We’re restoring
an old farmhouse and bringing an olive grove back to life.
OUR STORY & RENOVATION
A few years ago, we chose to step out of Amsterdam city life and into the countryside in the Netherlands.
Now, we’re building our dream place on Samos in Greece, between the mountains and the sea.
Here, all our interests come together.
Food, nature, craft, olives, design and sustainable living. We work with the rhythm of the seasons and let the land teach us patience, craft and simplicity.
Loutsa reminds us to follow what pulls you, work hard for what truly matters, and to share not only a place, but also the journey behind it.
And we share that journey honestly.
Because as calm as this life may look, it also includes unfinished walls, long to-do lists, building while raising a small toddler, running both an existing and a brand-new business, learning a new language and culture, all while finding time to enjoy the mountains and the sea.
We’re right in the middle, where beauty and hard work meet. Learning every day, and deeply grateful. Χάρηκα πολύ
BACK TO BUILDING MODE
Building update: 20 / 10 / 2026
Status: Season one is over, phase two is on!
After a beautiful first season with so many lovely guests, friends, long dinners, hikes and people coming and going, things are slowly getting quieter here at Loutsa.
And while we're still enjoying everything that happened over the past months, it's time to get our hands dirty again!
Almost two years into building our little place in the mountains, and we're far from finished. But looking around now, so much has changed. What started as a wild piece of land is slowly becoming the home and place we had in mind. And having been able to share it with so many people this summer makes us even more excited to keep going.
So, what's next?
Phase two of the house! Finally working on our own bedrooms, building the bathroom and closing up the kitchen. Which means hopefully a little less camping in our own home this winter. After almost two years of living between building materials, tools and unfinished walls, we're definitely ready for that!
And of course, autumn has its own plans for us too. The olives are ready to be harvested, the temperatures are dropping and we need to make sure the house stays warm and dry for the colder months.
So between building walls, collecting olives, taking care of the land, raising our little Kostas and all the everyday things, there's plenty to keep us busy.
The funny thing about building a place like this is that the to-do list never really gets shorter. Every finished project seems to bring three new ideas. And with every season, we learn a little more about the land, the house and how we actually want to live here.
Some days we're full of energy and can't wait to start the next project. Other days we'd really just love a finished bathroom, a warm house and a day without dust everywhere.
But that's all part of it.
Loutsa keeps growing and changing with us and with the seasons. And after this first summer, we're even more sure of what we're creating here.
For now, back to the building site, olive harvesting, muddy shoes, cold mornings and hopefully some cosy evenings in a warmer house.
Let's see how far we get before winter really kicks in!
Love,
Team Olive
ENDLESS TO DO’S & LESSONS
Building update: 25 / 03 / 2026
Status:
An honest update from the mountains
With just two months to go before our first guests arrive for the food & hike weeks, the to-do list is honestly getting a bit overwhelming. Last week felt intense. April is around the corner and there’s still so much to do.
We’re doing everything for the first time. Building a house, caring for over 100 olive trees, planting and maintaining fruit trees, running a big vegetable garden, and all the small (and not so small) jobs that come with it.
Luckily, our little one is thriving at the Greek daycare, which gives us both some free hands in the mornings. But time flies, and the list never really seems to end.
After 1.5 years of building and living in what often still feels like a construction site (because let’s be honest, on Instagram you mostly see the shiny parts), there are moments where we’re just done with half-camping life and tripping over concrete blocks, steel and tools.
We’re not just partners and parents to the sweetest little boy, we’re also building a business together (now officially, YES!), acting as designers, contractors, website & socialmedia managers, builders, gardeners, doing admin, and somehow also running a household.
And you know what? I wouldn’t have it any other way.
It’s intense at times, but we see our vision slowly coming to life. Every step is an upgrade, every setback or off day makes us stronger and helps us grow as humans.
Nature plays a big role in that too. The best mirror, next to your partner or your child. If you really look, you see how nature always finds a way. After every winter, the birds start singing again, seeds push through the darkest soil and bloom into the most beautiful flowers. The land becomes more fertile each year, and after all the hard work, you get to harvest the most incredible fruits.
Living this close to nature, building, trusting and moving with the seasons, this is our path. And we can’t wait to share it with our first guests, and with dear friends and family in the coming months.
Love,
team olive
LIGHT, AIR & REAL VIEWS
Building update: 08 / 01 / 2026
Status:
We have windows & views!
A big win: the frames and windows are in. At the back and sides, the house is now open to the mountains, the olive trees and the light. You step inside and it finally feels lighter and calmer. More like a place to be.
The two big front windows are still closed off with wood for now. That’s on purpose, this is where the veranda and kitchen will come next. Same for the door: temporary, practical, doing its job while we keep building forward.
But being able to look outside from the inside for the first time? That changes everything. The views, the air, the sense of space. It suddenly feels less like a construction site and more like a future home.
From here, we move on to the extension for the bedrooms and bathroom. More work ahead, more dust and long days, but also a lot of excitement. This is where things really start to take shape!
Slowly, Loutsa is opening up.
YES! WE HAVE A ROOF!
Building update: 12 / 12 /2025
Status:
The roof is on. Just in time.
Just in time before the first heavy rains hit. Stress levels were high, because the rain arrived way earlier than expected and the clock was ticking fast.
Thanks to local friends, our besties and a few very long days, we made it. Before the end of the year, the roof tiles were on. Thick insulation, light tiles that fit beautifully with the stone and wood and suddenly it’s starting to feel like a house.
A real mountain cabin. Warm, simple and a little bit rough around the edges. Not all the windows are in yet, but there’s a wood stove, dry floors and that feeling you get when a place slowly becomes a home.
