WELCOME TO THE HOUSE OF FUN
NO SUBDUED COLOUR SCHEMES AND MINIMAL FURNITURE FOR THIS DUTCH COUPLE. IT’S ALL ABOUT COLOUR, PATTERN AND HAVING THE COURAGE TO DECORATE JUST THE WAY YOU LIKE IT
Every corner of our house is a still life,” says Evert Brouwers, of the colourful and idiosyncratic house he shares with partner Sigrid Kalk outside Amsterdam. Take a look around and you can see what he means. Shelves, windowsills and cupboards brim with an eclectic assortment of ornaments, ranging from gnomes, to neon-green rabbits, to a plaster Madonna; a quilted pig stands between an armchair and a pink poodle; and an eye-popping collection of My Little Ponies is lined up in the bathroom.
Their friends have been known to describe the house as ‘a candy store for grown-ups’, which, Evert admits, is “sort of accurate”. Sometimes, though, they give the couple a gift they think they will like because it is unusual or wacky. This doesn’t always work. “If it isn’t to our taste, we don’t keep it,” Evert says. “We put a lot of thought into our choices. Although we have a lot of stuff, it isn’t junk.” Sigrid, who makes most of the decorating decisions, agrees: “I simply can’t live in a place that is not beautiful. Even when I tour parts of Australia in a motorhome for work, I put a rug on the floor and a vase of flowers on the table.”
THE HOUSE TAKES SHAPE
Evert and Sigrid moved into the house three years ago on a quest to find a home with a garden. “We were always searching for outdoor space,” says Sigrid. “When we lived in Amsterdam, we had a roof terrace and a boat, but it wasn’t enough! Then Evert found this house, 20 minutes away. When I saw it, I was sold. I always wanted to have animals, and it meant I could.”
It also meant they had a timber 1920s house, badly in need of repair. They installed themselves in the cottage in the garden for 18 months while Evert set about renovating the main house. He did everything himself, from the wiring to the solar panels. Meanwhile, Sigrid painted the walls, added some wallpaper and laid a vinyl floor that looks like concrete. She also went shopping – many of the things that populate the house were picked up on her