In a quiet stretch of the Dutch coastline, tucked between wild grasses and the
sound of the sea, a former farmhouse has been transformed into something far
more meaningful than a residence. MAS MAYA’s latest featured project is a
story of intuition, trust, and a deeply personal approach to design—one where
architecture becomes a reflection of the life imagined within it.
For Dutch creative and builder Daan Steller, the project began not with a
blueprint, but with a feeling. The property was never officially on the market.
Yet something about the old farmhouse felt undeniable enough to pursue.
Together with a group of friends, Steller approached the owner with an
unconventional proposal: to buy or rent the property collectively and create a
shared way of living rooted in nature, community, and simplicity.
@ Daan Steller
What followed was an exercise in belief as much as construction. Given six
months to secure financing, permissions, and a plan, Steller committed fully to
the vision—despite having no previous building experience. He paused his
existing business, taught himself how to renovate, and eventually transformed
the farmhouse into three apartments before designing and building an entirely
new wing attached to the original structure.
The result is a home that feels profoundly lived-in and instinctive. Organic in
flow, restrained in palette, and deeply tactile, the interiors reject excess in
favour of atmosphere. Every surface speaks softly through texture: reclaimed
wood, cork, clay, lime finishes, ancient doors, and MAS MAYA coatings layered
together in quiet harmony.
From the beginning, the intention was clear—to build with the smallest footprint
possible, preserving what already existed and working primarily with natural
and reclaimed materials. “We wanted the house itself to become the
decoration,” Steller explains. And it does. There is little need for ornament when
the walls, floors, and forms already hold so much character.
MAS MAYA entered the project during the search for a more natural and
durable alternative to conventional plaster finishes. Having previously
experimented with a Mediterranean-inspired kitchen aesthetic, Steller
struggled to find a material that carried both the visual warmth and technical
integrity he was looking for—until discovering MAS MAYA.
Initially intended only for the kitchen cabinetry, the material quickly expanded
into bathrooms, bedrooms, floors, and transitional surfaces throughout the
home. The coatings became an integral part of the architectural language,
creating subtle contrasts against the softer matte textures of clay and cork
while amplifying the natural light that moves through the spaces.
“At any time of day, in any light, it simply comes alive,” he says.
What makes the project particularly compelling is the absence of over-design.
The home feels intuitive rather than styled—spaces unfolding naturally,
proportions carefully refined during the building process itself. Steller recalls
sketching the floor plan in a single evening after deciding he would build the
house himself. Remarkably, the final result remained almost identical to that
original drawing.
© Daan Steller
@ Daan Steller
Despite the home’s relatively compact footprint, the interiors feel expansive
and serene. Every centimetre has been considered, every transition calibrated
for both practicality and emotion. Curved forms soften the architecture;
custom-made furniture dissolves into the structure itself. The house breathes.
One space encapsulates the project best: a staircase leading to a built-in box
bed beneath a large ceiling window open to the sky. Here, all the materials
converge—clay, cork, reclaimed timber, ancient woodwork, MAS MAYA surfaces
—and beyond them, the sound of the ocean.
It is perhaps this emotional quality that defines both the project and the
philosophy behind MAS MAYA. The materials do not dominate the architecture;
they deepen it. They create spaces that feel grounded, sensory, and quietly
human.
Steller speaks warmly about his experience working with the MAS MAYA team,
describing the relationship as immediate and genuine. What began as
admiration for the product eventually evolved into partnership. Today, he serves
as MAS MAYA’s distributor in the Netherlands, bringing the brand’s natural
finishes into a growing number of Dutch homes and projects.
Yet beyond design and craftsmanship, this home ultimately tells a larger story—
about trusting intuition, creating slowly, and building a life aligned with one’s
values.
“The biggest lesson,” Steller reflects, “is simply to follow your dreams and
visions.”
And in this extraordinary coastal home, that philosophy is visible in every
surface.
