Twinkle Twinkle

Inspired by nature, Jet van Buren’s magical home has been lovingly decorated to host a traditional Dutch family Christmas

- Karen Jensen-jones

With the fire burning, the candles flickering and the tree in place, the scene is set for a beautiful nature-inspired Christmas in this traditional Dutch family home. ‘Our fire burns for 24 hours a day at Christmas time,’ says Jet van Buren, a florist at the market in Nijkerk, Holland. ‘My husband Peter chops the wood, I bring home bundles of fresh flowers to prepare for the festive season.’

The couple have lived in their Seventies home for 17 years but it didn’t look as magical when they first viewed it. ‘It was very tired and didn’t especially charm us,’ recalls Jet. ‘Although the style wasn’t exactly to our taste, we liked the child-friendly neighbourhood with playgrounds and quiet roads because that was important when our daughters, Jasmijn, now 17, and Charlotte, 14, were small.’ With help from Jet’s builder father, the couple were able to redesign the interior’s layout and create a spacious family room and an L-shaped kitchen.