Explore this colourful Dutch home filled with vintage

A 19^th-century worker’s cottage in the Dutch countryside has been totally revived and is now a flourishing home brimming with colour, nature and enchanting vintage treasures

The idea of saving a neglected 19^th-century worker’s cottage from demolition was always going to appeal to Marilu Cusano and her husband Gesines. Its potential, and retained period features, gave these passionate vintage lovers the impetus they needed to make their daring purchase and begin a 10-year renovation project. Located in the village of Emmer-Compascuum in the Dutch countryside, the cottage, sitting alongside a canal, once housed two families despite its limited space. ‘We fell in love with the original stained-glass windows, it was as simple as that,’ recalls Marilu. ‘And we were so relieved when our renovation plans were approved, and we could begin to restore and rebuild the lovely old features of the house.’
With Marilu’s creative eye and Gesines’ willingness to learn on the job, the couple painstakingly renovated a room at a time, with the emphasis on restoring what was already there and rebuilding what had been stripped away.

With limited space in the original cottage, Marilu and Gesines were keen to build a light-filled conservatory with views and easy access to their pretty garden. The idea was to bring nature inside through colour, plenty of light and an array of lush plants. ‘I rescued the wilting parlour palm from Marktplaats and we’ve brought it back to life with daily care,’ says Marilu.

After researching old buildings and travelling around the Netherlands, the couple chose a wooden frame with tongue-and-groove panelling, a lofty ceiling to echo the original ceilings in the cottage, and huge panes of glass to maximise the views, all built by Gesines. Patterned tiles add a softness to the scheme and colourful stained glass echoes the original, most-loved feature of the cottage.

‘Summer is so beautiful here and it’s where we love to have parties and entertain our friends,’ says Marilu. ‘We like to sit in the conservatory with our morning coffee and our cat, and we watch the birds nesting. You feel you’re in nature with the light streaming in and the green and blue hue echoing outdoors.’ Cane furniture was found on Marktplaats, and flea-market tables bursting with Marilu’s decorative vintage finds create an old-world charm reminiscent of a Victorian parlour.

Blues are a common theme throughout the cottage in both the dining room and the sitting room, and in the patterned wallpapers in the main bedroom and bathroom. ‘I loved the floral wallpaper so much that I had to find a place for it,’ Marilu confesses. ‘I chose the bathroom and many people said you can’t have wallpaper in a bathroom, but I never take notice of advice or trends as I like to be creative and bring my own ideas to life.’

Marilu explains her love of vintage interiors, art deco and design classics is a passion, and fondly remembers her childhood home in the 1970s painted in purple, orange and brown, thanks to her creative mother. ‘I’ve inherited my love of colour from her and I’m never afraid to take a risk or choose something unusual.’