Five Brothers and a War

Margrietstraat 20—Ground Floor

Upon entering the front door, one entered into a vestibule—a “mudroom” in some parts of the world. It was intended to keep the cold, damp and windy weather out of the house. The next area inside was the hallway leading straight to the kitchen, to the living room on the right and between the two, the dining room. The floor was a Moulmein Teak parquet.

Because Leendert was the Sales Manager for Bruynzeel Vloerenfabriek (“Flooring Factory”) he had access to a very wide range of hardwoods. He intended to use this new house as a showcase for his products, the concept of which was very new in Holland. An oriental rug runner ran down the length of the hallway, and another lay just inside the entry. All of the rugs in the house were bartered, when Leendert traded parquet flooring for those rugs. While they were considered a very expensive luxury in Holland, for Leendert, oriental rugs were just another way of doing business.

van Pelt

View showing open front and vestibule door, with kelder (“cellar”) door, just past the stairway, ajar.

Five Brothers and a War

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