Furnish your Dutch home with design pieces — on a budget

Powered byWhoppah

A peek through a typical Dutch window will reveal plush couches, mid-century modern television cabinets, a forest of lush, green plants, and tasteful decorations. 

After all, there’s a reason why the Dutch love the word gezellig so much: they make their homes as cosy as possible (perhaps to hide away from that Dutch rain?). ☔

So how can you furnish your Dutch home to be comfy, stylish, and sustainable — despite being on an IKEA budget? 

The answer is Whoppah. Hoerra! 🥳

What is Whoppah?

Don’t get us wrong: there’s no shortage of furniture and design stores in the Netherlands. But falling into the pit of fast furniture stores is a real environmental shame, especially when your home ends up looking like a copy-paste of your neighbours’ place.

photo-of-stylish-dining-interior
You live in your home — why not enjoy it? Image: Unsplash

That’s where Whoppah truly shines. Whoppah is an online marketplace for first-class pre-loved designer furniture and art from across Europe. 

Seeking a true vintage Eames dining set? A statement mid-century modern brown leather armchair? How about a genuine Tiffany lamp? 

You could spend forever checking Facebook Marketplace, or you could spend that time actually ordering those unique statement pieces for your home — on Whoppah!

What can I find on the Whoppah marketplace?

Lord, where do we start?! You can find the future office desk that will inspire you to get stuff done, an artisan wooden table-tennis table, garden furniture for your balcony, incredible and unique lamps, rugs, mirrors, frames, artwork, clocks, coat racks, wine shelves, sculptures, prints, coffee table books — and far more. 

Curious about what the marketplace has to offer? We jumped down the Whoppah rabbit-hole to see what we could find. 

Warning: looking at all these products is addictive.

This ridiculously cosy Artifort Alky armchair

photo-of-armchair-sold-on-whoppah
Mood: ready to crawl onto this and never get off. Image: Whoppah

Do you also feel like you genuinely need this in your bedroom, ASAP? Designed by Giancarlo Piretti for Artifort, this Alky armchair is just begging to be sat on with a soft blanket and a great book. 

Completely reupholstered in off-white teddy fabric, the chair is your chance to own a classic Dutch design piece from a world-renowned brand. 👉 See it here.

A classic Eames Black Vitra Elephant

photo-of-eames-black-elephant-toy
The perfect addition to a hall stand — and a cute one! Image: Whoppah

First up, look at this guy! Let’s forget the fact that he would bring the jungle and classic design straight into your living room — he’s truly an iconic piece. 

The Vitra Elephant was one of the hardest technical challenges for Charles and Ray Eames, pioneers of their plywood-bending techniques. Today, it’s a toy or a sleek design statement: the choice is up to you! 👉 Check it out.

A restored and ridiculously adorable tea cabinet

photo-of-restored-tea-cabinet-sold-on-Whoppah
Ugh, it’s so adorable it almost hurts. Image: Whoppah

Lovingly restored but undeniably vintage, this classic piece still retains its old-world features: like the detail on the hinges and handles, and that classic soft grate on the front. Place it in a hall, style it with a stack of books and a vase of tulips, and you’re golden!

The best part? The bidding starts from just €70. 👉 Lust over it now.

Sold! Now, how do I make a bid? 

Found your next inspirational dining table and already plotted out a place in your lounge room? Before you go throwing your old table onto the street, here’s what you should know about bidding at Whoppah: 

  • You’ll bid online and receive a response in 48 hours. The seller might accept your offer, reject it, or counter-offer. 
  • You can make a new bid, or even chat with the seller to ask questions.
  • A deal is a deal: if you and the seller agree on a price, you’ll see a payment button appear. Click it, choose your delivery option, and make the payment!

Then with a click, a smatter of typing, and a thrill in your stomach, your goods will come whizzing to your home. Now all that’s left to do is enjoy them (and show them off to your friends, of course)!

How does Whoppah work? 

The website brings together over 1000 professional sellers and thousands of private sellers to create one of the largest offerings of design furniture and art around. It’s curated, moderated, and brimming with high-quality goods. 

Naturally, buying things online can be tricky — but Whoppah already thought of that. They check all items before they are visible on the website to ensure: 

🧑‍🎨 It’s a design brand or a vintage item
📸 The item has high-quality photos
👍 The piece is in “good” condition at a minimum
💬 There is a full description
✋ The item is in demand
💸 It has a fair and appropriate price

High standards, right? Luckily, that’s good news for you. 

Meanwhile, Whoppah also guarantees safe transactions and has a vetted courier service to transport that precious cargo from the seller to your front door. 


Ready to turn your Dutch apartment or house into a place where you truly feel at home? Whoppah’s marketplace is waiting for you to find your next treasured item. 


Have you shopped for vintage or reloved furniture before? Tell us in the comments below!

Feature Image:Depositphotos
Samantha Dixon 🇦🇺
Samantha Dixon 🇦🇺https://gallivantations.com
Sam has over six years experience writing about life in the Netherlands and leads the content team at DutchReview. She originally came to the Netherlands to study in 2016 and now holds a BA (Hons.) in Arts, a BA (Hons) in Journalism, and (almost) a Masters in Teaching. She loves to write about settling into life in the Netherlands, her city of Utrecht, learning Dutch, and jobs in the Netherlands — and she still can’t jump on the back of a moving bike (she's learning!).

Liked it? Try these on for size:

What do you think?

LEAVE A REPLY

Please enter your comment!
Please enter your name here

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

The latest Dutch news.
In your inbox.