Discover a home where Scandi meets new-build
With its irresistibly cosy, comfortable living spaces both inside and out, Alexandra’s home is the ultimate year-round retreat
Buying new-build property has its pros and cons. For the van Rennes family, it meant gaining big, practical, open-plan living spaces and a great location near a park. It also meant having a home without the natural character that period houses have in abundance. However, since moving here in 2005, Alexandra has developed a look that elevates the simple interior by combining a tough, industrial-inspired aesthetic with warm, natural colours and soft, rugged textures.
Home is a new-build five-bedroom home in the Dutch town of Heemskerk, which Alexandre shares with her husband Dennis, their two boys, Matthijs and Mees, and their daughter Lotte.Alexandra says she’s gone through many different interior styles over the years; “From grand and romantic to brightly coloured and bold,” she explains. “A person changes through life and so does the house they live in. Every style has matched a period in my life. I’m pretty relaxed these days, so that’s the feeling I want in my home as well. It’s sober, tough-looking and industrial, but warm and comfortable – which is important in a family home.
”The key component of every room scheme in Alexandra’s home is texture. In the living room, Dennis made the the wooden panelling on the chimney breast, as well as the pallet coffee table on wheels and the simple kitchen bench.”I’ve also developed a passion for sheepskins,” Alexandra explains. “I have so many! I also love piles of cushions, table lamps and wooden stools for giving a room warmth and a welcoming feeling.”