When I bought my apartment, I had no idea what it would eventually look like. The apartment was still under construction. The rooms were completely empty, the walls were not even there yet, and there were only four roof windows and one external window frame.
And honestly, I was moving from a farmhouse, so this apartment felt like a huge change.
My interior style sits somewhere between Japandi and hotel chic. Two styles I really love, but at first I did wonder whether they could actually work together in one interior.
My own colour: Sahara Beach
The idea for the colour palette actually came to me at a pretty unexpected moment. During ADE, while the DJs were mixing, I started “mixing” too.
I began playing around with different colour pigments, looking for my perfect shade. That eventually became Sahara Beach, a warm colour that reminds me of golden sand on the beach. This shade now forms the base for the entire apartment.
Materials that provide warmth
From the start, I knew I wanted to work with calm, natural materials. So I chose:
- Loam plaster on the living room walls
- Lime paint in the bedrooms
- Microcement in the toilet and bathroom
During the build, I did run into a small challenge. According to the project manager, microcement could not be used as the final finish in the wet rooms, because certain guarantees have to be given with new builds. So at first, I had to tile the walls.
And honestly… when you work with microcement yourself, a standard tile does feel like a bit of an eyesore. Unless, of course, it is a real statement tile that works beautifully with microcement.
But rules are rules.
So I went to a DIY shop and simply picked the most neutral and affordable basic tile I could find, just to meet the building requirements. In my head, I was really only thinking: fine, then there will be a tile underneath.
After that, I could finally get started on the real plan.
In the end, I finished the walls with microcement in the colour Coffee Brown. This gave the space exactly the warm, calm look I had been searching for.
To make the whole look a little more interesting, I chose a marble tile as a feature wall in both the toilet and the bathroom. The colour of the microcement subtly comes back in the veining of the marble, so everything ties together beautifully and the space gets a luxurious feel.
Sometimes you just have to get a little creative with the rules. And honestly, I am so glad I did that here.
Japandi x hotel chique
A kitchen that is both practical and cosy
For the kitchen, I first created several mood boards on Pinterest. After that, I went to Decalegno in Deventer to have a look at different materials and colours.
The kitchen was eventually custom built by VI Interieurs. What mattered most to me was making sure everything was laid out in a practical way. The things you use most should be close by: coffee cups next to the coffee machine, cooking utensils by the hob and cutlery near the dishwasher.
The worktop is in the colour Sun Kissed and the fronts are in Froda S156. Because I love it when colours come back throughout an interior, I chose a Quooker in rose copper.
One detail I am especially happy with is the wooden Skagen handles from Homeworq. By choosing the longer version, the kitchen feels just that little bit more robust and calm.
Sahara Beach in my Japandi kitchen
De Japandi woonkamer: een verrassende oplossing
De woonkamer was misschien wel de grootste uitdaging van het appartement. Er was namelijk maar één draagmuur waar een televisie kon hangen, terwijl ik absoluut niet met mijn rug naar buiten wilde zitten op de bank.
Voor advies ging ik naar Studio LaPlume in Rijssen. Het voelt voor mij altijd als een uitje om daar naartoe te gaan. Willem en Bente hebben een prachtige winkel vol bijzondere materialen en denken echt met je mee. Zelfs als ik weer met tien ideeën tegelijk binnen kom lopen weten zij het hoofd koel te houden en er iets unieks uit te creëren. Zo wisten zij dit ook te doen met mijn uitdaging. Zij kwamen met het idee om een roomdivider te plaatsen met prachtig Artebehang. De ruimte kreeg hierdoor een ruimtelijke uitstraling zonder dat de woonkamer zijn open karakter verloor.
Het resultaat is precies wat ik hoopte: een warme, rustige ruimte met een subtiele hotel vibe. Mijn favoriete plek in huis? Zonder twijfel de bank, van waaruit ik zowel de woonkamer als de keuken kan overzien.
My favourite place
Flooring and finishes
For the floor, I chose a lava stone floor in the colour 10219 Sahara Beach, which fits perfectly with the warm colour palette of the interior.
As I live in an apartment, the floor had to stay below 10 decibels. For this reason, the floor was installed as a floating floor using the Ardex flooring system, which keeps the floor separate from the walls. This creates a crack-free floor that is suitable for apartments.
Shop the look
My advice
My one piece of advice: dare to choose what you genuinely love.
Work with two or three colours that come back in several rooms. This naturally creates calm and harmony throughout your interior. Let these colours return in your accessories too, or make sure you stay within the right colour palette.
That way, your house really becomes a place that feels completely yours.