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Inspired by nature, Jet van Buren’s magical home has been lovingly decorated to host a traditional Dutch family Christmas

Inspired by nature, the owners of this Dutch townhouse bring a forest feel to its interior at Christmas

With the fire burning, the candles flickering and the tree in place, the scene is set for a beautiful nature-inspired Christmas in this traditional Dutch family home. ‘Our fire burns for 24 hours a day at Christmas time,’ says Jet van Buren, a florist at the market in Nijkerk, Holland. ‘My husband Peter chops the wood, I bring home bundles of fresh flowers to prepare for the festive season.’

The couple have lived in their Seventies home for 17 years but it didn’t look as magical when they first viewed it. ‘It was very tired and didn’t especially charm us,’ recalls Jet. ‘Although the style wasn’t exactly to our taste, we liked the child-friendly neighbourhood with playgrounds and quiet roads because that was important when our daughters, Jasmijn, now 17, and Charlotte, 14, were small.’ With help from Jet’s builder father, the couple were able to redesign the interior’s layout and create a spacious family room and an L-shaped kitchen.

‘ We stripped out every Seventies detail and laid beautiful oak floor with oversized skirting boards, and built a big fireplace in the sitting room,’ says Jet. ‘ We prefer open-plan living so we knocked through some walls and formed a bigger space with a brighter, more sociable atmosphere. By replacing all the doors and cupboards, we changed the entire look and feel of the place. Peter and I are drawn to nature and vintage pieces so it was important to us to build on that foundation. On the walls we used chalk paint, as it’s very thick and leaves a lovely texture. We applied it with a brush in two coats and it made the walls look very old and rustic.’

Jet and Peter are both fond of France and pay twice-yearly visits to antiques markets and

brocantes where they enjoy sourcing characterful furniture and accessories for their home. ‘The old cupboard in the dining room is a treasured piece that we found in a French antiques market,’ says Jet. ‘It was covered in white paint, which we stripped and then re-painted with various shades of grey to create a lovely aged patina. People always ask me, “Where is the cupboard from?” but it’s unique to us and not something you can buy off the shelf. I think it’s very important to reflect your own style and not copy the fashion of the moment. Every year new trends come and go but we try not to follow them. For example, for our Christmas table we use contemporary crockery complemented by our beautiful old antique silver cutlery and lots of green foliage and candles. This is our look and it says so much about us and how we like to live.’

Muted colour is also important to Jet. ‘I prefer sober tones that flow into each room and I believe that using the same colour for walls and window dressings make rooms look bigger and less fussy. The whole house is in harmony with itself.’

As a florist, Jet follows the same philosophy, preferring understated foliage and simple white flowers. ‘Amaryllis and eucalyptus are favourites in winter and branches from the Christmas tree look effortless in chunky vases. We love the fragrance too, along with burning logs and mulled wine.’

And this year, as always, Jet will take time to make a wreath as a focal point. ‘Flowers are so often the finishing touch in a home,’ she says. ‘Ours will be full of flowers at Christmas along with handmade decorations and plenty of family and friends.’