Meet the home of Maxime, the curator of this captivating apartment. After moving from city to city for some years, Maxime, her boyfriend Joram and their two cats, Guusje and Frenkie, settled in The Hague, in the Netherlands. They moved in just over a year ago and have transformed their 126 m² apartment into a haven of inspiration since.
In this post, she generously shares her journey to creating her current home and offers her top interior design tips.
A Lifetime Journey into Interior Design
For Maxime, the journey into interior design began with a childhood passion for color.
– I would say my interest in interior design all started with my love for colours at a very young age. As a little kid I always wanted to wear bright orange, yellow, pink and red clothes. Fun fact: I was very specific about my socks as well; they had to match my outfit every day. My mom still talks about it and is always a little shocked when I wear socks that don’t match my outfit nowadays. Regarding interiors, I remember I had grown out of my kids bed and ended up moving to the attic for my big girl room. I made my parents paint everything bright orange, pink and yellow as well and I asked for a disco ball and light string on my birthday to decorate it. I loved that room and can still picture it in my head.”
But it wasn’t until adulthood that Maxime realized she had both interest and talent for Interior Design. People started asking her for advice and when she and her boyfriend moved home the real estate agent asked her to help style other homes.
Her Keys to Creating a Cozy and Inviting Space
– I think choosing the right colours is the most important tip when it comes to creating a cozy and inviting space. This also means the right neutral colours, even whites, if you don’t want to paint your walls in all colours of the rainbow. An easy way to do this is finding out what side your room is facing, and buying a colour card from for example Farrow and Ball. They offer a wide range of colours, and on the back of each colour card they tell you what colours match perfectly. This makes it way easier to make decisions while being sure it will look good together.
– My second tip would be to buy large furniture, especially in small spaces. Of course you still need to be able to move around comfortably, but it is one of the biggest misconceptions to go for small items in a small room. A large sofa for example will make your living room look bigger and offers a lot of texture and comfort. And a large statement item like our vintage orange Togo from Ligne Roset immediately changes the atmosphere. This goes for artworks, prints and mirrors you put up on your walls as well.
– My third tip would be to play with different textures and lots of natural materials like linen, marble, wood and rotan. A good quality, fluffy rug always makes a room more inviting as well. Since we have one in our living room, we actually often sit on the ground when we watch TV and play with the cats. Also, the one in our bedroom instantly makes it feel more like a cozy hotelroom. And of course, always make sure you add lots of candles and ambient lighting.
How to Balance Functionality and Style
In Maxime’s home, form meets function effortlessly. Organization comes naturally and with commitment to sustainability, Maxime ensures that every piece in her home serves a purpose without compromising on style. From spacious sofas to thoughtfully designed and functional workspaces.
– I originally didn’t want a home office in our living room or dining room because I didn’t like the look of it, but after a while I realized that’s just where I want to sit when I work from home. This made it important to sacrifice a piece of our dining room for a home office corner, but by doing so I made sure to choose a desk, chair and accessories that match the style of the rest of our home.
Essential Elements for Personalized Interiors
At the heart of Maxime’s design philosophy lies a celebration of individuality. By infusing her home with colors that evoke joy and memories, she has created a space that is uniquely hers. From vibrant accents to eclectic furnishings, each element tells a story.
– I think the most important thing is going for colours that you really love, and make them work in your home. For example I really love orange but I don’t want to paint my walls orange. So I just added a few orange accessories throughout my home that make me happy every time I look at them. The problem is that I feel like this about a lot of colours, therefore you will find many colours in our home. And at the same time, that’s what makes it personal. If my mom visits me, she always tell me my home truly looks like it’s my home. Other interior designers would tell you to choose two or three accent colours, but I obviously don’t agree with that. They will also often tell you to combine warm tones together and cool tones together, but I don’t agree with that either.
Maxime’s home is filled with lots of unique vintage pieces found in thrift stores and the favorite place – Marktplaats. Except from that, her home also holds sustainable design pieces that she is very passionate about.
– For design items I often check out designweb, a Dutch platform that shares a lot of news and reviews on design items. They also often share new and upcoming Dutch design, which I love to read about.
Her Secret Sources to Inspiration
– I actually often get my inspiration from fashion and it mostly starts with colours. For example, right now, I’m really into yellow but I find myself integrating it in my interior and not really in my wardrobe. Although I did just buy a yellow jacket! Fashion and interior often go hand in hand anyways, so it makes sense to me. Also I love getting inspired by hotels and cute coffee- and lunchspots. The interior often looks great by itself and because in those places I usually take a moment to rest, my mind is able to soak up way more inspiration. One of my recent favourite spots for inspiration is the Hoxton hotel in Barcelona.
Of course I’m also just really addicted to social media and get a lot of inspiration from other interior accounts on Instagram and Pinterest.
Maxime recently started her own business, Max Studio, where she can help with content creation, copywriting and interior advice.
Keep following her home journey, and fashion inspiration on social media!
Instagram (interior focused): @maxstudionl
TikTok (fashion focused): @maximemarije
