Almost nobody calls me about their whole house. They call about the living room that still looks half-finished two years after the move, the spare bedroom that became storage, the rental that never stopped feeling temporary.
So we start with one room. It fits a normal budget, shows results in weeks, and teaches you what you like. By the time you look at the rest of the house, you’ll know your taste and have a finished room to prove it.
It’s easier to begin with someone beside you. Most people don’t lack ideas. They lack a first step, so the room stays as it is for years. I give you that step: a photo, a short conversation about how you use the space, and a plan you can act on the same week.
You save money. Most of what I do is prevention. A sofa too big for the wall, paint that looked warm on the swatch and turns grey in your light, a rug two sizes too small: I can usually see these coming before you pay for them. A plan also tells you where to spend and where not to. A statement piece may deserve the budget, while a kringloopwinkel find does the same job for a fraction of the price. And nothing gets bought twice.
You save time. Choosing between a thousand options in colour, lighting, layout and textiles wears people out. I narrow them to the handful that belong together, so you skip the weekends spent walking in circles through furniture stores.
You live better. A room should work as well as it looks: a layout that suits how you move through it, storage where you reach for things, light where you read, work or cook. When a room is both functional and beautiful, daily routines get easier and you notice it every time you walk in. That’s what turns a house you live in into a home you love, and it’s why people tell me they’re simply happier there.
How I work, and why I believe in it
Many of the people I meet live in a home that isn’t quite theirs yet. Some rent, some bought years ago, some arrived from another country and furnished in a hurry. The sofa came with the flat, the colours belong to the previous owner, and everything else was bought because the room needed something. Nothing is wrong, exactly. It just doesn’t feel like theirs.
I know that feeling from my own first years in the Netherlands, and my method grew out of it. I start by listening, not decorating: how your mornings go, where the post piles up, where you actually sit in the evening. Then I look at what you already own and keep whatever still works or means something to you. Next comes the plan for the room: layout first, then colour and light, then the few pieces that are missing. Only then do we shop, with a list instead of a hunch. Finally we set it all up together, so the room gets finished in one go instead of lingering half-done for months.
Here’s what I believe. Most people don’t have bad taste or no taste. They’ve never had a room designed around their own life, because they were busy, or new to the country, or nobody showed them where to begin. A room that fits you doesn’t need a big budget, only decisions made in the right order. And the change goes past looks. A room that fits your life stops being something you put up with, and you start to enjoy coming home to it.
I’ve lived in Amstelveen for more than twenty years. Furnishing my first Dutch home meant learning the shops, the sizing and the unwritten rules of Dutch taste from scratch. It took years, and you can skip most of that. I know what’s worth a trip to Troubadour Interiors, what Kwantum does well, and which kringloopwinkels hide good finds. I also know how Dutch homes behave: small rooms, little storage, and light that disappears for half the year.
My clients are expats settling in, owners preparing to sell, landlords who want a rental to show well, and people who want a room they enjoy walking into. I give a practical eye and an honest opinion, and I won’t fill a room with things it doesn’t need.
Not sure where to start? Pick the room that irritates you most and send me a photo with a few lines on what feels wrong. You can reach me at houseofkarolina.com or by DM on Instagram @houseofkarolina and on Facebook.