A Home With A View

A love of beautiful things transforms an ordinary house into a home filled with romantic moments.

- Mieke Vendel

THE FLOORBOARDS IN THE LIVING ROOM were made from shelves originally used on a cheese farm to store cheese. “We found these cheese boards [online] and they even still smelled like cheese for the first couple of weeks. I am very happy with the sturdy look of this wooden floor. It creates a beautiful contrast with the feminine and romantic interior decoration.”

THE LIVING ROOM SOFA IS FROM IKEA, matched here with a white painted coffee table, a white bureau and two brocante chairs. Lucia upholstered the white chair herself, using several antique sheets. The foreground chair she bought in her favorite shop, Déjà Vu. The deconstructed look (without upholstery) is a current trend in the brocante world.

When Lucia and Faouzi saw the photos of the 1970s split-level home on a real estate agency’s website, it only showed the house itself and nothing of the surrounding area. Luckily they decided to go and see it anyway. When they laid eyes on the beautiful location, surrounded by nature with a nearby pond, the decision was easy to make: This had to be their new home.

“The house itself isn’t very special,” says Lucia. “It’s just a ’70s house and one of many, but the location … is so very special. I immediately fell in love with its surroundings. And our house is the closest to the pond, so I [felt like I] really had to have it.”