Interior with a different feeling

I’m not the only one in the family having a weakness for interiors. I think I received the microbe from my parents. Although our style is different on the first sight, there are still a lot of things we have in common. We both love contemporary design in combination with vintage. Also I have the love for design classics in my veins because of them.

The biggest difference is that the living room is a dark and cozy cave. But the design classics give the space that extra touch. Every time when I look at those, I discover a new detail. That makes this living room a real inspiration for me.

* Chair: Hans J. Wegner, coffee table: Eames

The process keeps going

As I told you in my previous post about my room, it keeps changing constantly. It's now a month ago I captured my room and here is the proof! Till then, a lot of new pieces came in and a few old ones went out. My philosophy is 'you can't take something in if you don’t put something out'. If I wouldn't follow this rule, or another design gatherer wouldn't, rooms would be overloaded.

The concept of my room is 'bright & fresh'. And a concept wouldn't be a concept if I wouldn't be stuck on it. Just as the old furniture, the new ones strength the concept. Again, Ikea dominates. But after Ikea, also a

main vintage piece is added. I was able to put my fingers on a vintage Thonet. I was looking for a design classic as that for a long time. And after a long search I found one in a local and small vintage store. Already painted white and for only 50 cent. This chair isn't only a decoration piece, but now I finally have a chair for me desk instead of a rocking chair. And as the desk became a desk, I bought a desktop so I can finally function from a fully desk instead of a bed.

* Chair: Thonet No. 18 vintage, candleholder: DIY, plant stand: IKEA PS 2014

Ribs and curls of Calatrava

Although I'm a sensational architecture spotter, I've never visited the only building of Calatrava in Belgium. I always see this building in pictures of others. It looks like it was just a building where he just wields his style. So I was actually never interested in it.

But after all, I always aimed the specific style of Calatrava, those white ribs that make a roof. I decided to give it a shot and took my camera with me. When I arrived and saw the station from far, I still wasn't impressed.

But after wandering for half an hour, the details began to penetrate through my eyes. Although, I still didn’t like the typical train station hall, the function and circulation was the same as any other station. But those details were to die for! The curves and curls were that sensational where I always look for in architecture. Not to forget to mention that the white steal floats together with the white concrete. And after all, I have to admit: visiting the building was sensational enough for me.

A bright look at my room

Because I get a lot of questions about my room on my Instagram, I decided to make a post about it. It was a reveal to actually make photos with a camera from my room instead of an iPhone with less quality.

My room has his own life. I have this room for 8 years now, and my closest friends know it changes a lot of times. In every corner of my room have been my bed, desk and closet and every wall has had at least 4 different colors. How my room looks now, was an 8 years during process. I think a good interior is not something you design but is something that grows.

People ask a lot about where I buy my furniture. It’s just a mix of Ikea and vintage. Promoting Ikea as an interior design student is maybe not a

good thing. But as student, my budget isn’t that big. Ikea just offers a lot of good interior basics where you can work around. I just buy functional, white furniture and mix it with a little bit of vintage. And that’s what I like the most about a white interior, that the details make it.

But living in a room such as this also has disadvantages. Because everything is white and electronic products are most of the time black, they catch your eye at first sight. Also eating chocolate ice cream in bed isn’t always a good idea. But beside that, I’m actually very happy with the atmosphere I became in this small room.

* Chair: Eames by Vitra, side tables: vintage

Unsatisfied with my current living space

I’ve always been a huge fan of Japanese architecture and design. When seeing this book with his terrific pictures and layout, I directly put it on my Christmas wish list… And guess what I got for Christmas?

By taking a quick look through it, I automatically became unsatisfied with my current living space. I always thought my space looked bright and clean until I saw this. I love how these architects create an entire building with volumes, holes and lines. I would love to wander days in every single house in this book. Living in a house like this would be a dream, but that probably wouldn’t be that easy. Building plots in these densely populated area’s are extremely expensive.This is also the reason why these houses are surrounded by big buildings. Architects have built these buildings as publicity for there own portfolio. The extremely small Japanese houses, by Western standards, can barely be considered as a comfortable place.

Also these kind of houses are not that practical, certainly not like they got presented in this book with that less furniture and curtains. Although, they are still a beautiful piece of architecture.

Not only the photography of this book is interesting. Cathelijne Nuijsink is an independent writer, editor and critic of contemporary architecture and design. With her fascination for Japanese culture, she takes the reader on a journey into the contemporary Japanese house. Using a rich array of research and drawings. How to Make a Japanese House demonstrates that Japanese homes offer a radically different way of thinking about architecture.

* Book: How to make a Japanese house, written by: Cathelijne Nuijsink,
published by: nai010

First step

After a lot of thinking, I've finally decided to make the big step. I felt like I had too much inspiration with nowhere to put it. From now, Hardwearing is the place where my ideas and thoughts come together.

For those of you wondering what hardwearing stands for: If something, especially clothing or material, is hard-wearing it lasts for a long time and looks good even if it is used a lot.