Get out of the ham pack and come home with a home. This happened to Ellen (35), who has been the owner of a beautiful 1930s house in Zuilen since the end of 2019. She lives there with her husband Thomas and son Steff. Although her husband was not immediately excited at the sight, she firmly believed after seeing the skiing cottage in the utility room.

Ellen and Thomas are not looking for a new home. She says: “We lived near Amsterdam. Our friends live in a new neighborhood behind this. We once went there for dinner. My husband and that friend were cooking and they needed Burmese ham. I said: I walk to the supermarket. When I passed these houses, I thought: They are good. On the way back I saw the board for sale. I came back and said to my husband: Lo and behold, we bought a house. That was two and a half years ago. We are not looking for a new home and we do not have to leave. We thought: it will never work.

Offer accepted

However, Ellen decided to see Fonda. The house was put up for sale for six weeks. “We thought: it must be in bad condition. The foundation may be broken or something. We did not have much faith in it. In the evening I walked back with a friend. We tried to look inside. Everything was closed, we could not see anything.” The next day, Ellen called the real estate agent and planned to inquire. “I was very surprised, there was nothing structurally wrong with the house. A week later, on my way to Rome, at the airport, I received a call that the offer had been accepted!

Sky Lodge

“The house originally had a Greek interior. All the walls of the room were salmon pink. Kitschy flags lay on the ground. There was a chandelier and where the black door is now, there were a kind of Greek decorative arches. The bathroom was so old that it was almost in a state of disrepair. Ellen was able to see through it. It was very difficult for her husband, but when he saw the skiing cottage in the utility room, he was gone. “We went to see the house, and I thought: Is Thomas really excited? He was not surprised, I saw all sorts of possibilities. Until he saw the Sky Lodge. He was right: it’s there. Serves as banquet and play area.

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Inspired by Ruby Rose and The Streetfood Club

Which places in the house are your favorite? Ellen thinks for a moment and says: “When I asked Thomas, he said Sky Lodge. We like to sit at the dinner table, for example when friends come to dinner. I think the toilet turned out well. We always get good feedback about it. It’s inspired by Ruby Rose and The Streetfood Club: the same colors and busy wallpapers. “

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From slide to ceiling

The garden still needs a great decoration. Ellen explains: “We reach the trees behind, so the houses behind are out of sight. Once it was snowing hard, Thomas bought firewood with a neighbor and made a slide in their garden. When the snow disappeared, the tree was gone. Once during pregnancy, I slept in the afternoon. When I came downstairs after that, the garden had a thatched roof. Now there is also a barbecue, where Thomas can often be found.

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Tiles from the Utrecht restaurant in the bathroom

Ellen has a lot of good stories about the interior. “I immediately think of the tiles in my bathroom. We bought this house just before Christmas and decided to get married. We wanted to get married small, but with lunch. We have already discussed the place for that. At Christmas we went to eat at Ruby Rose, which was just open. We told each other: It’s so good to have lunch here. Now open, they have never held large groups before. They wanted to do that and tried to persuade us to hold our wedding there. The kitchen of the restaurant had the most beautiful green tiles. It was revealed that they had some left over.

Ellen and Thomas were able to conclude a deal: “If there are any remaining tiles, we will come to lunch with a large group.” It was actually a joke, but they loved it so much and arranged it.

When tiling the wall of the bathroom, it turned out that it was not eight square meters, but five. The tiles in Ruby Rose’s kitchen are a testimonial from Italy and you can not order them again. For example, Ellen and Thomas had a white hole in the bathroom. “I painted some tiles later,” Ellen says. We can tell you: you do not see it.

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Painting with details of world travel

Above the ball pit – Steff’s favorite spot – hangs a beautiful painting. Ellen says: “A colleague created us. When we got married, Thomas gave us pictures of our travels around the world. Based on which he has drawn this painting. I do not know it. It is a combination of his imagination and photos. You see details of New Zealand, Peru and Vietnam.

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Village feeling

What is the best thing about living in this place? That’s a good relationship with Ellen’s neighbor. “We usually have a nice evening. Do not forget the baby monitor, we can easily put it together. The location is also great: very close to the greenery and very close to the center. I came from a village myself. I always said: If I ever have children, I want to raise them there. As such, the sense of village is getting closer here because of the good, social environment. “

Can we see inside your house?

Do you live in a special place in Utrecht, live in a house with a story or are you very happy in your home? Or do you know anyone who fits this category? Let us know in [email protected]We look forward to meeting you.