Could you live in a railway waiting room? Explore this couple’s extraordinary home

Tineke Tichelaar has collected vintage design for decades, but only now have her treasures found a perfect home – an old village train station with its authentic colours still intact. Feature: Monique van der Pauw, Photographs: Ton Bouwer/CocoFeatures.com

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Published: Wednesday, 08 May 2024 at 12:36 PM

Tineke Tichelaar believes the old train station she now calls home could be the most photographed building in North Friesland. Situated a stone’s throw from the Wadden Sea, in a village called Tzummarum, it was built in 1902 as part of a plan to connect the villages with a railway line, however the initiative didn’t last long. As early as 1925, passengers made way for potatoes, and in 1961 the trains disappeared from the track completely. The platform is where Tineke and her partner, Rick, now sit to enjoy the evening sun.

In 2015, while searching online for an unconventional house outside the city, Tineke came across the former station, which was listed as a commercial building with residential use. ‘We walked in and fell in love, and within a week it was ours,’ she remembers. The building had been restored in 2003, and retained its original features. ‘We immediately loved those authentic details, such as the original doors and window frames, the wooden panelling, the high plank ceilings, and the fireplaces,’ says Tineke. ‘Although the building was empty, it had a lot of atmosphere.’

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Since this wall is not original, Tineke was permitted to paint it in shades adapted from the building’s protected colour palette. It provides a striking backdrop for her vintage furniture, including a sofa from Machalke and Gubi Cobra wall lamps by Greta Grossman. The new linoleum floor is more in keeping with the building’s industrial heritage than the carpet it replaced. – Ton Bouwer/CocoFeatures.com –
Tineke Tichelaar 1900s train station living room armchair
The former third-class waiting room is now the living room, with huge windows looking out onto the newly landscaped garden. The chair is vintage Poltrona Frau, the arc lamp by KARE Design, and the candlestick Stoff Nagel by Werner Stoff and Hans Nagel. – Ton Bouwer/CocoFeatures.com –
Tineke Tichelaar 1900s train station living room detail
A vintage lamp sits alongside a collection of 1970s ceramic vases by Mobach, Ravelli and Gubbels Helden, among others. – Ton Bouwer/CocoFeatures.com –
Tineke Tichelaar 1900s train station study
Vintage cupboards and chests provide storage in Tineke’s studio, which was once the second-class waiting room. – Ton Bouwer/CocoFeatures.com –

And plenty of space, too. In addition to the kitchen and the room where the station master once lived – now used as a dining room – there is a spacious entrance with a worn, natural stone floor; the office with its wooden ticket counter; the second- and third-class waiting room, now a studio and living room; and as a bonus, a large attic. ‘It’s very big,’ Tineke says. ‘At first we couldn’t believe we had to walk such a long way to the kitchen to get coffee! But having all that space is wonderful. There are only two of us, but we make the most of each and every room.’

Due to its historic status, no structural changes are allowed to the building, so the layout has remained untouched. Tineke and Rick have made some necessary improvements, though, replacing the simple pantry with an up-to-date kitchen and creating a beautiful bedroom and bathroom in the attic. They also replaced the carpet with comfortable linoleum throughout.

Tineke loves colour, recalling how, as a child, she wanted her duvet cover to match the wall colour. And so, when she inherited a rather bold colour palette in her new home, including shades of mustard green, terracotta pink, royal blue and turquoise, it didn’t faze her. ‘The only thing that surprised me was that we are not allowed to change the colours, but so far I haven’t wanted to,’ she says. That could be because they form a perfect backdrop for another great love of hers: vintage design from the 1950s to the 1970s, which Tineke describes as ‘simple, stylised and elegant.’

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Tineke Tichelaar 1900s train station dining table
The dining room is where the station master once lived and the colours date from that time. The Tulip table, by Eero Saarinen for Knoll, is surrounded by Panton chairs by Verner Panton for Vitra. The Vertigo lamp is by Constance Guisset for Petite Friture and the Eye Clock is by George Nelson for Vitra. A pink-coloured plant box by Trine Andersen for ferm LIVING draws the eye to the large window. – Ton Bouwer/CocoFeatures.com –
Tineke Tichelaar 1900s train station cupboard in dining room
The original built-in cupboards are filled with the ceramics that started Tineke’s interest in collecting: pastel-coloured tableware from Regout looks made for the pale blue shelves on which it is now stored. – Ton Bouwer/CocoFeatures.com –
Tineke Tichelaar 1900s train station cabinet in dining room
A glass-fronted dresser is home to a collection of Prince tableware by Floris Meydam for the Regina pottery in Gouda. – Ton Bouwer/CocoFeatures.com –
Tineke Tichelaar 1900s train station kitchen sink
The kitchen was once a simple pantry and has been fitted with an integrated worktop and sink by Kitchen Fijnproevers XL from Keukencentrum Marssum. The wall lamp is a replica of the Spider by Serge Mouille. – Ton Bouwer/CocoFeatures.com –
Tineke Tichelaar 1900s train station kitchen fireplace
A collection of flower paintings hangs above the mantelpiece over the stove. The wall lamp is a replica of another Serge Mouille design. – Ton Bouwer/CocoFeatures.com –
Tineke Tichelaar 1900s train station kitchen cabinet
The narrow kitchen seen from the opposite end. – Ton Bouwer/CocoFeatures.com –

The interior is filled with vintage furniture, accessories and lighting – ‘luckily I had to buy a lot of lamps for this house!’ – and beautiful vintage collections including Regout’s pastel-coloured tableware, which ignited her love of vintage at the age of just 19. Contemporary design brands such as Hay, Petite Friture and Ikea are also included in the mix, because for Tineke, ‘the name doesn’t mean anything; it’s purely about the design. An anonymous egg cup can be beautiful.’

It’s clear that Tineke takes pleasure in the uniqueness of her home, the abundance of space and light, and filling it with her decades’ worth of collections. But she says she enjoys it most from a distance, when driving home or coming back from walking the dog. ‘This station wasn’t fancy; it didn’t even have a first-class waiting room. But in photos from the past you see rich ladies with big hats and beautiful dresses. Train travel was something for the upper classes, and the building still exudes that grandeur. Then I look and I think: how wonderful, and I live there!’ 

trijnsieraden.nl / @trijnsieraden

Tineke Tichelaar 1900s train station hallway cabinets
Fabrikör display cabinets from Ikea turned out to be exactly the same height as the original painted panelling, as well as having the right industrial aesthetic. They house various collections, including uranium glass and pressed glass, both from Copier for Leerdam. – Ton Bouwer/CocoFeatures.com –
Tineke Tichelaar 1900s train station hallway cabinet detail
Ceramics from Cor Unum and a beautiful ceramic jug and cups set, painted to look like wood. – Ton Bouwer/CocoFeatures.com –
Tineke Tichelaar 1900s train station master bedroom
In this attic bedroom, the original beams form a cosy yet open space. The cork bench and stool are from Ikea, the metal stool was upholstered by Tineke, and the nude was painted by Tineke. – Ton Bouwer/CocoFeatures.com –
Tineke Tichelaar 1900s train station bedside table
Beside the bed are vintage 1950s wall lights by Louis Kalff for Philips, made of frosted milk glass to create a soft, atmospheric light. The vases are mid-century by Ruscha and feature a patchwork lava glaze. – Ton Bouwer/CocoFeatures.com –
Tineke Tichelaar 1900s train station bathroom
Tineke Tichelaar 1900s train station exterior
Tineke’s home is a former railway station built in 1902 and part of the track remains. – Ton Bouwer/CocoFeatures.com –

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