This Gorgeous Modern Amsterdam Houseboat Has the Perfect Spring Palette
ABOUT THIS TOUR
HOME TYPE: Houseboat
LOCATION: Amsterdam, The Netherlands
STYLE: Colorful, Modern, Scandinavian
BEDROOMS: 3
SQUARE FEET: 1506
Annelies, who runs the blog Dirksdotter, is no stranger to houseboat life; she actually grew up on one, and her mother still lives on that same houseboat today. Houseboat living is even a family affair: Annelies’ sister lives on a houseboat a few boats down from their mom!
“After getting married I moved out of my parents’ home and moved to a new-build house ‘on land’ in Amsterdam Zuidoost,” she begins, explaining that it was a lovely and comfortable on-land home she intended to live in for many years.
“But after living there for a year, we saw an old, little houseboat for sale at the dyke where I grew up and decided to go for it,” Annelies begins. “We weren’t really looking to move already, but secretly we were dreaming of developing something ourselves.” Annelies and her husband, Hans, realized that their secret dream could come true in the area where Annelies was born and raised if they switched to developing a home on water instead of land!
“Because the houseboat for sale was old and small, we were able to buy the spot quite affordably at the end of 2009. In the summer of 2010 our houseboat was built and moved from the dock in Lelystad to our spot in Amsterdam,” she writes. But it wasn’t all smooth sailing.
“The financing of the houseboat was super challenging,” Annelies admits. “It was around/just after the bank crashes in 2008/2009. Banks in the Netherlands aren’t keen on granting mortgages for houseboats. There were only two banks who were willing to do so for us and just in time one of the banks decided to grant a mortgage for not only buying the old houseboat, but also for developing a new houseboat.”
“The next step was deciding which builder to contract for building our houseboat. In the Netherlands you have several builders specialized in houseboats,” she continues. “We made sketches of how we wanted our boat to look: the window, the material outside, the plan for the ground floor.”
“We spoke to several builders and we gave three of them our sketches. Based on these sketches they made their proposals. Only one of them was willing to build a houseboat with a zinc roof (high on our wish list, as seen on a houseboat designed by Dutch designer Piet Boon) and we decided to let him build our houseboat.”
Resources
PAINT & COLORS
Living Room Cabinet — Flexa “Tranquil Dawn”
Lilac Wall — Histor “Ash Grove”
Kitchen Wall — Miss Pompadour “Vanilla”
Kitchen Cabinet — Miss Pompadour “Cherry Blosson”
Hallway/Entry Wall — Flexa “Pink Nudity”
Workspace Wall — Miss Pompadour “Beige with Sand”
Kids’ Room — Flexa “Pink Nudity,” Miss Pompadour “Green with Sage,” Miss Pompadour “Green with Gray,” Little Greene “Pearl Color Pale”
ENTRY
Artwork — YVETTE HEEREN
Bench — Van Dijk & Ko
Steel Doors — Exclusive Steel
LIVING ROOM
Couch — Sofacompany
Cushions — Xenos
Rug — Living Maroc
Coffee Table — HK Living
Lilac Chair — Ligne Roset
Green Small Sofa — Woood
Round Rug — Kitsch Kitchen
Side Table Behind Couch — Ferm Living
Small Green Cabinet — VTwonen
Dollhouse — Secondhand
Handpainted Vase — Vazerijtje
Floral Painting — Luci Sterre Art Studio
Gold Artworks — Yvette Heeren
Small Gold Artwork with Clouds — Wendy Lammerschaag
Green Side Table — IKEA
Floor — Novilon
DINING ROOM
Table — Het Kabinet
Lilac Stools — Riverdale
Chairs — Frame Design Stoel
Lamp — Jotex
KITCHEN
Kitchen — Tulp Keukens/Siemens Equipment
Bin — Brabantia
Wall Rack — Jysk
Ceramic Storage Pots — HK Living
Cups — Essenza Home, HK Living, and OYOY Living
Green Blender — KitchenAid
Orange Pot — Le Creuset
BEDROOM
Floor — Moduleo
Washable Duvet — Zelesta
Artwork Sunset — Tinystories
Paintable 3D Wall Panels — Orac Decor
Cupboard — Custom made by Van de Bunt Interieur
Wallprint on Wood — Posterlounge
SCOTT’S BEDROOM
Bed — VTwonen
Desk — IKEA
Wall Rack Wood — Jysk
Wall Rack Mint Green — IKEA
Floor — Moduleo
Rack for Soccer Balls — Temu
Washable Duvet — Zelesta
Folding Crate — HAY
Storage Basket — CasaShop
Stool — Jysk
Poster Moon Stand — Mr. Starsky
SKYE’S BEDROOM
Poster with Girl Print — Marta Badblay
Giftshop Toy — Temu
Wallpaper — Pimpelmees
Bed — Woood
Cowboy Boots — Bootstock
Floor — Moduleo
Poster Stand of Stars — Mr. Starsky
Mirror Moon and Star — Noa May Living Kids
Washable Duvet — Zelesta
Teddy Stool — Karwei
Blue Cabinet — Secondhand
Large Stuffed Animals — Squishmallow
BATHROOM
Morrocan Pale Pink Tiles — Design Tegels
Granite Floor — Corradi & Zoon
Toilet — Villeroy & Boch
Mirror —Xenos
HOME OFFICE
Desk — Norman Copenhagen
Chair — Zuiver
Lamp — Zuiver
Artwork Print — Ceder Art
Door — Exclusivesteel
StoolLlittle Sofa — Jysk
Pink Flower Table — Ferm Living
Wallpaper — Photowall of Sweden
Thanks, Annelies!
This tour’s responses and photos were edited for length/size and clarity.
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