5 interior tips from an expert

5x interior tips from an expert

The interior design of a house tells a story. Not only does the interior reflect the owner, but it can also give you a good image of the home itself. In this newsletter we discuss interior design with consultant Robin of ‘Robins hood’. Based in Amsterdam, he helps homeowners, especially expats, to ‘make their house a home’. He does so with fully personalised advice in a fun and pragmatic way. There are no generalized mood boards that show the latest trends and tropical locations. We dive straight into the best choices and materials for the client.

The advantages of hiring an interior consultant With a professional consultant, the search for an interior that suits the resident and the house gets a ‘start and a finish’. An interior stylist minimises choice overload, advises and guarantees the quality of the elements and ‘the big picture’. In the end this saves the client a lot of time. Robin: ‘Oftentimes, clients are young professionals or expats with a busy job and a family who do not have the time to fully focus themselves on decorating their new home. With a pragmatic approach, I make sure that my clients do not regret their decisions in the long run because they made a hasty or trend-sensitive decision.

Trends in interior design Currently, three trends stand out in the world of interior styling. ‘Japandi’ is a combination of Japanese and Scandinavian design and brings tranquillity into the home, but also warmth. The austere furniture of the Scandinavian interior is combined with natural materials and colours with Japanese influences. In addition, all sorts of shapes and materials such as concrete, wood, linen and rattan recur in a Japandi interior. Furthermore, and as an addition to the first trend, we see a lot of ‘green’ in the designs. Organic shapes and materials are used, and flowers and plants are given a prominent role in the room. Besides the aesthetic aspect, the health benefits are also a big pro.

A trend that is making a comeback is ‘Retro and Urban 80s and 90s’ with its bright accents, fun elements and bold statements. This trend is best applied in small pieces of furniture and accessories to avoid getting bored or the room becoming overwhelmingly chaotic. Of course, with trends it is always best to combine accents and elements to create your own style that fits the place.

The basis of every interior design Look at what the space needs and be strict. Choosing something atypical often results in decisions that one quickly gets bored with. Every type of home – and even every type of room – has its own characteristic features. For example: does the room have a lot of natural light, or are extra light ornaments needed? With these character traits, a steady basis is established. Robin: ‘Always pick timeless and durable options for large furniture and, for example, the kitchen and bathroom. With simple yet beautiful items of good quality that fit the space, you can mix it up with small pieces of furniture and accessories for the next ten years without having to change the entire interior.’

Tips for putting together an interior In the world of interior styling, it’s easy to get lost in the many (temporary) trends, possibilities and choices. It is therefore especially important to make it a personal project. Robin: ‘Go out and explore! Both on online and offline media and save what appeals to you. This can be done with a mood board on Pinterest or a physical folder with brochures, pictures and cuttings. This is where you can eventually cross off and filter out what you like best. By looking back and discarding with a strict eye – and possibly with the help of a professional interior consultant – a personal style emerges and develops.

How do you style a house for sale and why is home styling so important when presenting a house? When the house is soon to be sold, your personal touch in the interior has to make room for emphasising the opportunities of the space. In that case, it is opportune to present the house as spacious and neutral as possible, with a touch of personality.

Potential buyers should be able to imagine themselves living there, but it should also be visible that someone is living there now. After all, it is not a standard model home but a home with an occupant and its own story. Of course, the advice is still to neutralise big eye-catchers. Robin: ‘Not everyone is looking for a wall in a flashy colour or super dominant works of art. These kinds of specific attentiongrabbing items can detract from the space and perhaps even put people off.

‘You don’t get a second chance at a first impression, so don’t forget the entrance!’ When potential buyers come to view the house, the entrance hall is the place where they virtually decide whether they can see themselves coming home here. So try to show a neat, attractive look there as well. That way you can be sure that viewers will not forget the house easily.

Von Poll Real Estate www.von-poll.nl

Counting down to the Volleyball Women’s World Championship!

From 23 September to 15 October, 2022, the 19th staging of the FIVB Volleyball Women’s World Championship will take place, contested by the senior women’s national teams of the members of the Fédération Internationale de Volleyball (FIVB) and the Netherlands and Poland are acting as dual hosts for this world-class sporting event. The previous World Championship took place in Japan in 2018, and reached a global audience of approximately 1.74 billion viewers (on television and online streaming) and 1.2 million Dutch fans watched the finals on TV.

The Netherlands Volleyball Federation (Nevobo), in cooperation with TIG Sports, will organise the Dutch part of the upcoming competition and both organisations are extremely looking forward to welcoming the 24 best female volleyball teams of the world to the impressive stadiums in Arnhem (GelreDome), Rotterdam (Ahoy) and Apeldoorn (Omnisport).

Gelderland welcomes the World Gelderland is one of the twelve provinces of the Netherlands and is well known as a great location for sport. The province has fantastic venues for sport, with the Papendal National Olympic Training Centre as the absolute highlight. With Apeldoorn and Arnhem as two of the enthusiastic host cities, many of the matches at the Women’s World Championship in 2022 will take place in Gelderland. In addition, all 24 participating teams of the World Championship will stay in one of the beautiful municipalities of Gelderland.

Preparations are well underway to ensure an electric atmosphere for all athletes, spectators, sponsors and dignitary visitors, and the Dutch organising committee is delighted to work together with many relevant stakeholders, including the embassies of the participating nations, to achieve these ambitions. Brazil, Bulgaria, Canada, China, the Dominican Republic, Germany, Italy, Japan, Korea, the Netherlands, Poland, Serbia, Thailand, Türkiye, and the United States. Joining them in the tournament, which will feature countries from all five continents, will be Argentina, Cameroon, Colombia, Croatia, the Czech Republic, Kazakhstan, Kenya and Puerto Rico.

Reigning champions Serbia will try to defend the title they won in 2018, while the United States will be looking to repeat their 2014 victory and unify their Olympic and world titles. Other past world champions set to take part in this year’s edition are Japan (1962, 1967, 1974), China (1982, 1986) and reigning VNL champions Italy (2002).

The first ten days of the event will feature the first phase of the tournament. The 24 qualified teams will be split into four pools, hosted in Arnhem, as well as in Gdańsk and Łódź in Poland. After each team completes its fivematch schedule, the four best-ranked squads in each pool will move forward to the second phase. Played across six days, from October 4-9, in Rotterdam and Łódź, the second phase will see the 16 remaining teams form two groups. Each team will play only four matches, against teams they did not face in the first phase, and again the four best in each pool will move forward.

From that point on, the tournament continues in a single elimination format, with the quarterfinals set to take place in Apeldoorn and Gliwice (Poland) on October 11. The semifinals will be in the same cities on October 12 and 13, and the medal matches will be in Apeldoorn on October 15.

A total of 196 matches will be played to determine the new world champions. If you would like to cheer for the world’s best teams from 23 September through 15 October, please have a look for tickets for the World Championship at www.tickets.wkvolleybal.nl.

Strike like lightning; let the best team win! And enjoy the tournament!