After their kids were old enough, art-loving few Carla and Rinus van Lier booked their Saturdays from the Netherlands for visiting museums and browsing nearby Belgian antiques shops and fairs. They fell in love with the art nouveau period and have since curated their house using century-old pieces.
In need of more space for their growing collection, the few recently worked with the general contractors at Bouwbedrijf Batentopunch outside their living room by 65 square feet and also add an antiques-filled 377-square-foot sunroom that better connects the home using their well-manicured classical-style backyard.
at a Glance
Who lives here: Carla and Rinus van Lier
Location: Eindhoven, the Netherlands
Size: 200 square meters (2,150 square feet); 4 bedrooms, two bathrooms
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Wanting to bring more of this backyard, the couple added a large bay window to expand the living room outward, increasing the room by 6 square meters (65 square feet).
As for the decoration, Carla tries to center and mirror things when possible. “I feel symmetry is valuable to make harmony within an interior,” she states.
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The sunroom addition incorporated 377 square feet of this backyard. French doors and windows on three sides connect the space with the backyard.
The few filled the room with antiques, such as a framed Chinese art piece and a mahogany English cupboard. On the windowsill is a pair of grave ornaments from Sumba, Indonesia.
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On warm days the few leaves the French doors open to get a seamless indoor-outdoor space. The chandelier has different-colored crystal beads attached to a brass decorative base.
Chandelier: tricolor crystal, Berry Swinkels Antiek
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Carla and Rinus enjoy using their “garden room” to host friends and family for dishes and bridge games. While the area has ground heating, they added a French sandstone fireplace out of ‘t Achterhuis to maintain the aesthetic in line with the remainder of the house.
Accessories follow this thinking, too. A 20th-century white marble Marianne bust dresses up the antique mantel.
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All characteristics of the insides are supposed to express heat, like the antique Spanish cherrywood coffee table, antique French crystal chandelier and olive-colored walls.
Blue and white delftware tiles surrounded the fireplace in the seating area. During the renovation, the few additional deep molding and also had the framework painted a shiny white to contrast the walls.
Wall paint: Drab No. 41, Farrow & Ball; chandelier, coffee table: Berry Swinkels Antiek; oil painting: “Prinses,” by Martin van Wordragen
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Square windows on most sides of the house throw daylight on the numerous chandeliers. Two tall art deco table lamps with polished metal bases comparison having a 1925 green bronze patinated statue by Alexandre Ouline, called “Ambivalent Lady.”
All the woodwork inside and out is painted a high-gloss white.
Woodwork paint: S2 Allure White 0300N, Sigma Coatings
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An antique mirror enlivens the classic colour scheme and creates strategic visual thickness.
Wall paint: Light Stone No. 9, Farrow & Ball
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A floor-to-ceiling storage device functions as a room divider. Local cupboard builder Albert Dekkers designed and assembled the piece.
Cabinet paint: Stone Gray No. 11, Farrow & Ball
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This region connects the living room with the kitchen and the sunroom outside that.
The wall-high oak longcase, or grandfather clock, may operate for 30 hours without winding. John Pattison, an 18th-century Yorkshire clock maker, crafted the clock by hand; it features a delicately painted dial plate plus very nice inlay on the cupboard.
The floors is a composite marble antique replica tile which has a sleek, soft shine.
Flooring tile: Rex Bianco, Tegelcentrum Weert
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A beautiful art nouveau lamp with delicate glass prisms dangling out of a decorated brass framework hangs over the table.
“I love to sit for coffee or reading papers and books,” Rinus states.
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During a 2001 renovation, the couple replaced some kitchen cabinets with drawers and painted both a soft green matte finish. Red granite countertops were then added.
Cabinet paint: Stony Ground No. 211, Farrow & Ball
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A television is tucked away in a cupboard next to the microwave. Also, now that the couple has their first grandchild toys and children’s furniture have started to accent the furnishings.
The sunroom inclusion is past the kitchen.
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A Marianne bust in the foyer, symbolizing the victory of the republic of France, is among the couple’s most prized possessions. Sculptors crafted these busts in plaster, marble, bronze, alabaster or a zinc alloy throughout the turn of the 20th century.
This is by Carli, among Gustave Van Vaerenbergh’s pupils, and a large gilded mirror supporting it allows viewing of the immaculately polished rear side.
Just outside the sunroom, the couple planted parallel rows of beech trees to make a bronchial walkway. “I wanted to create depth in the planting scheme, to bring interest to all areas of the backyard,” Carla says.
The living room and sunroom developments are visible in this aerial shot. The backyard lines up with the rear facade, and a row of entirely grown poplars takes up the opinion on the east.
The entire price of the living room extension, sunroom addition and other cosmetic renovations came to 70,000 euros (about $89,754).
What’s next for these homeowners? Painting the outside brick walls a light hue.
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