood dining room with colorful seating — Hanging above the dining table is a lampshade that was designed by Larissa and made with yarns whose colors inspired the palette for the house. The ﬂoors are reclaimed brick and add character to the newly built property, while the unpainted steel beam lends an industrial edge.

kitchen with vaulted ceiling — In the kitchen, to the right of the dining area, an island was built with the hob and sink on one side and shelves on the other. These hold a collection of extraordinary handmade tableware that Larissa designed in collaboration with her ceramicist neighbor. The blue ceramic pendant lights were made in the same way. The island and sink are wrapped in copper sheeting, chosen for its beautiful patination over time.

Throughout the house recycled roof decking was used for many of the walls and ﬂoors, with some of the ﬂoor planks painted with chalk paint and others left raw. Chalk paint was also used on the walls, ceilings and kitchen cabinets for a seamless look. In the kitchen, the island, which includes the sink, was clad in sheets of copper, with the seams intentionally left rough. Copper also features in the bathrooms, where showers and taps/faucets are fashioned from lengths of copper piping. Just as important as the eco-credentials is the feeling of calm evoked by the colour palette, which manages to be both rich and muted. It was inspired by some handspun and dyed wool that Larissa bought many years before designing the house, and which was later used to create the huge pendant now hanging above the dining table.

bed with patchwork headboard — In the main bedroom, Larissa once again strikes the perfect balance between colour and texture and old and new, also deftly weaving in some family history. The bed was constructed by Peter using beams from an old farmhouse on the land and the asymmetrical headboard is upholstered in a slubby patchwork fabric.

bed with bathroom wall behind it — In one bedroom a partial wall was added to create space for an ensuite shower room. With proper ventilation, this can be a clever way to break up an interior yet maintain a sense of openness. Paint plays a starring role here, with almost every surface covered with Larissa’s favourite chalky paint from sustainable eco-friendly brand Pure & Original.

It takes dedication and experience to design a home that marries function with form as beautifully as this. Whether it is sourcing materials responsibly, making small changes to lower your home’s carbon footprint or ﬁnding clever ways to reuse scrap, there is much to be learnt from this Dutch dreamhouse.