Baukje and Anton Smits are true treasure hunters, regularly trawling flea markets, antiques shops and charity shops, searching for anything that appeals to their aesthetic, which is best described as French farmhouse. And if any of their new-found treasures are in need of repairs, Anton, who is a carpenter, is able to oblige.
The items they love tend not to be especially ‘chic’ Baukje explains; rather, they are serviceable pieces made for everyday use: ‘a bit sturdy and sober. Like old Grès pots – we always buy those – and antique rinse bowls, especially the whites. I think I’ve got 20 of those, which I use for desserts, peanuts, or even a little piece of soap, so number 21 will come home with me as well!’ But it’s not just practical stuff that catches Baukje’s eye; she is also drawn to elegant frames, antique silver and glassware, and handmade lace.
Evidence of their antiquing can be seen wherever one looks in the couple’s house in the Frisian village of De Westereen in the north of the Netherlands. Designed with the help of Anton’s architect father, and built in 1989 by Anton himself, the house feels much older than its 30-odd years. By incorporating traditional features such as visible beams, panelled walls and a carved fire surround complete with antique tiles, Anton gave the house a sense of history that belies its newness.
Whitewashed walls, chosen by Baukje because of their timeless appeal and light-reflecting effect, are the perfect backdrop for all their treasures, which she uses to create charming vignettes throughout the house. Baukje rarely visits contemporary interiors shops, ‘only Ikea once in a while for a new sofa’. Everything else in the house is vintage, second-hand, antique, or it has become weathered through the decades, like the dining table that Baukje and Anton bought 30 years ago.
Her love for antiques was born 25 years ago, when she inherited an enamel teapot from Anton’s grandmother. ‘Such a pretty thing, with a nice nostalgic look. I started collecting enamel and, after that, earthenware, which combined beautifully with the enamel...’ And then, one day, she simply threw out all the plastics and new things she owned and replaced them with beautiful old objects and items made from natural materials.
‘I even got rid of the dish brush,’ she adds. The country pine furniture also underwent a metamorphosis and was painted white, although recently Baukje has painted the kitchen doors a smart off-black and added some soft neutral shades elsewhere. ‘Just enough to add some contrast,’ she explains, having decided that an all-white scheme felt a bit too ‘pretty-pretty’.
Christmas is a favourite time of year, and Baukje enjoys dressing the house for the season, creating her alternative to the traditional Christmas tree, and adding a bit of romance to the bedroom in her preferred palette of white and silver, with sparkling touches of red and the natural charm of weathered and whitewashed wood.
The decorations start to go up in early December, a few things at a time – a bit of greenery, a few branches of eucalyptus and Christmas lights to brighten up dark corners. ‘Other decoration is slowly added, but not too much; I like to keep it calm,’ says Baukje. The best part of decorating the house is kept until last: hanging antique ornaments on the old bedstead doors that lean against the wall in the living room, which is Baukje’s take on the traditional Christmas tree.
‘I once had a beautiful bauble from my mother, decorated with poetry and a picture of snow, but unfortunately the cat hit it from the tree!’ The doors are her clever, cat-proof alternative, ‘and the ornaments are not as hidden as they are in a tree,’ she observes.
The festive kitchen table is a lovely mix of styles and colours: classic stencilled plates from France take centre stage and are combined with vintage ornaments; fine crystal gleams next to white earthenware; weathered baking moulds are used as candle holders; and a traditional baguette basket stuffed with ivy, apples and pine cones forms a centrepiece alongside a fruit-filled Christmas bread on an antique serving bowl. It’s a table full of love and care, created to welcome Baukje and Anton’s adult children home for a happy brunch.
‘I always look forward to Christmas,’ Baukje says. ‘It’s a wonderful time, a special time. A time for reflection on the year that has gone by, and for nostalgic memories. But, most of all, it’s a time to enjoy being together.’
