A lime green house in Den Helder will have to be painted in a more neutral shade after Ineke van Amersfoort lost a court case to keep her favourite colour on the walls, reports RTL Nieuws.

Following complaints by a neighbour after she first painted her walls a brighter shade nine years ago, the local council took action. It had protested that the colour – described in the Dutch press as ‘apple green’ – was ‘too bright and too different from the other homes in the district’ and ruled it a breach of housing law.

The neighbour, according to Van Amersfoort, was unhappy with the green shadows that her walls cast in the windows.

Now, however, the Netherlands’ highest court has ruled in favour of the neighbour and council and ordered Van Amersfoort to repaint her house, in a colour chosen in consultation with local authorities.

‘It will probably be boring white or black,’ she told RTL Nieuws. ‘I can’t just be joyful. The council has got something against green.’

She added that if she had her own way, she would mix a can of white paint into the current green shade and call it a compromise.