My Houzz: DIY Details Add Personality to a Dutch Home

According to Mirjam Vetter, everything becomes prettier with a layer of chalk paint. Vetter is an avid collector of secondhand goods, and loves to transform mundane or found objects into small treasures. She rummages flea markets, thrift shops, and antiques and art markets near her home in Hoorn, the Netherlands, and in places like Lille, Berlin and Copenhagen, searching for items she can transform to decorate her three-bedroom home.

Houzz at a Glance
Who lives here: Mirjam Vetter, assistant supervisor at lifestyle and interior store Sissy-Boy, her boyfriend, Bram Floris, and her 7-year-old son, Noah Joe
Location: Hoorn, the Netherlands
Size: 120 square meters (about 1,292 square feet); 3 bedrooms, 1 bathroom

Until recently, Vetter lived alone with her 7-year-old son, Noah Joe. The arrival of her boyfriend, Bram Floris, had a significant impact on her interior styling and choice of color palette. “It used to be a really feminine home with frills and a lot of romantic vintage accessories,” says Vetter. Once Floris moved in, she decided to edit her accessories and add some vivid colors, like the yellow cushions.

Noah Joe made his mark on the interior by foraging for branches, like the beautiful specimens to the left of the sectional. Vetter paints them white with Annie Sloan chalk paint (a matte craft paint developed for use on furniture) and decorates them with small pendants.

Sofa: Karwei; poufs: Return to Sender; wall paint: SC 71 Mint, Painting the Past; mirrors: Twin Arts; picture throw pillow: Primark


Vetter displays a small grouping of postcards in the corner. She has a huge collection and takes part in an international postcard exchange program called Postcrossing, where strangers send each other cards just for fun.

The ladder is one of Vetter’s DIY projects, painted with chalk paint.

Owl cushion: Xenos; string lights: Happy Lights


“When we moved into this house three years ago it had carpeting everywhere, and salmon-pink walls,” says Vetter. “I completely edited to my taste.”

Initially, she wanted everything to be white and gray, and had some of her furniture pieces painted white. But with Noah Joe’s encouragement, she decided to go with a minty green accent wall.

Vetter made the pallet-inspired coffee table out of pieces of scrap wood.


The folding table is kept in this configuration for most of the year, but can accommodate more family members or guests. Vetter painted the dining chairs white and yellow with chalk paint. The small tray on the table is a flea market find.

Deer print: Papiermier; Swedish folding table: HK Living via de Hoedendoos


Vetter displays a few of her secondhand treasures on this side table. The antique mint-green box is her latest find.

In the kitchen beyond, vintage milk pitchers hang from ribbons affixed to a wire frame.

Pendant lamp: Sissy-Boy


A striking focal point in the main living space is a strip of wall covered in pages from a vintage French newspaper. Vetter bought the paper at an antiques market in Lille, France.


Mirjam collects votives and paints them with Annie Sloane chalk paint. She displays her collection on a vintage tiered tray.

In the corner is an old shutter revived with chalk paint and a long branch that Noah Joe found. The TV is tucked into this large white armoire; a vintage wire pendant lamp from Sissy-Boy dangles along the side.

Cabinet: Brocante Cabinet, Timzo Wood; rug: Sissy-Boy


Vetter uses antique tin cans for storage, and displays them in a corner of the kitchen.


Vetter enjoys looking for floral-patterned china on her flea market trips. These three are her most cherished finds and received special placement on the wall.

Ladder shelf: Basiclabel


In the entry hall, Vetter created a gallery wall with family pictures.


Vetter came up with the idea of using prepunched stencils to paint Moroccan tile designs on her stair risers. The project took three days to complete.


Shadow boxes lining the stairwell were embellished with washi tape for contrast.





One of Vetter’s friends is an interior stylist at a magazine, and occasionally gives Vetter wallpaper samples. Vetter used the pieces to create an eye-catching accent wall in her bedroom.

Pages from vintage books are taped to the wall with washi tape. A friend gave Vetter the old children’s book, which rests on a shelf above the bed. The Ikea nightstand is embellished with washi tape.

Bed: Leirvik, Ikea; nightstand: Aspelund, Ikea; coverlet: Zara Home


A floor mirror in the corner, next to the wardrobe, reflects light coming in from the opposite window, making the bedroom look larger.

Mirror: Ikea





Each night before Noah Joe goes to bed, Vetter and Floris sit together on the benches with him to read a bedtime story. The youngster also loves to play at his table with his friends. “The high sleeper enables us to make maximum use of a small space,” says Vetter.

Bed: Hoogslaper, Wehkamp; cushions: Ikea and Sissy-Boy


Noah Joe has a collection of superhero posters displayed across from his bed.


Uplights bounce gentle illumination off the bedroom ceiling. A cutout heart crowns the freestanding wardrobe.

Closet: Leen Bakker; rug: Ikea





The smallest room in the house serves as a craft space. Vetter hacked an Ikea cupboard by applying trompe l’oeuil scrapwood wallpaper from Praxis to the front. The wall behind it is painted mint green. She also uses the room to paint branches and votives, wraps gifts, and embellish things with washi tape.

Wall paint: Flexa


Vetter relaxes with some tea and postcards at her dining table.

See more photos of this home | Show us your home!

Browse more homes by style:
Small Homes | Colorful Homes | Eclectic Homes | Modern Homes | Contemporary Homes | Midcentury Homes | Ranch Homes | Traditional Homes | Barn Homes | Townhouses | Apartments | Lofts | Vacation Homes

More: Houzz Tour: Joyous and Cozy Netherlands Nest

URL: My Houzz: DIY Details Add Personality to a Dutch Home http://www.decor-ideas.org/cases-view-id-22460.html