Travelers arriving in Holland for the first time pay attention to the lack of curtains on the windows of houses. For us, such a way of life seems completely unthinkable. Curtains or blinds on windows are an integral part of the interior of apartments and office premises. But the Dutch get along just fine without them.
There is a reason for this tradition that goes back to the distant past.
How the Dutch manage without curtains
A strange, from our point of view, tradition originated in Holland in the 16th century. The local population rebelled against the rule of the Spaniards and the Catholic Church. Protestants gathered in houses and held church meetings. The governor of the Dutch territories of Spain, the Duke of Alba, issued an order prohibiting the closing of windows in houses. So he sought to take control of the local residents. Despite this and the brutal suppression of the rebels, Holland still gained independence. But the ban on curtains has already become a tradition. Local residents were in no hurry to close their windows from prying eyes. There are several reasons for this:
- The Dutch demonstrate their openness in this way. They show everyone that they live honestly and have nothing to hide.
- The interior of the houses requires a minimum of furniture. Thick, heavy curtains clearly do not fit into this picture.
- Holland is a northern country. There are not many sunny days here. During the winter months, daylight hours are very short. Therefore, local residents prefer to keep their windows open to sunlight.
On the Dutch windows you can only see light lace curtains. They love to decorate window sills with figurines and flowerpots.
Walking around the city you can see the life of the Dutch in their houses. You can admire beautiful chandeliers, elegant interior, see how a family with children in cozy home suits and white socks spend the evening together. But the Dutch themselves are not interested in the lives of their neighbors. They never look into their windows.
The once forcibly imposed tradition of not covering windows with curtains has appealed to open and honest people. It has become an integral feature of Dutch cities today, giving the country an attractive atmosphere of openness and trust.
Dutch-style windows are non-standard and rather tall rectangular structures, divided into equal squares or rectangles. The number of such elements varies from 4 to 20, depending on the size of the window and the wishes of the customer.
To fully comply with the style, on the facade side, the windows are framed with platbands. Their design can be discreet or, on the contrary, brighter and more contrasting. Previously, they were made of stone or wood, which was covered with lime or clay. Today it is polyurethane or wood composite. As a decoration, the facade is additionally decorated with stone or decorative plaster.
Dutch style window
Features of the Dutch style
This architectural style can be characterized in three words: simplicity, functionality and comfort. Its interiors are simple and comfortable to live in.
If speak about appearance building in the Dutch style, its facade is undoubtedly recognizable. Clean lines, discreet finishing. The windows are located symmetrically relative to the center of the facade.
The color scheme is simple: red, gray, brown and their shades, complemented by contrasting white elements.
The main feature of the Dutch style is that in external and interior decoration are used only natural materials. If these are walls, then brick, if they are windows, then wood. Tile and glass are also used.
IN modern world window design It can also be made from plastic, giving it a wood design. This option also applies. But true wood has its own warmth and, most importantly, a pleasant smell.
Opening window in Dutch style
To add contrast to the home's exterior, window frames are usually painted in White color. For a complete immersion in style, you can add shutters. In our region they are not so necessary, but they will definitely give the building an external flavor.
Dutch style windows made of solid pine
Such products are practical, beautiful and comfortable. Modern paint coatings significantly extend their service life. They perfectly withstand all the fluctuations of nature. And require minimal care in the form of wiping soap solution if necessary.
Dutch window close up
Conclusion
Dutch style suitable for those who value coziness and comfort, but do not tolerate excessive pathos.
The Dutch architecture of buildings once greatly impressed Peter I himself, and as a result, today this style is an integral part of our city of St. Petersburg.
You can order Dutch-style windows by phone or by leaving a request on our website. We are waiting for you in our office.
Frames and windows are of EXCELLENT quality, ENVIRONMENTALLY CLEAN, BEAUTIFUL!!
This city does not have monumental palaces or ancient ruins, but it still captivates. Walking along the embankments of the canals, you very quickly understand that the city is beautiful because almost no house in the historical center of the city is similar to another, and large original windows are an integral part of facades.
The entire historical center of the city is permeated with hundreds of canals. On the embankments they crowd close to each other " doll houses" All of them, as a rule, are no higher than 3-5 floors. It’s not surprising that when walking along the streets of Amsterdam, fairy tales involuntarily come to mind. The Snow Queen, Karloson, Bremen Town Musicians, and the atmosphere of the city takes you back to the Middle Ages.
Urban planning projects in those years were implemented according to completely different principles than now. Looking at the houses of Amsterdam, you understand that then one of the main rules when building houses was the aesthetic beauty of the house facade. Windows occupy at least 60% of it. The second rule is that façade windows should be beautiful and varied. In no case should they be similar to the windows of neighboring houses.
Many of us are accustomed to the fact that in Russia all houses are standard, and the windows, naturally, are also the same. The only exception is the material from which they are made. When purchasing windows, the question usually arises about their configuration, the method of opening, and not about what design delights will be embodied in them.
Specifics of Amsterdam windows
All kinds of windows meet the human eye here - round, rectangular, and arched. There are a lot of windows, framed by hand-made stucco, combined with decorations symbolizing the occupation of the former owners of the buildings (working tools, figurines of bakers, fishermen, tailors, etc.).
The specificity of Amsterdam windows is that in the historical center of the city all windows are wooden. They are completely different from Russian ones, from sliding doors that open upward to windows decorated with frequent layouts. This gives the window a special elegance. By the way, the area of Amsterdam windows is at least 2 times larger than Russian ones.
Windows in Amsterdam are always different...
If there are funny windows here, there are funny houses. And of course, modern windows, reflecting the free specificity of the city.
It is interesting to note that in the city there are buildings on the water that are unusual for us, the so-called “Floating Houses” with “ floating windows"on the canals of Amsterdam. They can be compared to Russian dachas, where the Dutch come to live on weekends and holidays. Many buildings are supported on massive wooden stilts; over time, some rot, and the houses begin to “dance”, holding onto neighboring buildings from destruction.
On almost all facades you can see cross beams, and hooks sticking out.
Using a system of pulleys and ropes, these beams were used to lift cargo from the sides of river boats directly into storage spaces in attics, and are now used to transport furniture into homes. The windows in all the houses are huge and the staircases are very narrow, so there is no other way to lift loads and furniture into these houses.
Real Dutch people will never curtain their windows.
If in the historical part of the city you can find windows with a frequent layout (in english style), then in the suburbs of Amsterdam, and indeed in Holland, windows do not have a layout, and it is not customary to curtain them.
Where did this habit come from? As the Dutch themselves say, previously they also curtained their windows in the evenings, protecting their privacy from prying eyes, but everything changed in the 16th century.
In 1556, Holland came under Spanish rule, and 10 years later the first Bourgeois Revolution took place in this country (we remember this from 6th grade textbooks). All the years after the revolution, the Dutch waged a stubborn struggle against the Spaniards, the apotheosis of which was the years of reign in Holland of the viceroy of the Spanish king, the Duke of Alba.
He began a brutal fight against the rebels, who were called Guez in Holland. He saw conspiracies everywhere, and in order to prevent them, he issued an order prohibiting the curtains of the windows so that the Spanish soldiers, on patrol, could see if any conspiracy was being prepared in this house. The Spaniards were expelled from Holland back in 1579, but the habit of not curtaining the windows 
remained in Holland centuries later.
Now, when you walk along the streets of Dutch cities, you involuntarily pay attention to this. Here is a grandmother sitting at the computer, here is a man watching TV, here is a family sitting at a late dinner. For the Dutch this is the norm. You won't see this in other countries. And even in Belgium, which in those years was a single country with Holland, this habit did not take root.
Windows in the Red Light District
Speaking about the windows of Amsterdam, it is impossible not to mention the windows of the world famous Red Light District. This is, in a way, a mixture of the extremely free morals of this city and the desire to flaunt oneself, as in the reality show “Behind the Glass”.
In Amsterdam you can do almost everything that has to do with moral emancipation. Every tourist certainly goes for this to the Red Light District, where after ten in the evening active nightlife begins. In the display windows stand girls of easy virtue in mini-bikinis and catch the gaze of men passing by.
There are also a lot of coffee shops and smart shops in this quarter. By the way, they also have huge windows that show what people are doing inside. What are they actually doing?
In coffee shops they smoke marijuana (canabis). So you just walk in, buy a few grams of weed, roll a joint, and smoke with a cup of coffee. At the same time, you smoke with full awareness that no matter who sees what, there will be no problems with the law. By the way, when you walk by, you can not only see it, but also feel it. The characteristic smell of marijuana spreads throughout the neighborhood.
A set of seeds at a Dutch flower market 
cannabis “for beginners” who want to start growing it at home in a window, the so-called “Starters kit”, can be bought for only 3 euros. But if this “souvenir” is found at Sheremetyevo, there will be big problems.
In smart shops you can taste hallucinogenic mushrooms, cupcakes and other Dutch culinary products. The most important thing here is not to make a mistake with the dose, otherwise European newspapers will again be full of headlines saying, well, another tourist jumped out of a hotel window after eating hallucinogenic mushrooms. Just like in the novels of Carlos Castaneda.
Check out the photo gallery of Amsterdam windows
Netherlands
- this is the place where the Dutch style was born and developed, one of the practical and beautiful interiors in country style. In some countries, the Kingdom of the Netherlands is often called Holland, which is incorrect. South and North Holland are only two of the twelve provinces that make up the Kingdom of the Netherlands, although they are the most developed. Thanks to merchant shipping and the fact that South and North Holland communicated with foreign countries more than other provinces, they gained great fame outside the borders of their country.
Like the interiors of other countries, the development of the Dutch style was influenced by natural factors and the location of the country.
The Netherlands means "lower lands". This name is justified, since the entire territory of the country is located below sea level and at the mouths of large European rivers: the Rhine, Meuse, Scheldt.
In the north, the coast is washed by the North Sea. This Northern European country has always had to fight water element, with adaptation for life in coastal lowlands.
Hydraulic structures were constantly created - dams and dikes,
gateways and channels.
On the lands reclaimed from the ocean, buildings with a unique appearance were erected.
The Netherlands has little forest and mineral resources. The soils in the country are practically unsuitable for cultivating crops, so livestock farming developed: meat and dairy.
In addition to livestock farming, the main industries developed in the Netherlands were shipping, fishing and trade.
Development in the country began in the 17th century after liberation from Spanish rule and the emergence of the world's first bourgeois republic. The rapid construction of cities began, where oil-processing, soap-making, brewing, cloth industries and, along with them, wholesale trade developed.
A flourishing was also achieved in Dutch painting.
Too expensive land for development and its shortage led to the construction of houses closely pressed against each other.
They were made narrow, very elongated in depth.
Their facades were decorated with high pediments.
Behind the house there was usually a small courtyard. Along the banks of river branches and canals there were houses in one long row.
Driveways were built along the canals, embankments were planted green spaces. The houses looked picturesque among the water and greenery.
The houses were not luxurious palaces; on the contrary, everything in them was rational and economical.
However, outwardly modest, inside they were distinguished by comfort and coziness.
It is not for nothing that Peter I, who visited Holland in the 17th century, decided to build the Russian capital, St. Petersburg, according to the models of Dutch cities.
A Dutch house with a plastered and whitewashed facade against a backdrop of garden greenery looks attractive.
The interior decoration is not inferior to the exterior.
Colors used in interior design in the Dutch style: white, color eggshells, yellow, blue, a little red, ocher, brown, beige.
WALLS
Plastered and painted in colors: light ocher or pale blue.
The main thing is that the walls look light. They may not be perfectly smooth; they are plastered with coarse structural plaster and the effect of clumsily plastered walls is created. But at the same time, the comfort and atmosphere of an old village house is created.
Decorating walls with brick and artificial stone is widespread.
It is used both outside,
and inside the house.
Brickwork is used in the interior to zone space.
Also used natural stone or light brick.
The walls, like the ceiling, are often decorated with decorative beams and balusters.
It is better not to use wallpaper.
Parquet is mainly used natural wood or, as an alternative, a laminate that closely resembles natural wood.
Boards made from solid wood are also good on the floor.
Often used for flooring ceramic tiles different sizes, similar to natural stone.
It is important that the floor is dark in color.
CEILING
Dark, to match the floor, wooden beams and the balusters will serve as decoration for the ceiling.
They are often “aged” and decorated with wood carvings. 
WINDOW
Classic Dutch windows are a frame of small glass with partitions that divide the window into squares or rectangles.
Windows are often decorated with glass painting or stained glass.
LIGHTING
Natural light is used as much as possible. An openwork bronze chandelier is appropriate in a Dutch interior.
TILES
Interior decoration with magnificent tiles is inherent in the Dutch style.
They decorated stoves and fireplaces
and just walls in the rooms. The Dutch one is very elegant.
Skillfully made tiles look very elegant.
Blue Delft and Rotterdam carpet tiles are a unique decoration for a Dutch-style home.
The tiles were painted with subjects: landscapes, images of sea vessels, windmills, pastures and scenes from the life of the Dutch.
TEXTILES and CARPETS
Gingham curtains
and curtains that do not block the penetration of sunlight.
Lace napkins on the shelves
Tablecloths on tables
Homespun rugs
Oriental carpets and tapestries 
Canvas covered with picturesque compositions
FURNITURE
Made from natural wood, decorated in " architectural style" This means that in appearance The furniture reproduces the façade of the building.
The glass doors of the cupboards are divided into squares of glass, just like the windows on the façade of the building, and the sides of the cupboards are decorated with turrets and columns.
The Dutch invented a tableware rack, where beautiful blue and white dishes are placed on open or glass shelves.
Wooden chests of drawers and tables should look darkened with age or painted with paint.
There are hand-painted furniture facades.
Chairs with wicker seats.
Wicker chairs.
Chairs and armchairs covered in leather or fabric.
Dutch-style furniture is often rough and massive, but comfortable and comfortable.
It cannot be said, however, that there is no place for luxury models among Dutch furniture.
The legs of tables, chairs, armchairs and sofas are made slightly curved.
Wood carving is widely used in furniture design, which gives it uniqueness and sophistication.
There are also pieces of furniture inlaid with glass, leather or metal.
ACCESSORIES
Wicker baskets
Copper products: pots,
candlesticks
and other copper interior items.
White and blue dishes in cabinets and decorative ceramic plates on the walls
Fragile porcelain figurines
Silver things.
Mirror in a dark carved frame
Hunting trophies
Old geographic Maps. Caring attitude and the love of maps lives in the blood of the descendants of brave sailors.
A globe will not be out of place in a Dutch interior.
Famous Dutch paintings and engravings, framed in baguette.
Homes are decorated not only with landscapes, still lifes, portraits, but also with images interior decoration Houses. Dutch artists saw beauty in everyday things, in everyday little things. Their paintings depict such a quiet and cozy life of simple things, filled with special meaning. An example of such a painting “The Old Lady by the Fireplace” by J. Vrel, mid-17th century
or “Room in a Dutch House” by P. Janssens Eming, 1660s, “Kitchen” by P. K. van Slingeland, 1648. These works are filled with feelings and sensations of the value of ordinary Everyday life people in a simple and cozy home world.
Tulip vases,
and a variety of ceramic and porcelain products
Wall clock in lacquer case
Works of Chinese and Japanese art were brought to the Dutch maritime country and they decorated the home with them: vases, trays, lamps and more.
In the Netherlands they love and know how to grow fresh flowers. The country is famous for its tulips, with hundreds of different types.
Everything in the interior of a Dutch house is subject to a game of contrasts: dark floors and light walls, light window sills and dark flower pots On him. At the same time, the house is in perfect harmony with the surrounding nature.
Active navigation and trade of the Netherlands with many countries influenced the life and way of life of the local population. The exoticism of distant countries, the sophistication and sophistication of France, Italy and Flanders (close neighbors) have found their place in the culture and everyday life of the people of the Netherlands.
