Holland in the Early 1900's

I found these pictures and I felt like sharing them with you... I don't know exactly where in Holland they were taken, but they do date from c.1900 - 1910
On the pictures you see the typical Dutch clothes and houses of that time

Kitchen Plans!

This is the kitchen of the house! 

It is in pretty good condition and relatively new with a decent ceramic work surface so not too much to do here.

We are going to knock through the wall into the dining room to open up the space and I think it will make it a lot lighter as we will have the kitchen sash window and the French doors to the garden.  Would also love to get a range cooker (if we can squeeze it into the budget!)

I've also started to pick up some nice candle sconces.  This one was from an old antiques/bric-a-brac store in Arnhem.

This one I bought at the Openlucht Museum which I visited with my sister-in-law Aurore when she visited with my brother last month.  If you are ever visiting Holland be sure to check out the Openlucht Museum (open air museum).  Its really great! http://www.openluchtmuseum.nl/en/

Introducing my brother Barry and his lovely wife Aurore!

 

What to do with the Guest Room!

We have left the poor old guest room neglected without any plans of what exactly we are going to do with it.   The first and largest room is towards the front of the house and is quite light as it is south facing.  It also has its original fireplace in tact!  I think the previous owner was going through a "Shanghai Surprise" moment when it was decorated!  Definitely going to lose the red walls and brighten it up a bit!  Also when we dig down 30cm and knock out those ceilings I think we will see a big difference!

I think maybe the way to go is for a really fresh "New England" look here as this room has the nice decked boards feature going around the walls.  We are very fortunate in that this house has so many of the original features still in tact so there is a lot to work with.

New Restaurant in Arnhem!

To take a break from the house yesterday evening we had a wander about in the centre of Arnhem.  As it was a public holiday there was lots going on, free concerts and fairground.  I tasted for the very first time Dutch Poffertjes.....oh my God they are the most delicious things ever!!! Instant heart attack guaranteed but definitely worth it.  They are served with melted butter and icing sugar....

Frank taking a break!

Afterwards we went for a cold beer and wine at my sister Jan's favourite bar when she is in town Arnhemsmeisje

My sister Jan and me in a clog!

Jan (my sister in Dublin) has a great eye for interior design and is a terrific photographer so will be consulting her on a regular basis for advice, wine and chats via Skype!

And then our find of the evening!  We bumped into our friends Benny & Milan.  Turns out Benny's brother has just taken over Mona's Restaurant in Arnhem.  By the looks of the food coming out of the kitchen it is well worth a visit!  Check out http://www.monasrestaurant.nl/  it is behind Jansplatz.



Introducing Benny and the lovely Milan!




Interior of Mona's



Finished the evening off at an open air concert on the Korenmarkt where I had a lot of trouble trying to find the bar!

Auction Results!

Had a great time at the Auction and have definitely caught the bargains bug!  Unfortunately we didn't get the cast iron stove or chair that we were after as the bidding went way above our budget so still on the hunt for those things.

But the good news is that we did get the blanket chest and Frank also spotted a great antique rug which he bid on and after the hammer went down we became the proud new owners!

The rug is a Meshed Rug which was made in Iran

The city of Meshed is one of Iran's oldest cities, located in the Khorassan province in the northeast corner of Persia. Geographically, it is situated far apart across the great desert from the densely populated western region of the country where the great mass of carpets were traditionally produced. Therefore, until the early part of this century, its weaving was relatively unaffected by domestic artistic trends.

Meshed produced a great quantity of noteworthy carpets for the Western market, beginning in the 1920's. However, the finest pieces woven from the mid 19th century into the 1930s, They are among the most distinguished of all classical Persian carpets, valued for their great decorative impact as well as their investment potential.

We're really happy with the blanket box as well which at some point in time was turned into a cupboard which is quite handy!

All in all a successful evening so we congratulated outselves with a nice bottle of red (sure you'd have to wouldn't you?!)

Antiques Auction Night!

Tonight is the big Antiques action in Arnhem.  I have my eye on three items, a cast iron wood burner, an old leather armchair and a blanket box/chest.  First time bidding and a bit of a challenge in Dutch!  Need not to get carried away!


Antique Whiskey Drinking/Cigar Chair for Frank!!

  


Antique Blanket Chest

 

Unfortunately don't have a picture of the actual cast iron stove but this is quite similar

Window Shutters & Stained Glass!

Trying to decide what to do with the living room windows.  It seems a shame to cover them up with heavy blinds or curtains so we think we have found the perfect solution!  Dutch Plantation Shutters! 

I am so looking forward to ripping down the false ceiling which is currently there (for some reason in the 60's and 70's it became popular to cover up those beautiful old high ceilings with lower ones) - I guess it was to conserve heat!  We are really hoping that when we pull them down the original ornate ceiling is still there which will really open up the room and lets lots of light in through the sash windows...but we won't know until we get hacking at it....all part of the surprise!

The plan also is to replace the upper panes of glass with stained glass so looking at some designs at the moment......below is what we have in mind......



The Living Room Windows





Hoping to Find Something like this!