Resurrecting a 1908 Tiny House in the Netherlands, a Weekend DIY Project

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For a year and a half, Aron de Jong and Irene Bijman devoted every weekend and many week nights too to working on their little house in the north of the Netherlands. They met as university students—Aron, 27, is a product designer and Irene, 26, is a psychomotor therapist—and dreamed of owning their own place. An old farm worker’s bungalow fit the bill: sized for two (just under 700 square feet), it came with a charming two-toned brick façade and postage-stamp gardens in the front and back. And was so completely run-down, they were able to snap it up.

Aron stepped in as chief builder and Irene learned on the job, with backup from family and friends. “Parts of the floor were rotten and over the years, many owners had added layer upon layer, causing problems with the structure, plumbing, and electricity. To give the house a new life, we had to remove everything until we reached the core,” Aron tells us. “About 90 percent of the work we did ourselves: it was a beautiful if sometimes long and demanding journey.” (See In Progress photos at the end.)

Aron himself came to the project with a lifetime of exposure to great design: his father’s great grandfather started Jan de Jong, a contemporary furniture store in Leeuwarden, Friesland, that his parents run—he and his older brother are fifth-generation members of the team. Studio Slow, the company’s workshop and interior design studio, a Remodelista favorite, is led by Aron’s mother Christien Starkenburg, who helped the couple come up with a master plan and consulted along the way. “Because they did everything themselves—with so much love, energy, and dedication,” she says, “the result feels profoundly personal and right.” We agree.

Photography by and courtesy of Aron de Jong.

tucked away on &#8\2\20;a village like street within the city,&#8\2\2\1 17 — Above: Tucked away on “a village-like street within the city,” the 1908 house is in Aron’s hometown of Leeuwarden, in Friesland, near the family businesses. The brick—with painted white detailing—and glazed roof tiles are original. Aron introduced new windows, rebuilt the existing dormer, and added a skylight for the lone bathroom. “We wanted to preserve its soul and simplicity while making it comfortable, natural, and calm,” he says

shoes, hats, scarves, and keys go here: a storage piece by montana hangs in the 18 — Above: Shoes, hats, scarves, and keys go here: a storage piece by Montana hangs in the entry. Though short on space, there’s breathing room.

we featured montana&#8\2\17;s customizable cubes in genius modular storage 19 — Above: We featured Montana’s customizable cubes in Genius Modular Storage from Denmark. They can be combined in countless ways and come in 43 colors and finishes.

the open plan living area features alfredo häberli&#8\2\17;s take a line f 20 — Above: The open-plan living area features Alfredo Häberli’s Take a Line for a Walk Lounge, a 2003 design still available from Moroso. Aron inherited the chair from his grandfather: “Those big ‘ears’ on the backrest—as a child, I thought it was such a remarkable piece in his home.”

The new floor is “self-leveling egaline,” a cement-based compound finished with floor paint in a nuanced peachy beige that shifts in the light.

&#8\2\20;in terms of materials, i wanted to use a lot of wood,&#8\2\2\1 21 — Above: “In terms of materials, I wanted to use a lot of wood,” says Aron. “It’s always been part of the homes I grew up in and I love the warmth it brings. You’ll see pine planks on the walls, either sealed or painted.” A new heat pump and solar panels are supplemented by a wood stove in the center of the room.

“Because the space is compact, we wanted a small yet comfortable sofa,” continues Aron. “When I was young, we once had the Cassina Maralunga in our store, a special piece with its distinctive foldable headrests that I never forgot. So when it came to choosing our own sofa, it had to be a two-seater Maralunga, the iconic design from the seventies.”