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Going Dutch

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“In the past, I’ve renovated old houses that already had souls. I bonded with this one as it was built but had to walk it before I could really sense the light and space..."

Photographs by

Peter Frank Edwards

Gee and Nico van Vliet in the spacious eat-in kitchen that serves as the heart of their home.

Bright Christmas balls pair with a painting of the van Vliets’ daughter, AnneFrans.

Generous outdoor spaces are defined by a long porch that hangs across the marsh and a self-contained guest house and pool—all a story above the ground.

Gee inherited one Chesterfield sofa before picking up its perfect match at an antiques show in Holland.

“Our downtown house was vertical—it was rather introverted,” says Gee van Vliet. “Here, we went totally horizontal, and with all the windows, it’s extroverted.”

Slender, low-slung beds are pushed together for an improvised double bed, a common setup in European homes.

An orange Bakelite handbag from the 1920

A feminine antique silver collection adorns the dresser.

Generous outdoor spaces are defined by a long porch that hangs across the marsh and a self-contained guest house and pool—all a story above the ground.

The guest cottage allows the van Vliet kids and friends from overseas to visit for long stretches without compromising privacy on either end.

A handed down export China Blue collection.

A wide, airy hall stretches off the foyer and houses a library nook with custom shelves that Gee designed. The hall connects private sleeping chambers at one end to a great room—including a living room, dining area, and kitchen—and a family room at the far end.