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Finishes of Furniture

3/13/2023 Stephanie Akkaoui Hughes Interior Design

The devil is in the details, as they say. Or as we like to say at AKKA, the beauty is in the details. In fact, it is the details that make the difference. In interior design, the things we tend to overlook at first glance end up being the elements that contribute to the...

Dutch income taxes: 6 income tax deductions

2/21/2023 Erik Jan Peffer Taxes

Income taxes are complex and filing your tax return optimally in the Netherlands can be quite a challenge. In this article the team from taxt will give you a handy list of possible...

Mindfulness Meditation Exercises for Corporate Wellness

2/9/2023 Stephanie Akkaoui Hughes Mindfulness

Whether working from home or reporting to the office headquarters, finding inner peace and balance in an ever-changing workplace can be a challenge. But with the right tools, mindful meditation practices can help create a more positive environment for employees to get their...

2023 Interior Design Trends

2/6/2023 Stephanie Akkaoui Hughes Interior Design

Trends in interior design may not come and go as quickly as fashion trends, but something new always emerges to inspire us, whether we want to update our space or we've just moved and are starting from scratch. Grounding with Earthy Tones We have...

Renovation Timeline

1/9/2023 Stephanie Akkaoui Hughes Renovation

You thought about it, you asked around, you made a plan and you even did the math. That’s it, you have now decided to do the renovation to create the home you always dreamed of. Before you embark on this project, make sure you have considered not only the costs, but also the time...

Why having a living will is crucial.

12/20/2022 Joep Ertem, LL.M. Finance

In a "regular" will, one generally describes how assets should be divided upon death. What should happen to your assets, though, if you haven't passed away yet, but you're merely not able to make decisions concerning your assets? This could be the case if you're in a coma due to an accident or if...

Care for your children

11/28/2022 Joep Ertem, LL.M. Blog

What is parental authority? In the Netherlands, having parental authority means that you are responsible for the care and education of your underage children. This means that parents with authority over their children have the duty and right to care for and raise their...

XMAS Alternative Ideas

11/28/2022 Stephanie Akkaoui Hughes XMAS

It is the most wonderful time of the year .... to decorate! If you love Christmas and Christmas decorations but cringe at the idea of a huge tree taking up your living room and a cluttered house full of the same old decorations, you will find the following alternative - space efficient yet...

FC URBAN: FOOTBALL WHEN IT SUITS YOU!

11/15/2022 Joep Lamme | FC Urban Sport

Moving to a new city in the Netherlands can be tough if you don’t know many people there. This is especially the case for expat football fanatics, who generally require a few footballing friends to make up a team, or need to have a good grasp of Dutch to join most traditional clubs. And...

Your Health Insurance for 2023

11/14/2022 Blanca Insurance

Traditionally all the Health Insurance providers in the Netherlands will publish there prices for the new year around this time. Most of them came last weekend. Not surprisingly the prices went up, reasons for this are the rising age of the Dutch population, costs of staff and medicines....

Tips on Buying a House in the Netherlands

11/9/2022 Stephanie Akkaoui Hughes Housing

Are you considering buying a house in the Netherlands? Owning property in the Netherlands, whether it is in Amsterdam or another city makes good financial sense in the long term and it can be more beneficial than renting – depending on your mortgage arrangement. Finances aside,...

5 myths that can slow down your Dutch

11/8/2022 Albert Both Blog

Have you ever been trying to speak much better Dutch and have you noticed that somehow it is not easy to bring your Dutch to a whole new level? Then chances are high that you believe in one of certain language myths that can slow your down Dutch, or even worse, even stop it :(<br...

Marriage, mortgage and liability

11/3/2022 Joep Ertem | Westport Notarissen Blog

I must concede that when I hear the word "mortgage", the word "marriage" is not the first thing that comes to mind. The same surely applies to many buyers of real estate in the Netherlands, expats in particular. But I can assure you that a marriage has everything to do with a...

Renovation Cost Estimate | Why is it so important

10/10/2022 Stephanie Akkaoui Hughes Housing

Renovation Cost Estimate | Why is it so important to estimate the cost of your renovation before you start When it comes to renovation, architecture or interior design projects, we tend to underestimate the amount of time and the budget it will take. This is common even for industry...

To buy a house pre or post renovation?

9/19/2022 Stephanie Akkaoui Hughes Housing

Having spent more time at home than ever before in the last year and a half, you might feel like it’s time to move, relocate or upgrade to a new house. In this case, you might be asking yourself if you should go for a new, completely renovated house or instead, opt for a property which...