Closer to nature

Marjolijn and Misja loved their old house, but hated its location near the motorway. ‘It made selling it difficult,’ says Marjolijn, ‘but that gave us lots of time to look for another place.’ The couple set their sights on Vinkeveen. Marjolijn says, ‘It’s a village, but we can also be in Amsterdam or Utrecht within 15 minutes. We looked at more than 30 houses – everything from new-builds to 1930s houses and even farmhouses – and, after no less than four years, finally ended up here! We wanted a detached house that had a soul and a big garden, but that would be low maintenance.

‘I was heavily pregnant with Thomas when we got the