This 1950's row house in the Dutch town of Giessenburg is home to Marion van Vliet and her husband, Marcel. Moving into a newer house that isn't the least bit nostalgic is no easy decision when you simply love everything that's old and has plenty of soul. Read on to get plenty of good advice from Marion on how to create the style in a newer house.
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Marion's considerations:
There are modern building elements everywhere in the house – everything from the large window sections and dull floor panels to newer parquet floors and doors in the typical 1950's style. Marion really needed to think creatively to camouflage these characteristic and somewhat drab elements. And she certainly succeeded perfectly. It took a lot of large, old paneled windows, shutters and doors. It's all about shifting focus.
Large, old windows with smaller sections are great for placing or hanging inside large window sections. You could also use a smaller paneled window inside a smaller, plain window. This immediately creates a more charming look.
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Old, French two-piece shutters can be used similarly on the windowsill to camouflage large windows. They're also great for creating atmosphere in the room, and they take focus off of dull door frames, doors and floors. Just place them against the wall as decoration or use them behind the couch or as a backdrop for a small table. They frame the piece of furniture in front of them beautifully and create instant atmosphere.
Gossamer, floor-length curtains are a good way to break up the large window sections. Marion has also chosen to use floor-length curtains in several places around the house instead of the drab, smooth doors. A curtain rod has been fitted right above the door frame. It accentuates the romantic atmosphere of the decor.
In some parts of the house the couple has chosen to change out the doors for new doors with small-paned windows.
Simple stucco panels or wooden beading is a nice way to accentuate the style and break up the somewhat boring elements. Here in the living room the couple has put up a lovely but simple stucco panel along the ceiling and wooden beading along the middle of the wall. As the finishing touch they also added a beautiful rosette around the outlet for the chandelier.
Decorating a newer home like Marion's often puts slightly greater demands on the various displays in order to really create a nice atmosphere. Smaller pieces of old furniture can be useful for this purpose. These could be anything from small cabinets, meat safes, shelves and coat racks. Your displays often need to reach from floor to ceiling.
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