Houzz Tours
My Houzz: A Netherlands Home Opens Up
A renovation lets in the light and enhances the home’s relationship with the backyard
When Anique Mangnus and husband Willem Vierdag found their ideal property in the Netherlands, they knew that the location in Arnhem was perfect but the home itself would needwork. “When we purchased the house, it was very dark and too small for my tall husband,” Mangnus says. “We wanted to open up the walls to make a connection to the outside.”
Inside, the home now has a spacious, modern and calm vibe, thanks to their design choices. “There is no television on the main floor,” Mangnus says. “We have a TV in the basement for the kids to watch.”
Other choices combined tradition with up-to-date approaches. The living room and kitchen are primarily heated through low-temperature floor heating.
“The small wood stove in the living room is enough to boost the heat in the room on chilly days,” Mangnus says. This room opens directly onto a patio for the family to enjoy alfresco meals.
The floor-to-ceiling shelves were built and installed by carpenter Angela Snelders of de Wig, who also built the cabinets in the kitchen and bathrooms as well as the closets in the bedrooms.
“The small wood stove in the living room is enough to boost the heat in the room on chilly days,” Mangnus says. This room opens directly onto a patio for the family to enjoy alfresco meals.
The floor-to-ceiling shelves were built and installed by carpenter Angela Snelders of de Wig, who also built the cabinets in the kitchen and bathrooms as well as the closets in the bedrooms.
The spiral stairs lead up to a tiny lookout used as an office. The staircase, made from the plans of some factory stairs circa 1880, was brought to the house in pieces and welded on-site.
The kitchen is the largest room and focal point of the house. It includes both the dining table and a sofa for relaxing while socializing in one corner.
One wall of the kitchen is lined with custom cabinets and a Falcon stove. The choice of black adds a sleek feel to the home.
Cabinets: de Wig
Cabinets: de Wig
The beams in the ceiling line up perfectly with the window panes. The ceiling, made of high-quality plywood, was painted black like the cabinets. “It wouldn’t have looked right with a white ceiling,” Nagtegaal says.
“We worried that a modern house would look too clean and wouldn’t be cozy,” Mangnus says. “But we didn’t need to worry. Our old furniture blends perfectly with the house.”
The door to the pantry displays ever-changing chalk messages, painted by one of Mangnus’ friends.
Chalk artist: Chalking Wolf
The door to the pantry displays ever-changing chalk messages, painted by one of Mangnus’ friends.
Chalk artist: Chalking Wolf
“We had to get used to living on one floor, but we like it,” says Mangnus, seen here in her kitchen.
A seating area is tucked in a kitchen corner. “I like a bit of color,” Mangnus says, “so we painted the kitchen walls green. The rest of the house is painted white.”
This small area also features recessed shelves similar to those in the living room.
This small area also features recessed shelves similar to those in the living room.
The family’s two retrievers, Bear and Raleigh, wait in the front hall for the kids to come home from school.
The front door of the house is positioned at an angle, and a curving path brings visitors to the entrance.
Snelders used a piece of unfinished wood in the powder room as a countertop. “Angela knew we would like it,” Mangnus says. Leaf-patterned wallpaper adds to the rustic atmosphere.
The master bedroom is simple and spare, with custom built-in closets lining one wall.
Closets: de Wig
Closets: de Wig
The main full bathroom has two sinks to accommodate more than one person at a time in this six-person household.
A long vintage desk lines one wall of their daughter’s bedroom.
The old iron grate above the desk is used for hanging up art and other bits and pieces.
The old iron grate above the desk is used for hanging up art and other bits and pieces.
Many of the updated windows are recessed, providing cozy places to sit.
Outside the living room is a covered patio designed for dining.
Floor-to-ceiling windows and doors line the back of the house. The tops of the doors mark the original height of the house.
The pool in the backyard isn’t heated. “It is a swimming pond,” Mangnus says. “The water moves through a pump and is naturally filtered by the reeds we planted on one side of the pond.”
Natural Swimming Pools: More Beauty, No Chemicals
Natural Swimming Pools: More Beauty, No Chemicals
The property behind their yard is designated as a heritage site, so the fields will never be developed and their view from the pool deck will remain.
My Houzz is a series in which we visit and photograph creative, personality-filled homes and the people who inhabit them. Share your home with us and see more projects.
Browse more homes by style: Apartments | Barn Homes | Colorful Homes | Contemporary Homes | Eclectic Homes | Farmhouses | Floating Homes | Guesthouses | Homes Around the World | Lofts | Midcentury Homes | Modern Homes | Ranch Homes | Small Homes | Townhouses | Traditional Homes | Transitional Homes | Vacation Homes
My Houzz is a series in which we visit and photograph creative, personality-filled homes and the people who inhabit them. Share your home with us and see more projects.
Browse more homes by style: Apartments | Barn Homes | Colorful Homes | Contemporary Homes | Eclectic Homes | Farmhouses | Floating Homes | Guesthouses | Homes Around the World | Lofts | Midcentury Homes | Modern Homes | Ranch Homes | Small Homes | Townhouses | Traditional Homes | Transitional Homes | Vacation Homes
Who lives here: Willem Vierdag and Anique Mangnus; their four children, Inez, 18, Pieter, 16, Anna, 15, and Myrte, 13; their chocolate Labrador retriever, Bear; and their golden retriever, Raleigh
Location: Arnhem, Netherlands
Size: 2,153 square feet (200 square meters); five bedrooms, 1½ bathrooms
Year built: 2014
The couple, who own LBL, a content marketing company in Arnhem’s city center, hired architect Suzanne Nagtegaal to help them update their home. Together, they rebuilt the house to add an extra 3 feet in ceiling height and open it up to the scenery.
“We like our updated house better because it is more connected with its surroundings,” Mangnus says. The remodeled home also features an updated interior and solar panels to make it more energy efficient.