Monument House in Utrecht, Netherlands

Spend a cosy Christmas and/or New Year in the Netherlands

We (a writer/musician couple) have long dreamed of living and working in a space with good acoustics for rehearsal, performance, recording, and accommodation for ourselves and visiting artists from abroad. Since January 2006 we have committed our time, energy, and life savings to renovate it to a high standard, restoring its original features of symmetry and high ceilings. Our Monument House Concert Series, held here twice a year, are always packed with enthusiastic audiences.

Utrecht is two stops from Amsterdam Schiphol Airport (less than 30 minutes by train) and only 20 minutes by fast train to central Amsterdam. Utrecht is the 4th largest city in the country, and widely considered to be the centre for transport.

This row of houses (a 5 minute cycle ride to the central Utrecht train station) was granted National Monument status a few years ago to preserve and conserve architecture of historical significance. These houses were built in early 1900's by the Dutch National Water Board for their employees who operated the lock on the canal. In the 1980's, the option to purchase the houses was given to the residents. They are the largest houses in this area of Lombok, famous in the Netherlands for successful multi-cultural integration in the 1990's. Nowadays, the lock is not used very often, at most once a week. There are no houseboats in front of these monument houses for this reason.

Nonsmokers who don't mind taking their shoes off to protect the oak parquet floors downstairs and pine floors upstairs are welcome to enquire about staying here.

Recent events held here:

Saturday 1 July 2006 Classical Guitar Masterclasses with Dr Matt Gould
Sunday 2 July 2006 House Concert introducing Duo46: Music of the Americas
Sunday 12 November 2006 Segall Plays Sweelinck - private banquet
Sunday 17 December 2006 Piano as Orchestra House Concert
Saturday 9 June 2007 Chamber Music Tapas Style
Sunday 10 June 2007 Piano Recital with live recording
Friday 16 November 2007 Duo for Export

Recent photos: click on photo to see larger picture.

	The front of this 8 by 8 metre house (left) faces southwest, while the back of the house faces northeast. There are plenty of secure rails to lock your bike in the front. Free parking in front of the house along a one-way cul de sac (dead end) next to a canal without houseboats. Read: very quiet and without traffic!
	Once you enter the house, you'll be greeted by a spacious hallway with high ceilings and a chandelier (right). Take the wide stairs up to your room on the next floor.
	This three-storey house is part of a row of terraced houses all facing this peaceful canal. In the winter, the linden trees are bare. Notice the difference between this canal and other canals (right). No houseboats!
	Even further along you can witness canal bridges that open up for boats to pass.
	After a 5 minute walk you'll see the familiar scene of Utrecht --- canals, houseboats, windmills, cyclists, pedestrians, and cars. Before you know it, you will arrive at the central train station, Utrecht Centraal.
	The South West facing room gets a view of the quiet canal. The wooden floor and walls have been freshly painted like the other rooms. All rooms have double-glazed roof windows with pull-down shades which completely block out the outside light, comfortable bed and mattress, desk, chair, closet, book case, lamp.
	The stairs in the middle take you to the loft or attic (left, viewed from below). The northeast facing, corner room in the house (right) also newly painted is furnished with an Auping single bed, IKEA wardrobe, IKEA desk and IKEA bookcase. It's the most favoured room by our housemates due to its extreme far corner location.
	The loft is reserved for short-term guests or commuters, at time of writing. Who knows? The owners are like cats, happy to move furniture around, and maybe, just maybe, for the right guests something different may be constructed.
	The north facing 12.5 sq metre room is the last to be finished, with original wooden floor, lacquered to protect the colour. With no carpets or TV, it is ideal for first-time visitors who need a short-term place to get advice and base to find another place for the longer term.
	The 4 sq metre kitchenette with electric ceramic stove and electric kettle is well-fitted with pots, pans, dishes, bowls, glasses, mugs, and cutlery for housemates. There's a bigger kitchen downstairs used by the owners (and available if the entire house is rented during vacations). LEFT: downstairs during a house concert
	The back garden is used by owners and for house concerts. The front garden has a better and more peaceful view -- of the canal. News flash! Ready in summer 2008: Sound-proof garden house to serve as music studio, along with brick barbeque pit.