Journal
design, culture and vintage shopping
24 October 2018
Recently in the beautiful woodlands of Oudemirdum in Friesland, Atelier Gaasterland opened its doors, an exceptionally inspiring place for two people to spend the night.
A few years ago Iebele, Joop and Rik bought a house in Friesland as a second home. They live in Amsterdam, but Iebele has its roots in Friesland, so they always liked to go there to spend time with their families, as well as enjoying the peace and beauty of the surrounding nature. And it’s only an hour’s drive from the capital. Apart from the house, there was also a barn next to the property. The previous resident lived here until she was 90 years old, so as you can imagine the property needed some rebuilding work. The same could be said for the barn, which was completely demolished and, inspired by those beautiful Scandinavian style houses, an amazing 95 m2 studio was built in its place.
Atelier Gaasterland is named after the environment and the creative aspect of the place. This is where you want to be if you want to write a book or want to host a brainstorming session beside the big pink Piet Hein Eek table. But even if you just need a quiet weekend without thinking about work, Atelier Gaasterland is the ideal spot.
When you look outside, all you can see is nature. A beautiful birch covered in autumn colors, and there are even horses and a large hare. The windows run from the floor to the ceiling so outside comes into the house, even though it’s as beautiful inside as it is outdoors. The seating area has a lovely sofa with a very soft sheepskin cover, from Australia. The artwork is made by a mutual friend, Eva Claessens, that they brought back from Uruguay.
Nowadays we like to escape the city to our own little retreat in nature with an extremely good kitchen. Think for example of the Vipp Shelter, but also The Bunkers in Knokke. You take your groceries with you – or ask Rik the address of the local baker and butcher – and you can get started on the five-burner gas cooker with large oven. Even the kitchen is like a picture from a magazine. No brands, all self-made, but surrounded with the finest crockery. The owners collect these as a hobby so it’s particularly nice that some of the cups and bowls are made by local ceramists from the neighborhood.
Apart from the living room with wood stove, and the dining room and kitchen, there is also a bedroom and a bathroom. You’ll sleep like a baby under the linen blankets and hear nothing but birdsong. In addition, they have books and magazines in the cabinet behind the bed. In short, it is the ideal place to get away for the weekend!
Check out: www.ateliergaasterland.nl
For more cool Friesland addresses, check out My Weekend in Friesland
Gaasterland
Beukenlaan 1, 8567 HD Oudemirdum, Netherlands
