I love looking for inspiration from fellow interior lovers, and how they’ve designed their spaces. My latest ‘house tour’ is with executive assistant Joyce Nijhuis, who lives in the Netherlands. She is also the face behind the popular Insta account @theinteriorfanatic. Here she kindly shares her home with me…
WHO LIVES HERE: Joyce, boyfriend Richard, tabby cat Loki, and black cat Elphie
LOCATION : Hoorn, an old city in the northwestern part of the Netherlands
TYPE OF PROPERTY: 1978-built, terrace house
When I moved out of my parents’ home and into my first apartment, the first thing I bought was a chair with a peacock print. I based the whole interior design on that chair! Then my boyfriend and I moved to a new house and I got free reign on the interior design.
All he wanted was an industrial look, and a lot of plants! I looked on Pinterest, Instagram and interior design magazines and envisioned the rooms in my head. I also used an online room planner to check if it would all fit.
Living room: Both Rich and I love brick walls, but unfortunately we were not blessed with a beautiful brick wall in our home. Then I found this cool brick wallpaper by AS Creations and recreated the effect our living room.
A lot of times people don’t even see that it’s wallpaper!
Our living room is quite long and I wanted to break it up a little. That is why I placed an open cabinet in the middle of the room as a room divider.
It separates the living area from the dining area. There’s a sliding door between the entry and the living room that used to be white. We didn’t really like it, but I painted it black and now it matches the rest of the room.
We really wanted an industrial dining table with a tree stump top. It took us some time to find it, but we eventually found one that we could compose ourselves, and the top is made out of poplar wood. We love it!
Bedroom: The first thing I bought for our bedroom was the wallpaper with a forest print. I loved the idea of waking up in a forest-themed bedroom. I ordered it online from wallprints.com and it was quite easy to put up on the wall.
Our bedroom is the only room that does not have industrial details. I felt that the forest theme would go better with a bohemian style, so that is why I added natural materials such as wood, wool, bamboo, and jute.
For the bed I chose colours that matched the wallpaper. Since yellow is my favourite colour, I didn’t have to think long about the colour of the duvet cover. I found some beautiful chunky wool in moss green and made my own bed runner with a little help from a YouTube tutorial. I also made a feather out of white chunky wool.
We have three wardrobes on the other side of the room that were all white and so were the walls. It was just too much white for us! That’s why I painted a wall yellow, put some adhesive foil with a bamboo print on the wardrobes, replaced the handgrips, and put a lot of plants on top. Now it has all come together.
Toilet:When we first moved in, the tiles in the toilet room were orange and creamy white. It was horrible!
I painted the tiles white and grey and added some black details. Now it looks much better.
Office/hobby room: There was one room on the second floor that we hadn’t done anything to yet and a year after we moved in, we finally finished it. The peacock chair (n corner) from my first apartment served once again as the basis of the interior design for this room.
I chose a bright blue colour for the wall and added some industrial accessories such as a wall rack and a black desk. I also added some orange/brown accessories for contrast and a couple of plants of course.
When we first moved in it took me about a month or two to decorate it all, but it’s still an ongoing process. I bought a lot of the decor online. I can spend hours looking for the perfect accessory or if I’ve seen something in a shop that I like but find too expensive, I try to find a cheaper version online. I do like to visit actual shops as well, but mostly for inspiration.
Photo credits: Joyce and Richard
Special thanks to Joyce. Do check out her fabulous Instagram: @theinteriorfanatic for more design inspiration.
Whether it’s solid wood or succulent plants, natural decor can go with any scheme or style. Here are just some ideas to spruce up your home…
I personally use my baskets as planters or shoe storage. The good thing about woven materials are that they are more durable and won’t easily break. They are also light-weight so you can move them around the home without injuring yourself!
One of my favourites is wood paired with marble or a glass top. It adds a modern touch.
Ecological wall coverings
The velvet sofas in navy and green make the room feel super cosy like they’re giving you a big hug! I like layering things from rugs, soft furnishings to vases and trinkets and paintings. I also like a home to flow and feel joined, and not too ‘themey’ per room.
The hallway is also painted in Farrow and Ball Railings, with a divine savages deco Martini wallpaper. I used the same paint so the rooms feel like they join and not look too different. 
I love how it captures his imagination and we spend a lot of time playing and pointing at the Fiona Walker animal heads on the wall, and at his toy giraffe!
Of course, inspiration is everywhere, from a home magazine to hotels and bars.
I love the contrast to the rest of the house. I light candles every evening and love to create that relaxing feeling after work.
It’s also good to mix up texture, like glass ceramics alongside concrete vases or velvet cushions on a leather sofa. Decor needs to compliment each other, not match.
I would say my interior style is stylistically simple and uncluttered. You can see this theme everywhere in my house. I also have a preference for rugs – but on the wall, not the floor!
When buying my decor, I tend to shop online, local stores and second-hand places. My home is constantly changing, and so my budget varies from the expensive to more affordable.
I’m never satisfied with my home style because my interior ideas never stop. But I love it when the results came together!
And so I wanted to offer a method of interior design which was non-invasive, affordable and helpful to others on a budget.
AMY: I’m more of a vintage, retro and mid-century piece lover. They’ve all got character and create a more dynamic space!
Where do you get your design inspiration? It can come from anywhere whether it’s walking down the street and seeing something to having conversations. It will spark an idea in my head.
I would say my demographic are women in their 20’s and 30’s who have their own home, and are looking to put their personal stamp on it.
What are your favourite interior trends? I am obsessed with indoor plants. My boyfriend says the house is turning into a jungle but I like the pop of green in every room.
My décor loath is seeing a space that hasn’t been used to it’s full potential.
Affordable high street shops like H&M and Matalan have great ranges of decorative accessories, cushions and lights that are always being updated.
