For this first edition of insights (besides the one covering my own bedroom), I’m offering you a peek into my dear friend Paulien Herbots’ home in Antwerp. Whenever I set foot in her apartment, I feel just a tiny bit jealous, and I know I’m not the only one. She managed to find herself an affordable apartment with lots of light and space, in a quiet street in the city center and with a green view. Paulien has a knack for interior design and turned this apartment into a lovely home. But that’s not the only reason why we love to visit her: she always treats her guests to the most delicious food and drinks. This girl might be working as an architect, her real passion is food. She not only loves to cook herself, but she also enjoys watching cooking shows, strolling through food markets, going out for coffee or treating herself to a delicious egg breakfast.
The things she values most in a home are light, space and openness, which is why she loves the fact that the living room and dining room form one big open space, covering the whole length of the apartment, with windows on both sides. Her interior is a mix of vintage and Scandinavian design, with lots of white and some wooden, black and colored accents. As she doesn’t have a big budget, most of her furniture comes from Ikea or was handed down to her from her family. She combines these items with finds from flea markets and thrift shops (she recommends shops located far away from the big cities), making it super cosy and personal. Some of her favorite brands for interior design are Ferm and H&M Home, which recently opened it’s first shop in Antwerp. Another Antwerp favorite is Stay, and in Kortrijk (where her boyfriend lives) she loves to shop at Byttebier. Her inspiration comes from pinterest (follow her here) and architecture books, but also from my blog (good girl!).
dining room
The dining room contains two of Paulien’s favorite items. The dining room table from the seventies belonged to her grandmother, who took great care of it. The wood looks almost as new and the table top can be folded down on both sides. Pretty and practical! Her second favorite is the wire chair, which was a present from her boyfriend.
Fun fact: card number two, three, five and six (starting from the left) were handmade by me.
kitchen
As you would expect from a real foodie, the kitchen is Paulien’s favorite area in the house. The only thing she regrets, is that the kitchen is seperated from the dining and living room. Paulien dreams of an open kitchen, where she can cook and chat with her guests at the same time. Another dream is a tiny terrace with just enough space for a barbecue and a herb garden.
living room
When Paulien is at home and not behind the furnace, you can probably find her on the sofa next to an open window, with a good book and a glass of wine.
bedroom
Wauw! Ik ben zot jaloers op dit appartement! Zo mooi allemaal!
Ik ook! Blijven dromen en blijven sparen he ;)
Supermooi appartement!
Ik geef het compliment door ;)
Super mooi gedaan! Geeft je al ineens zin om binnen te komen :)
Zeker, ik ga er altijd met heel veel plezier op bezoek ;) Ik geef het complimentje door!
echt heel mooi en supper gezellig !!
Zo mooi!
Ja he, ik kom er echt heel graag! Ik geef het compliment door ;)
Mooie foto’s & algemeen visueel gepresenteerd, Hannelore! ik doe veel inspiratie op
Dankjewel, da’s lief!
wauw, wat een stijl!
mooi zo
Ik geef de complimentjes door aan Paulien! ;)
schoon! wel heel veel wit, zou voor mij te weinig kleur zijn hihi!
meer van dit! xo
Haha, dat dacht ik wel dat gij het graag allemaal wat feller zou zien ;) Merci!
really interesting. I like the concept.
Thanks!
Amaaaai jaloers op hoe wit alles is en het totaal geen lege ruimte is! Heel erg leuke rubriek, lijkt me ook leuk om te doen.
Ik ben momenteel ook compleet zot aant worden, mijne werf ziet er al licht uit. Maar van interieur is er nog even geen sprake ;)
Oh wat spannend, zo’n verbouwing! Ik heb zelf ook zo veel zin om in mijn volledig eigen plekje, dat ik maar snel werk heb zodat ik kan beginnen sparen ;) Je nieuwe blog ziet er ook heel tof uit trouwens!
beautiful beautiful house :) so good to be back and see your blog again :)
Thank you! I’m happy to be back as well ;)
Wow! Everything looks so gorgeous. I absolutely love the gold trumpet/deerhead.
Thanks! That deerhead is actually a thriftshop find that she spraypainted gold herself!
Wat een pracht foto’s maak jij toch! Die kleuren, dat licht! WOOOW! Aan Paulien: mooie inrichting! :)
Dankjewel, heel fijn compliment!
Wauw, mooi huisje! Moet gelijk weer denken aan het feit dat ik nog steeds een cactus moet scoren :) Mooie foto’s!