Everything but the Façade of This 100-Year-Old Farmhouse Was Demolished and Totally Rebuilt — Now, It's a Creative, Colorful, and Luxurious Home
Pushing the boundaries and creating a bold contrast between the different elements is what brings this home to life
Doing something interesting with color in your home doesn't need to come at the expense of how luxurious it feels. In fact, for this property in Meppel,in the Netherlands, it's the adventurous and fun color choices that end up making it feel so elevated.
Designed by Nox Studio Interiors, this 100-year-old farmhouse keeps you on your toes with its palette. You're greeted by a botanical green entryway, moving into a bold red kitchen with tiger-print seats, and then a living room in orange, blue, and gold. The color choices make every room feel like a new chapter in the story of the home's design, yet it still hangs on a cohesive narrative.
"We were also inspired by the fact that the house used to be a farm," says Anne Van Heugte, interior designer and founder of Nox Studio Interiors. "We wanted to incorporate this aspect into the design without making it feel too much like a newly built modern home."
However, that is largely what it is. "Only the front façade of the original house was preserved; the rest was completely demolished and rebuilt," explains Anne. Still, "We really liked and appreciated the fact that the farmhouse was 100 years old, and we wanted to emphasize its history through elements such as aged-looking beams, 300-year-old bricks, wooden wainscoting, and other traditional materials," she continues. That blend of old and new informed the more maximalist, eclectic, and layered details.
The fireplace in the wall is mid-century and elevated, while the wallpaper brings the fun.
Image credit: Anouk Moerman. Design: Nox Studio
The golden detailing shines in this warm living space.
Image credit: Anouk Moerman. Design: Nox Studio
This grand entryway feels warm, cozy, and calls to the farmhouse inspiration of the space.
Image credit: Anouk Moerman. Design: Nox Studio
Like most renovations, the inspiration for this Netherlands home revival started with its surroundings, the owner's taste, and the history of the property.
"The surroundings of the house, with all the greenery, were a major source of inspiration," says Anne. You can see this in the shades of green, blue, and teal throughout each room, but Anne explains they were also drawn to the contrasting warm tones; hence, blue and orange in different variations pop up around the house.
This greenish teal and burnt terracotta make a striking pairing.
Image credit: Anouk Moerman. Design: Nox Studio
Opting for slightly deeper shades moving into the living area feels moodier.
Image credit: Anouk Moerman. Design: Nox Studio
The contrast of warm and cool in this room has such a grounding affect.
Image credit: Anouk Moerman. Design: Nox Studio
As mentioned, color takes the main stage in this renovation. Teals, calming blues, and green color trends account for the serene mood, and when contrasted with complementary warm tones, each room becomes more dynamic — built on both grounding earthy color palettes, but with a stylish flair.
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Luckily for Anne, "The clients really liked bold, vibrant colors such as orange, blue, and green." And again, this laid a lot of the color palette groundwork. "We combined these with burgundy red and terracotta tones, bringing together both light and dark shades of blue," continues Anne. "Then we softened the tones slightly to create a more harmonious palette and ensure that the colors complemented one another."
The living rooms, dining space, and kitchen, where these colors are most prominent, lead into one another. It's a fabulous example in how color palettes throughout a home can be harmonious — and are more effective when they are.
Even though they are all maximalist choices, none of the design choices in this kitchen feel like they are competing.
Image credit: Anouk Moerman. Design: Nox Studio
The pattern of the marble and the tiger print play off each other so well.
Image credit: Anouk Moerman. Design: Nox Studio
But the jewel of the house is most definitely the red kitchen. So how did this striking design come to life? "I think every designer has a list of combinations they'd love to use and bring to life in a project," Anne shares. "A red kitchen with a Rosso Levanto marble countertop was at the top of my wish list, and this was the perfect project to make it happen."
The kitchen may not need to be the center of the home anymore, but it is still a natural hosting and entertaining space, especially when you have this amount of space to work with. Red makes an impact, and the pink and golden details bring that comforting warmth that such communal spaces demand. "I love how the red marble turned out, especially on the kitchen island. It's such a large feature and truly the heart of the house. Everything happens here," says Anne.
"The tiger-print seats add a slightly wild contrast," Anne adds, no pun intended. "But I really enjoyed pushing the boundaries here and creating a bold contrast between the different elements." Why not decorate with animal print in the kitchen?
So much is happening in this bar but the tonal color palette brings it all together.
Image credit: Anouk Moerman. Design: Nox Studio
Here you can really see how all the different prints and patterns play together.
Image credit: Anouk Moerman. Design: Nox Studio
The natural materials bring a rustic element to this bar.
Image credit: Anouk Moerman. Design: Nox Studio
For the home bar, "we chose shades of brown, dark blue, and green to give the space a slightly rougher, more relaxed feel without making it look too styled," explains Anne. And this choice of a more natural color palette gives the space both a moody and cozy aesthetic.
However, the expert pattern mixing steals the show in this space. The different types of marble, the tiger print pouf, the stormy wallpaper, and the tapestry print across the corner dining bench never seem like they would all work together, but they do. There are layers of undertones and hues that blend beautifully.
This deep mauve-ish pink makes a surprisingly comforting bedroom color.
Image credit: Anouk Moerman. Design: Nox Studio
Pink tiles make a fashionable statement, while still feeling elevated.
Image credit: Anouk Moerman. Design: Nox Studio
You can feel the personality of the owner in this pink walk-in.
Image credit: Anouk Moerman. Design: Nox Studio
Yes, there are a lot of different colors going on throughout the home, but the key to all of them working together is how they move and transform from space to space. For instance, on the ground floor, there are stronger, brighter, more uplifting colors. But as you move upstairs, "In the primary bedroom and en-suite bathroom, for example, we opted for light pink and dark purple," says Anne. "We wanted these spaces to feel softer and a little cozier."
But there is still tangible personality. The bathroom is covered in a pink Zellige tile, the bedroom walls are a dusty pinkish mauve, and even the walk-in closet incorporates a tonal blend of soft pinks. Though it's all the same or similar colors, the different shades create a dynamic scheme.
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Joyful colors can be elevated, luxurious, expensive-looking, and dynamic — it's all in how you layer and pair shades, materials, and textures. This Netherlands home is a masterclass in expressive color and leaning into individuality in a home.
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Olivia Wolfe is a Design Writer at Livingetc. She recently graduated from University of the Arts London, London College of Communication with a Masters Degree in Arts and Lifestyle Journalism. In her previous experience, she has worked with multiple multimedia publications in both London and the United States covering a range of culture-related topics, with an expertise in art and design. At the weekends she can be found working on her oil paintings, reading, or antique shopping at one of London's many vintage markets.