Dutch courage

Design duo Ellen ten Hove and Timothy Luhukay were not fazed by reimagining a home that had not been touched in 20 years – their vision really paid off

- WORDS RUTH CORBETT

I call it the Hansel and Gretel house,’ says interior designer Ellen ten Hove, in reference to her latest project: a holiday home in Bergen, close to the Dutch coast. The property, built in 1918, certainly has a fairy tale feel, although a very different one to the original, chocolate-box design that she and business partner and interior architect, Timothy Luhukay, encountered on their first site visit. Back then, the exterior, although charming, featured garish mustard and scarlet painted woodwork, while inside, the schemes had been unchanged for more than 20 years and felt tired and old-fashioned. ‘The new owners of the house, a young couple with three small children, wanted us to turn it into a cosy but modern family home, where multiple guests could gather, with enough space for them all to stay over,’ explains Timothy.