After regularly seeing her work pop up on social media here and there, Jana Rymen’s sense of style and eye for detail sparked my curiosity for her own interior. When she launched her own studio, I figured it was the perfect time for a chat about her home and work. “An aesthete who tries to see the beauty in everything”, that’s how she describes herself on her website. That’s the least you can say about this girl who combines art direction, interior styling, table dressing and food styling under the name of Studio Kroes. Where she got the inspiration for her studio’s name, isn’t too hard to figure out once you meet the curly haired Jana in person. Yes, it’s all about the hair.
Jana and her boyfriend Jordy have been living in this apartment for two years, but were already living in this building longer than that. “We were living on the top floor and loved this location, but we had our eye on this apartment in particular. We fell in love with its light colored hardwood floors, glass doors and authentic details long before it became available, so when it did, we had to take our chance!” You’d think moving apartments within one building would be easier than usual, no? “All of the furniture still had to be moved to the sidewalk with a ladderlift first, before moving it up into the other apartment. That was disappointing!” she laughs. They’re happy as can be though, in their charming apartment where the Antwerp city park is so close she calls it her garden. It’s obvious, Jana really feels at home in Antwerp.
Even when she studied in Brussels, she never wanted to leave this city behind. “I grew up in de Kempen, a region close to Antwerp, and went to high school in the city. My friends, student jobs and the dance classes I taught were always located here, so it made sense to stay. Even though Antwerp’s inhabitants don’t have the best reputation, the people are what I enjoy most about this city. Other cities might be as interesting as Antwerp, but this is my home. I used to think I’d eventually move away once I’d have kids, but now I’m thinking I’ll always stay in the outskirts of the city.”
If you would have asked her five years ago what she’d be doing now, art direction and styling would not have been the answer. She chose to study film, but always spent more time on creating the perfect set than on the story or the actors. After her graduation, she realized her passion was in set dressing rather than directing movies. When a friend invited her to tag along during her workday as an assistant set dresser, Jana was even more convinced. “I quickly decided I wanted to avoid being an assistant and getting stuck working for someone else, so I just took the jump.” However, after a year and half of working for a diverse clientele, she wanted to develop her own style further. That’s when Studio Kroes was born!
The eye for detail that is so apparent in her work for Studio Kroes, is evident in her home as well. In one corner I spot a carefully curated collection of ceramics while the walls are decorated with old black and white photos. Jana knows what she’s doing, that’s for sure.
While she’d like to give the bedroom an update and wouldn’t mind more storage space, a bigger kitchen or bathroom, Jana is happy as can be with their living room, where souvenirs from their recent trip to Marrakech add the finishing touch. The carpet for instance, was bought in the Atlas mountains from local Berbers after intense negotiations. After the vendors wrapped it into a huge package, Jana and Jordy were afraid they wouldn’t be able to transport it back home, but somehow they succeeded to stuff it into a suitcase. They even managed to bring home another carpet, a stool and several ceramics. Talk about packing skills!
When I ask her where she finds inspiration for her own interior and for Studio Kroes, she doesn’t give the standard “Pinterest and Instagram” answer. “I think the interiors on Pinterest are often too perfect, I’m much more inspired by design lookbooks. For my birthday, my boyfriend requested a bunch of catalogs from Scandinavian design brands and I couldn’t have been happier!”
The framed pictures on the wall are portraits of Jana’s grandmother and Jordy’s great uncle. “Since my boyfriend is into movies, we used to have film posters framed on the walls in our previous apartment. He really wanted to hang a few big frames, but I didn’t like the posters, so we compromised on these snapshots of my grandmother and Jordy’s great uncle.”
When I ask her about their dream house, Jana is quick to answer: “We always said that someday we’d renovate an old farm, but nowadays we’ve set our minds to a simple concrete block with a big garden and lots of windows. Our dream house doesn’t have to look fancy from the outside, instead we’d invest all our funds into creating the perfect interior!” Once an interior stylist, always an interior stylist…
Jana Rymen - instagram
Studio Kroes - website - instagram - facebook - pinterest
Geweldig trots op u dochter!!!??