We’ve all seen townscapes proud of their brightly colored houses—Nyhavn in Copenhagen, Bryggen in Bergen, Burano in Venice—but it appears some dour Dutch folk in Den Helder, Netherlands, don’t share that view.
Nine years ago, Ineke van Amersfoort painted her waterfront house a color variously described in the press as ‘lime’ or ‘apple’ but described by her neighbors as ‘too bright and too different from the ot her homes in the district.’ One complained it cast green shadows on her windows.
The case has now been resolved by the Netherlands’ highest court, which ordered her to repaint the house in a color chosen in consultation with local authorities. Van Amersfoort told RTL News “It will probably be boring white or black; I can’t just be joyful. The council has got something against green.”
She doubts the council will go for her proposed compromise: mixing the green with white for a paler experience.
