Botanical wallpaper, pale pink curtains and a dark blue wall set the tone before the layout even reveals itself. In this family home, the original structure was respected, then opened up where it mattered most. The wall between the kitchen and dining room came down, and the kitchen stayed in its original position, now looking out toward the garden. The result is an open concept kitchen that feels anchored rather than inserted.

Wallpaper, curtains and a table that fits the room

The dining area is the first place where the changes become visible. Botanical wallpaper wraps the walls and pulls the eye across the room, while light pink curtains soften the windows without closing off the light. A dining table sits comfortably in the new open space, large enough to hold the African chairs brought back from London. The blue pendant lamp above it breaks up the patterned walls and gives the ceiling line a clear point of focus.

The room does not rely on one statement piece. Instead, several decisions work against each other in a deliberate way: the busy wall covering, the pale fabric at the windows, the dark chairs and the painted ceiling light. That mix gives the open concept kitchen and dining zone its character. The botanical wallpaper is not treated as decoration only; it frames the table, the doorway and the view through to the rest of the floor.

A kitchen that keeps its original place

The kitchen remains where it was, but the way it relates to the rest of the floor has changed. By removing the wall to the dining room, the working area now opens directly into the family space. From the cooktop and the island, there is a view toward the garden, which was important to preserve. Dark blue cabinetry gives the kitchen a grounded edge, and the island sits at the center like a practical pause in the room rather than a decorative object.

Natural light reaches the surfaces from several directions, picking out the joinery and the window frames. The kitchen reads as part of the family home interior rather than as a separate service zone. That is where the custom cabinetry matters: it holds the room together without calling attention to itself, leaving the windows, the floor and the garden view to do most of the work. The open concept kitchen feels calm because the layout has been edited, not expanded for effect.

Dark blue details in the work corner

A dark blue office wall continues the same color language into the workspace. The built-in furniture is made to measure and carries the same deep tone, with vinyl wallpaper in matching blue behind it. The effect is more architectural than decorative. The desk area sits close to the main rooms, but the color shift creates a clear boundary, so the work corner can stay visually separate while remaining connected to the family home interior.

That dark blue plane also helps the room read in layers. Against the patterned dining walls and the lighter curtains, it becomes a quiet counterweight. The office wall does not try to compete with the botanical wallpaper; it steadies it. Seen in the photos, the change in color is enough to define the zone, and the built-in joinery keeps wires, books and everyday objects out of sight.

A living room without a visible screen

One request shaped the living room more than any other: no television in sight. The solution is a hidden TV cabinet with a lift system, built over the existing paneling. The screen disappears into the room when it is not needed, and the cabinet follows the proportions of the wall rather than breaking them apart. It is one of the clearest examples of custom cabinetry in the house, because it solves a practical demand without adding visual noise.

That choice changes how the living room feels from the doorway. Instead of a screen taking over the wall, the paneling remains readable, with the cabinet sitting inside it as if it had always been there. The room keeps its attention on the windows, the floor and the passage to the other spaces. In a family home interior with several active zones, that absence matters as much as the furniture.

Rooms for the children, placed apart but nearby

On the floor above, the children have their own spaces. The girls share a pink bedroom, while their brother sleeps in a treehouse bed. These rooms are described in simple terms, but the details are specific enough to shape the atmosphere: one room is shared, one bed becomes a small structure of its own, and the sleeping floor is clearly set apart from the busier main level. The arrangement gives each child a defined corner without disconnecting the upper floor from the rest of the house.

There is also a children’s sitting room on the main floor, on the other side of the wall from the kitchen and dining area. It is used for puzzles, guitar playing and reading, which makes the plan feel lived in rather than staged. The master bed & bath are placed on the same level as the kitchen zone, so the house moves between shared and private spaces without long detours. The family home interior is organized by use, not by display.

The smallest room has the widest view

The guest room may be the smallest room in the house, but it offers the most striking outlook. From there, the tower of the Peace Palace is visible, and in the evening the view turns into a street scene of lamps, trees and scattered lights in the distance. The room itself is not described as large or elaborate; its value comes from the view through the window and the way the surrounding city light reaches into the interior.

That contrast between compact room and far-reaching view closes the circle of the house. The main floor opens to the garden, the living room hides its screen, and the upper rooms each serve a distinct purpose. Across the house, the same discipline appears: walls are kept where they help, removed where they matter, and finished with color or pattern only when it adds something to the space. The open concept kitchen is the most visible change, but the whole family home interior follows the same logic.

Photography: Carin Verbruggen and Ferry Drenthem Soesman