Category Archives: See how others live

See how others live and let them know what YOU think!

Apartmenttherapy.com features my own home!


OK, shameless patting on own back here. The wonderful boys at Apartmentherapy.com have featured our home in the House Call section of their site .

To be fair, I submitted both the photographs and the story, but trust me, they are picky in what to share, and what not. I am very house proud and think the place looks great in the shots used.

A lot better from when I put in online on homevoyeurs.com in February 2009.

Apartmenttherapy.com

Apartmenttherapy.com is a wonderful site featuring house tours from all over the United States to Europe, South America, Asia, Africa and Australia.  From a small idea by founder Maxwell Gillingham Ryan to a multi media publisher Apartmenttherapy has grown to be leading in the decorating and interior design industry.

The Homevoyeurs.com webshop sells many books by the people behind Apartmenttherapy.com

Join them in the annual eight step home cure program. The book is on offer for $10,20.

Apartment Therapy: The eight-step home cure by Maxwell Gillingham Ryan

Product Description
From not enough space and too many things to not knowing what color to paint the living room walls, many of us struggle with our homes. Now Maxwell Gillingham-Ryan, frequent makeover expert on HGTV’s Mission: Organization and Small Spaces, Big Style, shares the do-it-yourself strategies that have enabled his clients and fans to transform their apartments into well-organized, beautiful places that suit their style and budget.

Week by week, Apartment Therapy will guide you to treat common problems, eliminate clutter, and revamp even the tiniest space. Here is an eight-step process that includes:

A therapeutic questionnaire to help you get in touch with your personal taste and diagnose your home’s physical, emotional, and energy flow issues

A prescription with recommendations for each room based on your needs and lifestyle–including tips on how to use color, lighting, and accessories

A treatment plan, including regular maintenance schedules to ensure the ongoing health of your space

Illustrations of floor plans and decorative examples that allow you to visualize concepts before you begin

With surprising ease and without elaborate professional help, Apartment Therapy will help you clear a path through disorder and indecision–to reveal a home you’ll love.

Wonderful loft in ‘Amsterdamse School’ building


On the Dutch real-estate-buffs’ online bible Funda I found this wonderful loft type apartment in a typical Amsterdam School style building.  This architectural movement (Dutch: Amsterdamse School) arose in Amsterdam around 1910. The movement is part of international Expressionist architecture.  Many houses in the Amsterdam burroughs just outside the historic center were built in that style. This building is located in the Bohemian area called De Pijp and has views of a canal. It used to be the office of a Housing Estate association. Currently it houses apartments. The one on offer is located on the fourth and fifth floor and was completely remodelled in 2007.

amsterdamse school loft

Building, living room, kitchen detail

 The current owners created a light and very well proportioned three bedroom apartment with a sunny roof terrace. They did so in keep with the original character of the building. The first thing you notice when you enter (after a four flights of stairs climb!) is a cast iron spiral staircase. luckily, this leads only to the master bedroom. The other rooms are all on the fourth floor. 

Amsterdamse school loft

Dining area, spiral staircase to master bed, kitchen

There is a large and very light living room which stretches from the front to the rear part of the house. It features many skylights and windows allowing a lot of light to stream in. The open kitchen in the back of the room gives access to the spacious and sunny terrace. A further two bedrooms and full bathroom further complement this floor.  

amsterdam canal house

Small bedroom, terrace, living room

The apartment is for sale for €410.000,- which seems fair for what you get. 

The Homevoyeurs webshop sells many books about Dutch architecture. For instance Contemporary Dutch School Architecture, By Dolf Broekhuizen, Ton Verstegen, Paul Groenendijk, Like Bijlsma.

More small spaces, but this is too great not to share! A rooftop cottage in NYC!


The New York Times regularly features a segment called ‘Who lives there’. It’s about unusual property in Manhattan and the people who live in it.

One of the properties featured is a quaint rooftop studio in the West Village. It sits atop a popular tea room and most people walking by will likely miss it. For the few that notice it, like the article mentions, it looks like a small cottage or artists studio dropped on top of the original building. Mary Biosic is lucky enough to have snapped up this place and calls it her first NYC home.

Piotr Rodinski for the New York Times

Read the story here.

Woman content living in 84-sq. ft. dream home


An American woman from Olympia in the North-Western state of Oregon sold her regular home to downsize is life, and in space. A Lot! She built herself a 84-sq. ft./7,8m2 home that she shares with her black Lab. Check her unusual home here.

Dee's small home built from scrap materials