Huis Bresjes

Between Pasture and Sea

Seafaring styling defines this recently completed vacation home in the Netherlands' westernmost province on the North Sea. Coastal blues and white wood set the stage for casual seaside living. Ultra-spacious, with low key, comfortable interiors, it has wide, welcoming outdoor lounge areas on a velvety green lawn and stands tall as an idyllic getaway, with rolling pastures and rippling waters stretching charmingly beyond its multi-paned windows.

A clean-lined modern farmhouse set between pasture and sea, this vast vacation home rental in the Netherlands offers a casual coastal vibe, and feels like an ideal spot for an easygoing, active vacation with a crowd of up to 15 people. The owners, who have vacationed in the area for years, completed a bottom-to-top renovation of an old farmhouse in 2021, and the result is a contemporary take on a traditional structure, designed for a leisurely crowd. 

Pure lines, simple yet luxurious furnishings, and a pretty play of light and shadows from the deep windows give the home its friendly, easygoing atmosphere. Interior walls of exposed brick and wood are whitewashed and pure, and there’s whitewashing overhead, too, adding to the home’s cheery calm.

Six double bedrooms are spread over three levels, each one unique. Some have en-suite baths. Every bedroom and bath was intentionally designed to be different from all the others, each with its own identifying feature. There’s a pink bathroom, and a blue and white tiled bed and bath combination--even a speckled, seafaring sink backsplash, with its mariner’s lamp overhead. The ample kitchen, with its views on green pastures, is entirely new and equipped to cook and entertain a crowd. The long, communal dining table occupies a newly built addition to the house.

Outdoors, the clean-lined, casual living design continues. The brick walls are painted a soothing dove grey, and a manicured green pitch invites lounging and sunbathing. There is a veritable outdoor living room adjacent to the house, and a coastal promenade within its view.

AROUND

Famous for its wide, gentle beaches and moody, North Sea shores, Zeeland is also home to the traditional Dutch polders, or picturesque waterways contained by dikes. Reputed for its culinary culture, Zeeland restaurants and markets showcase mussels, oysters, lobsters and fish pulled straight from the sea. Outdoor and water sports options are numerous, and a visit to the Delta Works system, the world’s largest flood protection system, is a particular point of Dutch pride, considered one of the world’s seven wonders.

LOCATION

Breskens, Zeeland, Netherlands. Nearest airport: Rotterdam (68 km).

BEST TIME TO VISIT: Late June through early September