Take a look inside the colourful home of Niels

A white background with colourful furniture and accessories. That sums up the interior of spatial planning and urbanism consultant Niels Spierings (31). Together with his girlfriend Simone and their cat Floki, he lives in a working-class home in the oldest city of the Netherlands: Nijmegen. See how Niels has modernised this characteristic home and let it inspire you!



The heart of Nijmegen
The spacious working-class home from 1905 was a perfect match for Niels and Simone. The home was previously used to house civil servants, schooled workers and artisans. “After the first viewing, we had fallen in love with the characteristic details; tall ceilings, leaded glass, original wooden panel doors, a gorgeous staircase and original sliding windows. Everything was just right”, says Niels. The house doesn’t just offer all fundamental facilities, but it also has a cellar where Niels can have his workshop. And for the pleasant summer days, there is a lush city garden behind the house.





Eclectic and contemporary
Niels describes the style of his home as eclectic and contemporary; a balanced mix of vintage discoveries, Mid-century and contemporary design and a lot of personal things. “We don’t pay too much attention to trends and try to avoid decoration clichés. We prefer to stay true to ourselves. Things with a story, that’s very important to me in decorating my home”, says Niels. The vintage stool and the mimi set from his grandparents take a prominent role in the interior. There’s also a lot of green; “I tend to get a bit overenthusiastic when I see plants. Considering my weekly visits to the garden centre, you can imagine that this tends to get out of hand”. When asked about his favourite spot of the home, he points to the dining table. “It is a central and light spot with a direct view of the garden. A great place to get some work done, drink a cup of coffee or read the Donald Duck magazine (guilty pleasure)”.



An eye for interior design
Niels’ love for interior design emerged at a young age. Though he never aspired to turn it into his livelihood, he was always busy redecorating his bedroom. “My childhood home tended to stay pretty much the same, so I regularly redid my own bedroom. I would often begin by drawing it up. There was always a certain idea behind it”. The same goes for designing the characteristic home he now shares with his girlfriend.



A colourful home
The IXXI, which features prominently in his interior, is the Loco Color by Studio Boot. “Last year, we realised that our home needed a bit more colour. So we bought a bright pink arm chair and looked for more colourful accessories and prints. The IXXI by Studio Boot matches our desire to add a bit more colour to our home”, says Niels. Because the IXXI consists of separate cards that come together in a pattern, you have some freedom in deciding on the size. Niels opted for 80 x 120 cm (4 cards wide and 6 cards tall). The eye-catcher fits the white wall perfectly. Niels adds: “The effect of the IXXI is surprisingly grand, it gives our living room a lot more colour and brings the ‘dull’ white wall to life”.

Want to indulge in some more inspiration? Check out our other ‘looks inside’ or start designing your own eye-catcher right away :-)