This is our latest project (March 2012)

Years and years ago, Eddy bought two or three old fireplace mantles. We have made a choice and took the black/green marble one for our living room. But it was not only a puzzle, it asked a lot of cleaning. Eddy did the puzzling and than i could clean it. Two weeks ago i began on a beautiful sunday morning with the first cleaning works. I had to take care, because of marble is very vulnerable to certain products. You can use any products with acid. I tried to wash of the most of the dirt with "brown soap". And than i polished the marble, layer by layer.... with a lot of patience. The green marble became green again, the black again black, you can see the difference between the two pictures i' ve took from both sides. And than i polished the marble with fine oil, again with a lot of patience.

Back than it was Eddy's turn to assembly the fireplace mantle on his mal. It is not finished yet, but you can see already the result will be great !

Today i painted the wall above the mantle, so Eddy can finish one of this days the rest of the marble..... curious about the result ??? Me to !

Look what they have done, isn't it to cry ?

While we (Eddy and me) were with customers in the shop, burglars entered our house. They have made a lot of damage.
Tabitha was precisly a half hour to the supermarket and in the meantime they broke in, passing her appartment. Even
though we had chosen for special glass and windows, they have found a way in... (after half an hour, that we have seen later on the security camera's !) Fortunately we had our hero Jarno in the house, he caught the burglars red-handed an they run away, this dispate the fact that they were with three of them !!! And a few minutes later Tabitha came home. Police there was barely three minutes after the alarm. Even faster than Eddy, i and the customers left the shop to see what was happening. Incredible, but we all missed the burglars just a few seconds... fortunately for them !
But the damage was a fact, we must work hard to pay this.
8-(((

Welcome to the Van den Bergh house....except burglars !

I was so happy with my/our hard work... and than we've got a second visit from burglars in december 2012. Just finished the painting of the doors... and look what they have done ! Grmble... grumph.... i do not wanted to write here what i am whishing to those men.... but i can asure you it is not so polite what i wanted to say.
They destroyed the two entrance doors, among others, which cost us a lot of money. And now i have to paint again the two new doors...

Eddy made in the hall a beautiful "wardrobe" in taylor made to hide the water-and gasmeters and the other ugly things, necessary for television, telephone, computer and elevator, and also the waterpump. He made it just the way i asked him of a wardrobe that we well also in the shop. He even has painted it already for me !

The little chest of drawers i took out of the shop and i painted it on a special way to get this result. For who's interested : also the wall panel with the cherubs and the chandeliers can be bought in our Antique and Interior shop Den Ouden Overzet.
The picture from mother and child i've got as a present from a satisfied costumer, and i will never sell this. The decoration on the chest of drawers is also available in our shop and i change it every season.

A warm welcome for our friends and family !

This was the most difficult job untill now for me....

This is the hall on the highest floor (the attick), and this was the most difficult job for me, just untill now.... You have to know that i am affraid to stand in height... And i had to stand on a ladder above the stairs, brrrrr.
But also for this space i am super satisfied with the result ! The same modern wall paper in contrast with the antique furniture and items.
I like the soft colours. Before choosing this paper, i tried the sample out for a few days. So i could see the result by daylight and with artificial lights at night. And it is super !

This work took some weeks....

The hall on the second floor was finished just before we had a guest last summer. I've worked some weeks, to finish this work. I did it all myself : painting the sealings and doors, wall papering.... (The floor was layed and coloured by Eddy.) Every morning and evening i've worked, even for only half an hour, to finish this space. Sometimes i just had the time to do one stroke of the paper, than i had to go and open the shop. But every bit that was finished, was a moment to be happy ! And I like the result of the modern paper with the old furniture and decorations. Even the chandeliers are antique. It is a nice contrast with the modern wall spots just above the floor. Yes i am happy with the result, even if it took a lot of time and work !

Our living room and the toilet on the first floor.

While the living room is still not painted or wall papered as you can see, the bathroom (toiletroom for the English people) on the first floor is finished. Do you like my big clock between kitchen and living room ? It is so-o easy to see if it is time to go to work ! ;-)
I am proud for my new table, a model that can be ordered in our shop. Made in oak or pine, measurement as the costumer wanted.
We have still our old round table that we are using by the sofa seats, i am thinking what i wanted to replace it....




















The "little room" on the first floor is painted, the same colours as the hall downstairs. There was still some paint left after painting the hall, and i had a little bit of the paper left, so this is the result....

Jarno's room and my kitchen

When we began to paint Jarno's room, we've had a lot of fun with the montage of his wardrobe. My outfit was assorted to the colors he has choosen for his room.
In the same period i painted the kitchen that i designed and Eddy has made.

The front garden

Last summer we (Eddy and i), planted some buxus and Lavendel in the front garden. No pictures from me at work.... of course ! But it is a nice result, and i am very glad with it !

Hello again !

I know, it is a long time ago that i've placed some news in this blog..... sorry to you all !!!
But in the meantime, we have done a lot of work. Not only in our Antique and Interior shop Den Ouden Overzet, but also in the "new" house. As well as in the front garden and back yard. There is still a lot of work to do, but i rather take the time to finish it all as i wish or dream, than doing it on a hurry, not like i would have it.... And also it costs some money, so this way we can save some Euro's and spend them from time to time for our house.
Also we have had two times burglars....

8-(((. Once in April and once end november or begin december (while we were still working in the shop beside !!!). The last time they've took a run, because Jarno trapped them while breaking in. There was still a lot of damage. We have a good assurance, but we had to pay some of the damage ourselves...
But anyway, we have to go on, and now i am going to show you some pictures of the house. I only have to say that i did some work too, but there's no one who wanted to take pictures when i am painting or wall papering... they laugh while i am so proud about my work, the naughty ones !