When we think about comfort in our homes and buildings, we usually focus on temperature, insulation, or interior design. However, one of the most important factors for comfort and health is often overlooked: the quality of the air we breathe. Proper ventilation is essential for maintaining both a healthy indoor environment and a durable, well-functioning building.
Ventilation is the process of continuously replacing indoor air with fresh outdoor air. This may sound simple, but it plays a crucial role in removing pollutants that naturally build up indoors. Every day, people release carbon dioxide (CO₂) simply by breathing. Cooking, showering, cleaning, and even sleeping add humidity and fine particles to the air. Without sufficient ventilation, these substances accumulate, leading to stale, unhealthy indoor air.
The impact of poor ventilation on human health should not be underestimated. High CO₂ levels are known to cause headaches, fatigue, and difficulty concentrating. Many people recognize the feeling of drowsiness in a poorly ventilated room, especially in bedrooms, offices, or classrooms. In addition to CO₂, indoor air can contain fine particles and airborne microorganisms such as viruses and bacteria. If fresh air is not supplied regularly, these pollutants remain in the air longer, increasing the risk of respiratory complaints and the spread of infectious diseases.
Ventilation is also essential for controlling indoor humidity. Moisture is constantly released into the air through everyday activities like cooking, showering, and drying laundry. If this moisture cannot escape, humidity levels rise. Over time, this can lead to condensation on windows and cold surfaces, creating ideal conditions for mold growth. Mold not only damages walls, ceilings, and furniture, but can also cause serious health problems, especially for people with allergies, asthma, or weakened immune systems. By removing moist air and replacing it with drier outdoor air, ventilation helps maintain a healthy balance.
The benefits of ventilation extend beyond human health to the building itself. Modern homes are often built to be highly airtight in order to reduce energy loss. While this improves energy efficiency, it also means that moisture and pollutants can easily become trapped inside. Without proper ventilation, this can result in long-term damage such as wood rot, corrosion of metal components, and deterioration of insulation materials. Effective ventilation helps keep building structures dry and prevents costly repairs over time.
Traditionally, ventilation was achieved simply by opening windows. While this can help, it is not always practical or effective. Weather conditions, outdoor noise, security concerns, and energy loss all limit how often windows are opened. As a result, many homes and buildings now rely on mechanical ventilation solutions that work continuously in the background.
Here, a ventilator is used to extract indoor air from the toilet, bathroom and kitchen, which reduces indoor air pressure slightly. This allows fresh outdoor air to enter the (bed)rooms through trickle vents. Although mechanical ventilation is a step-up from natural ventilation (using windows en vents alone), the constant replacement of air through the whole house can cause an large heat loss in winter.
Modern ventilation systems can also be combined with heat-recovery technology. This allows heat from outgoing air to be reused to warm incoming fresh air, keeping energy consumption low while still providing continuous ventilation. In this way, comfort, health, and sustainability go hand in hand.
However, many older dwellings only have a mechanical ventilation system. Here, in order to minimize heat loss, yet still allow fresh air to enter the house, VentiBalance provides a solution. This system uses CO₂ levels to control the supply of fresh air on a room-by-room basis. Sensors measure the air quality in each room and automatically adjust the amount of incoming fresh air. When CO₂ levels rise—such as in a bedroom during the night or a living room when several people are present—the system increases ventilation. When a room is empty or air quality is already good, ventilation is reduced. The VentiBalance system can be applied to existing trickle vents and can be applied by the home owner self (DIY).
This approach ensures that fresh air is delivered exactly where and when it is needed, without unnecessary energy loss. Because the system responds directly to actual air quality, it maintains a healthy indoor environment automatically, without occupants having to remember to open windows or adjust settings.
In conclusion, ventilation is a fundamental requirement for healthy living and durable buildings. By constantly replacing indoor air with fresh outdoor air, ventilation removes CO₂, excess humidity, fine particles, and airborne pathogens. This improves comfort, protects health, and preserves the building itself. With smart, CO₂-controlled systems such as VentiBalance, good indoor air quality can be achieved automatically and efficiently, while minimising the heat loss, making healthy air a natural part of everyday life.
This article is written in collaboration with Ventibalance, a company based in the Netherlands that focuses on improving indoor air quality through balanced ventilation systems. After being part of a pilot to experience their system at home and meeting the team behind it here in The Hague, we invited them to share this article with our community. They are happy to explain the system to you in English and how it may be installed in your home in The Hague: https://www.ventibalance.com
Venue provided complimentary food and drinks during Sherika’s visit for this feature. The Hague Online retained editorial control, and the views expressed are the writer’s own
In the Zeeheldenkwartier, you’ll find the charming café, Petit by Sam. Originally from Geneva, Switzerland, owner Samita Raheja moved to Amsterdam when her Dutch partner wanted to return to his home country eight years ago, she seized the opportunity to expand on her love for baking and opened Petit, initially as a takeaway-only concept. When the couple later relocated to The Hague, Sam decided it was time for a fully operating café.
At the time, vegan and gluten-free options were hard to come by in the city, and the few places that did offer them often relegated a dry, uninspiring banana bread to the back of the counter as an afterthought. Sam knew she could do better. She wanted to give the community baked goods that anyone could enjoy — and so Petit by Sam opened its doors in October 2023.
Walk in and you’re greeted with a warm smile and a display of gorgeous handmade cakes, cookies, and other sweet treats at the counter. An added delight is the open kitchen at the back, where you can watch bakers Jessica and Michelle in action. Jessica has been by Sam’s side since the very beginning, with Michelle joining the team more recently.
What does Sam love about the city? The slower pace compared to Amsterdam, the sense of community, and the way people here are looking to connect more deeply with one another. In a time when the world feels so divided, Sam spotted an opportunity to make her space a place of genuine connection. On the first Tuesday of every month, she hosts a parent meet-up, for moms and dads to connect over raising kids and every Thursday evening is reading night, where people can curl up with a book and enjoy the company of fellow bookworms. Latte art classes, cookie decorating workshops, and more are also on offer.
Opening a new café comes with its challenges, and in the early days some customers were unsure of the higher prices of the baked goods. But Sam was committed to the quality and standards she had grown up with in Switzerland — and now everyone is glad she stayed true to it. I tried the carrot cake, which looked almost too good to eat: a light, fluffy sponge with frosting so creamy and soft you’d never guess it was gluten-free, dairy-free, and nut-free. The chocolate chip cookie is another favourite, somehow achieving that essential chewy texture every great cookie needs.
Parents can relax while kids enjoy the play corner, and the café is dog-friendly — making it the perfect stop on a daily walk. The terrace has just reopened and new seasonal drinks are coming soon, right on cue as the weather warms up.
Petit by Sam is located on Prins Hendrikstraat 106 and open seven days a week, and also takes orders for celebration cakes for birthdays, weddings, and other special events.
Images: Petit by Sam
Do you have a story about your own café, restaurant or bar in the city? Reach out to sherika@thehagueonline.com to possibly be featured.
Sherika Rooplal-Clappers is a contributing writer for The Hague Online, covering culture, lifestyle, and local events. With a passion for storytelling and international perspectives, she highlights the people, places, and experiences that make The Hague a dynamic city.
Venue provided complimentary food and drinks during Sherika’s visit for this feature. The Hague Online retained editorial control, and the views expressed are the writer’s own
De Oude Tol has been successful since the doors opened 2.5 years ago nearby one of the city’s most iconic buildings, the Peace Palace.
Owners Michelle and Roland van Breemen who originate from Durban, South Africa, were looking for a new adventure and decided to move to The Hague, following their son and daughter. With over 28 years of experience in the food industry, Roland spotted that the space was for sale while on holiday visiting his kids, it felt only natural to bring the delicious taste of sunny South Africa to The Netherlands.
Many restaurants around in the city frequently suffer from long waits and poor service, which can detract from the overall dining experience, however that is not the case here. You’re welcomed with a smile and can expect service that feels like you’re truly looked after – Roland wants to ensure he brings that same friendly, personal service of his home town to De Oude Tol.
What can you expect on the menu? Iconic South African favourites such as chicken mayo toasties (as a South African myself, it tastes like the real deal), boerewors rolls, biltong sandwiches and homemade milk tarts will soon be available. Almost everything on the menu is freshly made, including the mixing of coffee beans and biltong by Roland himself and all can be enjoyed with some delicious wine, also from SA of course. And if you’re a rugby fan, the restaurant has viewings available during the big games. You may also run into some of the judges from the International Court too who frequently dine here.
What is Roland most proud of since opening? That he and his wife already feel settled and the business is doing well. While the restaurant industry can be challenging, Roland has found his feet and continues to grow and adapt.
De Oude Tol is located on Scheveningseweg 23, Wednesdays to Sunday from 10:00 to 17:00. The space can also be rented out for private functions.
Images: Sherika Rooplal-Clappers and De Oude Tol
Do you have a story about your own café, restaurant or bar in the city? Reach out to sherika@thehagueonline.com to possibly be featured.
Sherika Rooplal-Clappers is a contributing writer for The Hague Online, covering culture, lifestyle, and local events. With a passion for storytelling and international perspectives, she highlights the people, places, and experiences that make The Hague a dynamic city.
Mooie Boules opens a branch in The Hague and establishes the Mooie Buurt Foundation, which opens the branches free of charge during the day to local residents and social initiatives.
As the political debate intensifies and the “us vs. them” mentality grows, Mooie Boules is choosing a radically different approach: truly bringing people together again. This month, the successful hospitality company is opening three new locations, including one in The Hague (Haagsche Bluf 40), and establishing the Mooie Buurt Foundation. This will open all nine play areas, including the one in the city center, free of charge during the day to local residents who are often marginalized, such as lonely seniors, newcomers, young people with limited social networks, and people living in poverty.
Connection through play
Mooie Buurt, a foundation, offers a platform that allows residents to connect people who might not otherwise meet, and allows community organizations to increase their impact. Everyone is given the opportunity to organize events without having to allocate a budget. Because the spaces, games, and drinks are available free of charge to every organizer, this also facilitates local meetings and initiatives in The Hague, allowing residents to get to know each other better. From a shuffleboard tournament for young people and newcomers to a games afternoon for seniors and their neighbors: anything is possible, as long as it contributes to meeting and connecting.“Loneliness, poverty, and the shifting of blame onto refugees are unfortunately commonplace. The Hague isn’t going to solve that,” says founder Rogier van Genugten. “So we do what we can. If outings can no longer be paid for refugees because they’re ‘having too much fun,’ we’ll arrange it. Fun and socializing aren’t luxuries. They’re basic needs.”
For and by the neighborhood
In a pilot program last year, Mooie Boules facilitated 50 community activities that resulted in 5,500 new encounters, after which 45% of participants felt more connected to their neighborhood. This not only allows residents to meet new people but also empowers them to develop new skills and actively participate in society. With 500,000 visitors annually, nine locations, and a social need that the pilot program revealed, Mooie Boules has the scale and ambition to increase this impact.Rogier van Genugten: “We have something most charities don’t: full bars. Now we’re using our revenue, locations, and visitors to make cities more social. We’re tackling major global problems on a small scale. Not with debates, but with dice, balls, and a drink. Because playing together is the shortest route to living together.”
Connecting residents of The Hague through play in the heart of The Hague
The foundation’s launch coincides with an expansion: three new Mooie Boules and Mooie Buurt locations will open in The Hague, Amsterdam-West, and Utrecht in September and October. The Hague location will be located in the Haagsche Bluf, formerly the site of the Foodhallen. This will not only revitalize the space but also give it new meaning: where political debate often intensifies, Mooie Boules invites politicians, local residents, and businesses to connect and step outside their own bubble. In this way, play is used as a countermovement against polarization. The commercial success of Mooie Boules and the social impact of Mooie Buurt reinforce each other. Business clients and regular visitors contribute through donations, as volunteers, or simply by generating revenue, while the foundation attracts new partners and connects them with target groups.
