Homes & Gardens: Dutch renovation feature

I wrote about one creative couple’s incredible renovation journey for Homes & Gardens magazine.  

‘Breathtaking landscapes surround Sandy and Frank Sonnemans’ 18th-century farmhouse, which had stood abandoned for 40 years until they lovingly transformed the property and its adjoining barn into a modern family home. 

 With loft-style living spaces that feel capacious and grand as well as warm and welcoming, the couple’s conversion in their native Netherlands succeeds in being utterly contemporary yet loyal to its pastoral history. Fusing industrial and natural finishes, light floods in through the buildings’ expansive windows and doorways, which are framed by a canopy of bare beams.

 The Sonnemans acted as both architects and interior decorators during the 3-year renovation. “Frank has more technical knowledge, while I bring the eye for design,” says Sandy. “Our skills are complementary.”