This 1912 Amsterdam Butcher-Shop-Turned-House Might Be One of the Most Colorful Homes Ever
It’s hard to believe now, but two years ago, when Marly and Gert-Jan first went to visit this one-bedroom house in Amsterdam’s city center, they were less than enthused. The couple had previously been living in a ground-floor apartment, but once they determined how much they could afford and visiting Funda, a Dutch real estate website, they decided it was time to own.
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“This house was listed far down the website, and my boyfriend wasn’t enthusiastic at all, but I felt we had to go take a look anyway,” Marly, a teacher and ceramicist, explains. “And luckily we did! The location is amazing, and when we stood in front of the house for the first time, we knew immediately that we wanted to live here.”
It wasn’t the interiors that the couple fell in love with, not by a long shot, but rather the promise of the home’s potential. Marly shares that the house was once a butcher’s shop and had been divided into two living spaces that were “boring, old-fashioned, and very dated.” But given that the couple was the only interested party, they got the house and immediately began making it their own.
During a two-month period after purchasing the home, Marly and Gert-Jan, with help from their dads and professionals, began renovating the 1912 house. In addition to having custom furniture crafted, the floors were updated throughout, and the kitchen and bathroom tiles were redone by contractors.
Marly is a self-proclaimed rule-breaker, and that carries over into her interior design preferences. What was once “very boring and a bit dated” is now full of color and life, with a seamless combination of vintage and modern items.
Resources
ENTRY
- Glass Panels in Stair Wall — KARIN van der LEE
LIVING ROOM
- Ligne Roset Sofa — Vintage
- Yellow Face Cushion — SteilS
- Artifort Chari — Vintage
- Cupboard with Murphy Bed — KARIN van der LEE
- Plushie — Bas Kosters
- Blue Rolling Cart — IKEA
- Wall Lamp — Tonone
DINING ROOM
- Tabletop — KARIN van der LEE
- Bench — Studio Nest
- Cupboards — Kewlox
KITCHEN
- Hands Bowl — Marly Brust
- Glass Lampshade — Lonbonshop
- Kitchen Floor Paint — Lacq
- Neon Orange Dining Chair — OUT
BEDROOM
- Bedroom Cupboard — Kewlox
- Desk — String Furniture
- Crochet Supermarket Bag — Pied
- Wallpaper — Coordonné
- Blue Table Lamp — Fatboy
BATHROOM
- Teeth Mug — Marly Brust
Thanks, Marly and Gert-Jan!
This tour’s responses and photos were edited for length/size and clarity.
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