They Transformed a “Very Beige” 1990s House into a Colorful DIY Wonderland
Adrienne BreauxHouse Tour Director
Adrienne BreauxHouse Tour Director
For more than 10 years, I've led Apartment Therapy's real home content, producing thousands of house tours from around the world. Currently, I live in my maximalist dream home in New Orleans, Louisiana, with my partner, a perfect dog, and a cute cat.
published now

They Transformed a “Very Beige” 1990s House into a Colorful DIY Wonderland

Adrienne BreauxHouse Tour Director
Adrienne BreauxHouse Tour Director
For more than 10 years, I've led Apartment Therapy's real home content, producing thousands of house tours from around the world. Currently, I live in my maximalist dream home in New Orleans, Louisiana, with my partner, a perfect dog, and a cute cat.
published now
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About this tour
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Home Type

House

Location

Almere, The Netherlands

Style

Colorful

Contemporary

Bedrooms

3

Square feet

1400

Sq ft

1400

A bunch of little colorful wooden blocks make one wall of this 1,400-square-foot house in Almere, The Netherlands, into a playfully geometric art installation. It immediately sets the tone for the home. The homeowners created the wooden block art themselves, and it’s just one of many handmade elements that make it a one-of-a-kind home.

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Credit: Margriet Jansen
A perfect example of how the couple has personalized their home by hand is the colorful wooden block wall, an idea that Margriet had been mulling about for a while and built in a week. "What started as a simple concept quickly grew into a playful installation made of hundreds of small wooden blocks. Painting and arranging them became a creative process in itself, and the wall has since turned into one of the most recognizable features of our home."

“We first met 27 years ago while studying furniture making, so designing and making things has always been a natural part of our lives,” begins Margriet, who’s lived in the city for 18 years and in this house for eight years. “Our home is really the result of years of making, experimenting, and slowly shaping the spaces around us into something that reflects who we are.”

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Credit: Margriet Jansen
"One of the smartest (and most unexpected) things we’ve bought for our home is actually simple draft sealing strips," Margriet admits. "We used them to create the curved shapes on our red wall. By sticking the flexible strips onto the wall and painting over them, they became a subtle relief that gives the wall texture and soft arches. It started as a small experiment, but it turned out to be a surprisingly simple way to add architectural detail to a wall. It’s one of those ideas that proves you don’t always need expensive materials to create something special."

This three-bedroom house is actually much more than just a home; it’s a creative workspace for homeowners Margriet and Elmar, who share it with sons, Sverre (16) and Kalle (13). There’s a large workshop/studio that’s attached to the house where the creative couple runs their wooden toy webshop.

The couple are passionate about making things with their own hands, and their creations are sprinkled around every room. “Many elements in the house are custom-made or created by us, which makes the space feel very personal and full of stories.”

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Credit: Margriet Jansen
Margriet and Elmar custom designed and made this built-in cabinet that's nearly the width of the living room. It's a gorgeous combination of both storage and fireplace. "The soft mauve color helps the large cabinet blend into the room while still highlighting the objects and plants displayed in the open shelves," she writes. "The fireplace is framed with blue tiles, adding contrast to the pastel tones used throughout the house." The cabinet color is Lick's "Purple 01."

Along with cool DIY furniture and art, they also added a lot of color to the home, which they described as “very beige” when they first moved in. Margriet says they’re not “afraid to experiment with bold combinations and playful ideas.”

“Our home reflects our curiosity and love for making things,” she writes. “It’s not a perfectly styled space, but rather a place where ideas are constantly tested, projects appear and disappear, and where creativity is part of everyday life.”

Resources

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Credit: Margriet Jansen

LIVING ROOM

  • Blue sofa — Spektakel Bubble sofa in cobalt blue
  • Wooden block wall — DIY project made from hundreds of wooden blocks, designed and built by Margriet
  • Neon pink side table — Neon pink pilar Housevitamin
  • Vase — Kink Vase by Muuto in dusty lilac
  • Wall paint — Flexa “Full Aubergine”
  • Built-in cabinet — Custom designed and built by Margriet and Elmar
  • Cabinet color — Lick “Purple 01”
  • Fireplace — Wood-burning stove
  • Fireplace tiles — Amazon
  • Decorative objects and plants — Mix of vintage finds and design pieces
  • Ceiling lamp — Secondhand find
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Credit: Margriet Jansen

DINING ROOM/KITCHEN

  • Built-in shelving — Custom-designed and built by Margriet and Elmar
  • Dining table — Secondhand
  • Dining chairs — Kwantum
  • Pendant light— IKEA
  • Kitchen tiles (visible in the background) — Hexagon tiles by Etna
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Credit: Margriet Jansen

BEDROOM

  • Bed — Loof
  • Bed linen — H&M Home
  • Wallpaper behind the bed — Photowall – “Formationia”
  • Wallpaper on closet doors — Photowall – “Illuminated Lines”
  • Bedside tables — Designed and built by Elmar and Margriet

This tour’s responses and photos were edited for length/size and clarity.
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