Credit: Freepik A strong interior design portfolio is your golden ticket. It's what clients and firms look at before your grades or résumé. If you’re still in college, now’s the time to start building it — before graduation stress kicks in. Focus on Practice, Not Just Study Theory College can fill your schedule with lectures, essays, and endless theory. But let’s face it — clients won’t ask how well you memorized interior design history. They want to see what you can do. Given the amount of work and deadlines, there are sometimes times when ordinary paperwork steals time from creative activities. In this situation, experts can assist you with your writing tasks. You can use Edubirdie writing service to get quality help with assignments. This will enable you to concentrate on the fundamental components of developing your portfolio rather than getting distracted. Also, this will enable you to concentrate on the most crucial aspects of developing your portfolio and to avoid losing track. Engaging someone else to manage these duties will allow you to focus on improving your design skills and building a great portfolio. That will define you in the crowded field of interior design. That's why it's crucial to change your emphasis. Make use of every spare time to put into practice what you know. Even if it’s just a small corner of a room, redesign it. Create something you’d be proud to show. Practice helps you grow faster than reading textbooks ever will. Start With Real or Simulated Projects Credit: Freepik One of the easiest ways to fill your portfolio is by doing small, real-world projects. Start with your own apartment, dorm, or a friend’s place. Redesign a living room layout, color scheme, or lighting plan. Even better—volunteer for local businesses or cafes looking for a fresh interior. Can’t find a real client? Simulate one. Imagine a fictional brand and design their office. Or redesign an existing brand’s store. Think about a relaxing spa retreat, a modern co-working space, or a cozy bookstore café. Make sure every project includes a short concept, floor plans, materials, mood boards, and 3D visuals. Your portfolio doesn't have to reflect every style in the book. Actually, it's preferable if it doesn't. Choose a style — minimalist, bohemian, industrial, eclectic — that you really enjoy and concentrate on it. This demonstrates confidence and clarity in your aesthetic. If, for instance, Scandinavian interiors appeal to you, let your work reflect that with natural textures, gentle colors, and clean lines. Showcase maximalist interiors with deep colours and complex design if you enjoy strong and dramatic. Don't attempt to be everything for everyone. Be your best self. Document Your Process, Not Just the Result Anyone can show a finished room. But what really impresses people is how you got there. Include sketches, iterations, mood boards, and materials you considered. Show your decision-making process. Explain your choices in short captions. Let’s say you redesigned a student workspace. Show your rough layout ideas, fabric samples, lighting options, and the reasoning behind your color palette. These details prove that you can think like a designer — not just decorate a space. Invest Time in Visual Quality Source: Canva High-quality visuals make all the difference. Use natural light when photographing real spaces. Take photos from different angles. Use simple editing tools to brighten the image and correct distortions. For digital projects, learn Canva and Figma for mood boards. These tools help you turn simple ideas into sleek, professional designs. If you’re not strong in rendering yet, keep practicing or ask a classmate to collaborate. Include Beautiful and Practical Interiors Your portfolio shouldn’t just look good — it should feel livable. Show that you understand how spaces function. Balance beauty with practicality. Examples to include: A compact kitchen for a small apartment with smart storage A relaxing reading nook that uses natural light A shared dorm space designed for both privacy and connection A minimalist café interior with acoustics and flow in mind Each example should tell a small story — who lives there, how the space helps them, and why your design works. Keep the Layout Simple and Clean Your portfolio should be easy to read and navigate. Use a neutral background and clean fonts. Leave some white space. Let your designs shine without clutter. Include a short introduction about yourself. Mention your favorite design style, your goals, and the kind of work you're looking for. Then group your projects by theme or type — residential, commercial, conceptual. Add contact info at the end and links to your website or Instagram. If your early work is rough, don’t worry. That’s normal. In fact, including older projects next to newer ones shows how much you’ve improved. Just make sure everything you include has a purpose. Cut anything that doesn’t match your current level. For example, your first dorm room makeover might be basic. But side-by-side with your latest coffee shop concept, it shows your journey. Employers love to see progress. Ask for Feedback From Professionals Once you’ve drafted your portfolio, show it to someone working in the field. Ask your professors, mentors, or even LinkedIn connections for feedback. What feels strong? What could be improved? Join interior design groups on social media and post your projects for critique. A fresh eye can spot things you missed — like unclear labeling, awkward layouts, or missing context. Create a Digital Version Too These days, a printed portfolio is only half the story. You’ll also need a digital version. Use platforms like Behance, Issuu, or your own personal site. Make sure the images load fast and the layout is mobile-friendly. Your online presence helps future employers, clients, or even design blogs find you. Update it regularly. Treat it as part of your brand. Stay Curious and Keep Creating Graduation isn’t the finish line. It’s the start. Your portfolio should keep growing as you do. Stay curious. Watch design videos, follow your favorite studios, visit showrooms, and explore global trends. Try new materials. Redesign random spaces just for fun. The more you create, the more you’ll have to show. And the more you show, the closer you are to landing your dream job or client. Your portfolio is your story in visuals. It’s proof that you’ve got what it takes to be an interior designer — creative, thoughtful, and practical. Don’t wait for your final semester. Start now, piece by piece, with projects that matter to you.

There are plenty of interiors I can look at and think are absolutely beautiful while simultaneously knowing I would hate to live in them. Appreciating a design and wanting to recreate it at home are two completely different things, although Pinterest has done a fairly good job of convincing us otherwise. I can save an image, love every detail and still know that three months after installing it myself I’d be wondering what possessed me. Sometimes knowing your own limits is a fairly useful part of interior design. It’s not even that I dislike the choices below. Quite a few of them I really love, and some I’ve tried myself before discovering that apparently my eyes and my brain have different opinions about how much pattern, colour or darkness they want to deal with every day. Others simply involve a level of practicality, organisation or exposure I’m not prepared to commit to. They can stay in my saved folder, where they cause me absolutely no problems. Sometimes knowing your own limits is a fairly useful part of interior design. Very Dark Rooms I love a dark interior when somebody gets it right, enough that I once painted my own living room black. It looked dramatic, the furniture stood out beautifully against it and for a while I was completely convinced. Within a year it gave me the icks and I wanted the light back. Admiring dark interiors and actually spending every evening in one are quite different things for me. That time I painted my living room black. My daughter has now entered her teenage era and wants her bedroom dark grey. I’ve let her, because it’s paint. Who cares? She loves it, I can close the door, and when she inevitably decides she wants something completely different, we can paint over it. I am far more willing to experiment with dark paint than commit to an entire dark kitchen or expensive finishes that are considerably harder to undo. Colourful Kitchen Cabinetry I love colourful kitchens, and I’d actually choose colour over white cabinetry quite happily. Deep burgundy, muddy green, muted blue and soft pink can all look incredible, particularly when the colour works with the architecture rather than feeling as though it was selected because it happened to be fashionable that year. Cool, but probably a bit too minty for me. I’d probably always choose a slightly muted version though. Give a strong colour a bit of grey, brown or earthiness and I’m much more comfortable committing to it for years. I am also hardly in a position to lecture anyone about colourful cabinetry, considering I have a pink kitchen in Spain. Somehow that feels different, although I’m not entirely sure I can make a convincing legal case for why. Perhaps it’s the light, the house or simply the fact that Spain lets me get away with things I wouldn’t necessarily choose elsewhere. My pink kitchen in Spain. Either way, I love seeing really bold kitchens in other homes, but for my own I’d still want the colour dialled down just enough that it doesn’t become the only thing I see. Wallpaper on Absolutely Everything I love wallpaper, so restraint isn’t exactly my natural position here. I also love those full-on English interiors where patterned wallpaper covers every wall, continues across the ceiling and then meets patterned curtains, upholstered furniture and another pattern on the bed for good measure. I’ve tried pushing pattern much further myself because I genuinely love the look. Eventually, though, I find it overstimulating to actually live with. For me, wallpaper works better when there’s somewhere for the eye to rest. I can happily commit to a strong pattern across an entire room, but once the ceiling, curtains and upholstery all join the conversation, I start wanting somebody to stop talking. In somebody else’s country house, I can admire the layers endlessly. At home, I’ve learnt that loving pattern doesn’t necessarily mean I want to be surrounded by every pattern I love at the same time. A Bath in the Bedroom I understand why this looks fabulous in hotel photographs. A beautiful freestanding bath beside enormous windows, perhaps overlooking a spectacular view, certainly makes a stronger image than putting it behind a bathroom door. In an actual home, though, I find the whole concept slightly ridiculous. Bathrooms exist for a reason, and I’m quite happy for baths to remain in them. There’s the humidity, splashing, wet towels and the fact that one person might quite like to go to bed while another is having a bath three metres away. Then there’s simply the visual reality of having a large plumbing fixture permanently sitting in your bedroom. I can enjoy it for two nights in a hotel and think it feels wonderfully indulgent. I just don’t need the indulgence badly enough to sleep next to my bathtub every night. Glass-Fronted Kitchen Cabinets Everywhere Glass-fronted cabinetry can be beautiful, particularly when it’s used to display ceramics, glassware or things you actually want to see. A couple of glass cabinets can break up a long run of solid doors and make a kitchen feel lighter. An entire kitchen of them, however, effectively turns the contents of every cupboard into part of the decorating scheme. Suddenly stacking bowls badly has aesthetic consequences. I don’t want to think about whether the pasta bowls look attractive beside the cereal bowls every time I unload the dishwasher. Nor do I particularly want to see packets, mismatched mugs and all the other perfectly normal things hiding behind my kitchen doors. Give me a few beautiful glass-fronted cupboards and plenty of solid ones beside them. Some possessions deserve to be displayed and others deserve the privacy of a cupboard door. Like it would ever look like this... Open Showers With No Screen An open shower can look fantastic, particularly in a large bathroom where the flooring simply continues through and there’s no glass interrupting anything. It feels spacious, simple and very architectural. Unfortunately, water has absolutely no interest in your architectural intentions. Unless the shower area is genuinely enormous, it travels considerably further than you expect. And then there’s the cold. Shower screens don’t just stop water, they keep a surprising amount of warmth around you, something you notice very quickly when they’re gone. Standing under lovely hot water while the rest of your body is being introduced to a cold bathroom draught rather ruins the spa effect. I’ll take the glass, thanks. Looks great, doesn't work. Floating Staircases Floating staircases can be incredibly beautiful, especially when they’re made from solid timber with very little visible structure. In the right house they almost become a piece of sculpture rather than something purely functional. I can appreciate the engineering and the simplicity and still feel slightly uneasy about actually using one every day. Open risers are one thing, but add open sides and suddenly the journey upstairs feels rather more adventurous than necessary. Obviously, there are floating staircases designed with perfectly good balustrades and all the necessary safety considerations. It’s the really stripped-back versions I’m talking about, where apparently the visual goal is to pretend gravity isn’t involved. I’m happy to admire those from the ground floor. My staircase can look slightly less impressive and give me something substantial to hold onto. Highly Sculptural Sofas Those enormous curved sofas that seem to float in the middle of a room can look incredible. They’re soft, sculptural and often far more interesting than another rectangular sofa pushed against a wall. In a huge living room, particularly one with views in several directions, I completely understand the appeal. Then I sit on some of them and remember that a sofa has another fairly important job. Very low seats, enormous depths and rounded backs aren’t always particularly comfortable when you actually want to sit rather than recline elegantly for a photograph. I want to be able to curl up on my sofa, watch television, read and get back off it without requiring assistance. If the sculptural sofa happens to be wonderfully comfortable too, brilliant. If not, I’m happy for somebody else to own the art installation. No Upper Cabinets in the Kitchen I love kitchens without upper cabinetry. A long uninterrupted wall with a beautiful stone splashback, a simple shelf or perhaps just a piece of art can make a kitchen feel far less like a kitchen. It gives the materials room to breathe and can be especially beautiful in an open-plan space where you’re looking at the kitchen from the living area. I’d happily choose it if the rest of the house gave me enough storage to compensate. That last part is doing quite a lot of work, though. Unless there’s a serious pantry, plenty of drawers or another wall of full-height cabinetry, I know I’d miss the storage. Kitchens have an annoying habit of accumulating things no matter how minimalist your intentions were when you designed them. I love the look enough to make it work in the right house, but I wouldn’t sacrifice genuinely useful storage just to keep a wall beautifully empty. Plus, lower cabinets make my back hurt. A Completely Open Ensuite An open ensuite takes the bath-in-the-bedroom idea and commits even harder. No proper door, sometimes barely a wall, just a seamless transition from sleeping to showering and everything else that happens in a bathroom. In a boutique hotel it can look very slick, particularly when you’re there for a weekend and nobody has left toothpaste all over the sink. At home, I remain a fairly committed supporter of bathroom doors. There are sounds, smells, steam, different morning routines and all the other unphotogenic realities that interior imagery tends to leave out. Sharing a bedroom doesn’t mean every aspect of daily life needs to become a shared experience. I like connected spaces, but I also like privacy. The door can stay. Floor-to-Ceiling Curtains in Very Bold Patterns Huge patterned curtains can be spectacular. A floral, stripe or graphic print running from ceiling to floor can completely change a room and often gives traditional interiors that layered, slightly eccentric quality I love. The difficulty is that fabric samples are deceptive little things. A pattern that looks fantastic across thirty centimetres becomes a considerable visual commitment when repeated across several metres of fabric. This probably comes back to the same thing I’ve learnt with wallpaper. I like bold pattern, but there’s a point where I stop seeing the individual pattern and just feel surrounded by it. I’d happily use something with colour, texture or a quieter design on a large curtain. The enormous cabbage roses can live very happily in someone else’s house, where I will enthusiastically compliment them. Perfectly Styled Open Pantries I love looking at an organised pantry. Rows of glass jars, labelled containers, baskets lined up neatly and absolutely no evidence that food has ever been sold in ugly packaging. It’s extremely satisfying, right up until I imagine maintaining it. Decanting absolutely everything you buy into another container for the rest of your life is a domestic commitment I’m not prepared to make. There’s also the inevitable awkward amount left over that doesn’t fit into the jar, so now you have the beautiful jar plus half a packet hiding somewhere else. I want my pantry organised enough that I can find things and know what we have. Beyond that, the pasta is welcome to remain in the packet it arrived in. My pantry doesn’t need its own visual identity. Some Things Are Better in Someone Else’s House Knowing what you like is only part of decorating a home. Knowing what you can actually live with is probably more useful, and unfortunately you sometimes only learn that after painting your living room black or covering one pattern too many. I’ve become much better at separating the things I love looking at from the things I want around me every day. It doesn’t make me appreciate those interiors any less. And there’s something quite nice about not needing to own every design idea you admire. I can visit a house with a black living room, wildly patterned curtains, a floating staircase and an open shower and genuinely love all of it. Then I can go home to the choices that suit me, close the doors on my cupboards and shower somewhere warm. Some design ideas are much more enjoyable when somebody else has to live with them.

Tiles get all the attention. People spend weeks choosing between porcelain and ceramic, holding samples against walls, debating tile sizes, comparing patterns and wondering whether a particular shade of beige is too beige or not beige enough. Then, somewhere near the end of the process, someone asks what grout colour they'd like and the answer is often whatever happens to be closest to the tile. It is understandable. Grout does not exactly sound exciting. Nobody walks into a tile showroom announcing that they cannot wait to spend the afternoon looking at grout samples. Yet grout has a surprisingly large impact on the finished result. In some cases, it can completely change the appearance of a floor, splashback or bathroom wall. The tile remains exactly the same, but the room suddenly feels calmer, busier, more contemporary or more traditional depending on the colour sitting between each tile. The strange part is that grout occupies such a small physical space, yet manages to influence the entire surface. It is a bit like picture frames. You do not buy artwork because of the frame, but the wrong frame can certainly ruin it. Matching Grout Creates A Different Look Entirely When the grout colour closely matches the tile colour, the individual tiles visually blend together. Instead of seeing dozens or hundreds of separate pieces, your eye sees one larger surface. The result often feels calmer, cleaner and more seamless. This is one reason why large-format tiles are frequently paired with matching grout. The goal is usually to minimise visual interruptions and allow the material itself to take centre stage. This approach also tends to work well in smaller rooms. Every grout line creates a visual break, so reducing contrast can help a space feel less busy. It will not magically make a small bathroom twice the size, despite what some social media accounts might suggest, but it can certainly contribute to a more spacious feeling. In contemporary interiors, matching grout is often the safer choice because it allows textures, materials and furnishings to do the talking rather than creating a strong grid pattern across the room. Contrasting Grout Makes The Pattern The Star The moment you introduce contrast, the grout becomes part of the design. Think about classic white subway tiles with dark grey or black grout. The tiles themselves are fairly simple. What creates much of the visual interest is the pattern formed by the grout lines. Suddenly every individual tile stands out. The geometry becomes more obvious and the entire wall develops a stronger graphic quality. Sometimes this is exactly what you want. In industrial interiors, traditional kitchens or certain heritage-style homes, contrasting grout can add character and definition. The tile layout becomes a feature rather than a background element. The challenge is that contrast also draws attention to every single tile. If the installation is not perfectly straight, or if tile sizes vary slightly, those details become far more noticeable. A grout colour that looked striking in the showroom can end up highlighting things you would rather not see once it covers an entire wall. White Grout Has A Public Relations Problem White grout always seems like a sensible choice when standing in a showroom. It feels fresh, clean and timeless. Unfortunately, white grout in real life occasionally has other ambitions. Depending on where it is used, it may gradually transition into several shades that were never part of the original design concept. Kitchen splashbacks, shower walls and high-traffic floors can all be challenging environments for bright white grout. Modern sealers have improved matters considerably, but maintenance remains something worth considering before committing. This does not mean white grout should never be used. Sometimes it is absolutely the right choice. It simply means the decision should be based on more than how it looks on the day it is installed. Warm Grout And Cool Grout Matter More Than People Realise One of the most overlooked aspects of grout selection is undertone. A beige tile paired with a cool grey grout can feel slightly off, even when both colours look perfectly acceptable individually. The same thing happens when warm-toned stone is combined with a grout that leans noticeably blue or silver. A different floor grout colour would make a big difference here. People often assume grout should simply be lighter or darker than the tile, but temperature matters just as much. Warm colours generally work best with warm colours. Cool colours usually sit more comfortably alongside cool colours. When they clash, the result can feel awkward without anyone being able to immediately explain why. It is similar to paint colours. Sometimes the issue is not the colour itself but the company it keeps. Why Showroom Displays Can Be Misleading Showrooms are brilliant for seeing materials in person, but they can also create unrealistic expectations. The display you fall in love with may be using a grout colour you barely noticed. The lighting will be different. The scale will be different. The surrounding materials will be different. What looked subtle on a one-metre display board may become far more dominant when repeated across an entire bathroom. This is one reason I always encourage people to view grout as a design decision rather than a technical detail. It deserves the same consideration as the tile itself because the two will spend a very long time living together. Choosing grout at the last minute is a bit like choosing a paint colour after the walls have already been painted. Technically, it can be done, but it is probably not the point at which you want to start paying attention. The Smallest Decision With The Biggest Reach The irony of grout is that nobody notices it when it works well. Visitors are unlikely to walk into your home and compliment your grout selection. They will simply think the kitchen looks great or the bathroom feels cohesive. Good grout tends to disappear into the overall design, even though it is helping create the result. Bad grout, on the other hand, has a remarkable ability to make itself known every single day. That is why one of the smallest decisions in a tiling project often ends up having one of the biggest visual impacts. Not because grout is exciting, glamorous or particularly Instagram-worthy, but because every tile in the room has to live with it.

Submit your blog enquiry to Whispering Bold. I accept selected articles and links related to interior design and home improvement. All placements are curated for quality and relevance, and fees apply. BLOG ENQUIRIES Thank you for your interest in contributing to my blog. I receive many submissions and only select articles and links that truly align with the quality and values of my site. Please note that I only feature content related to interior design and home improvement , and placement is subject to a fee. Check the full guidelines here . If you’d like to be considered, submit the form below with your specific interest, and I’ll be in touch. SUBMIT FORM First name* Last name* Email* Company name* What are you interested in?* Guest Blog Link Placement ABC Link Exchange If you’re interested in a link placement, please specify the article. Provide details of your guest blog or link request (please be specific).* Yes, subscribe me to your newsletter. Submit WHISPERING BOLD INTERIOR DESIGN Marieke Rijksen Haarlem, The Netherlands KvK-nummer 69461244 BTW-nummer NL001936861B97 Find me here: Whispering Bold Interior Design is a legal trade name of Bold Project Management. Click here for privacy statement.

New to Whispering Bold? Start with curated blog highlights, makeover videos, free design tools and learning resources. A simple guide to help you explore interiors, design thinking and DIY ideas. WELCOME If you’re new here, this is the best place to start. Whispering Bold is all about lived-in design, real homes and ideas that make interiors feel warm, personal and a little imperfect in the best way. WHAT YOU'LL FIND HERE Weekly blogs with design ideas, real-home stories and practical tips Real-life makeovers and behind-the-scenes renovation chaos Interior design thinking and resources for students and tutors Weekly newsletter with new posts and everyday inspiration A FEW GOOD PLACES TO START A few posts that give you a feel for Whispering Bold, and also some of the most-read on the site. If 90s Sitcoms Taught Us Interior Design Choosing the Ideal White Paint for Your Interior How to Apply the Golden Ratio in Interior Design The 6 Ways to Establish Rhythm in Interior Design Create the Perfect Interior Design Mood Board in 8 Easy Steps Browse the blog MAKEOVERS TO EXPLORE A few makeover highlights if you prefer watching over reading. Makeover Highlights Play Video Play Video 00:22 Hallway Wallpaper Makeover Play Video Play Video 00:38 Art Deco Light Perfection Play Video Play Video 00:15 Custom Vintage Cinewall Play Video Play Video 00:54 DIY Stained Glass Tiffany Watch all makeovers Browse all articles IF YOU'RE HERE FOR LEARNING Everything from studying interior design with The Interior Design Institute (with a discount when you enrol) to design theory posts and teaching resources. Study design Design theory blogs Teaching resources A FEW FREE THINGS A few free tools to make life easier — a space planner , rug size guide , a teaching resource on the role of social media in interior design, and the decorating guide you receive when you join the newsletter. Furniture and space planning template Free template Easy guide to choosing rug sizes Rug size guide Teaching resource on social media in design For educators Step-by-step guide to decorating your home Sign up JOIN THE WEEKLY NEWSLETTER Each week, I share new blogs, small things that inspire me and the everyday moments that keep life grounded. You can read recent letters in the archive or join the list below. Newsletter archive Enter your email here Join the list *By signing up you agree to our Privacy and Cookie Policy. Terms and Conditions apply. Thanks for subscribing! A LITTLE ABOUT WHISPERING BOLD Whispering Bold blends lived-in interiors, creative DIYs, and design thinking with the everyday stories that shape real homes. I write from Haarlem and Valencia, using my own spaces to test ideas, colour palettes and the DIYs that usually go well (and occasionally don’t). More about me FOR BRANDS Whispering Bold collaborates with interior and lifestyle brands through photography, video and sponsored storytelling. My media kit is available here. Enquiries

Explore the design decisions behind my own homes, renovations, and decorating choices. From ceramic countertops and stained glass doors to layout dilemmas and decorating regrets, discover what I chose, why I chose it, and whether I'd make the same decision again. DESIGN DECISIONS: WHAT I CHOSE AND WHY Every home is shaped by hundreds of decisions. Here, I share some of the choices I've made in my own home, why I made them, and whether I'd make the same decision again. Why I Kept My Island Cooktop-Free Many kitchen designs place the cooktop in the island, but I preferred to keep the entire surface free for preparation, serving, and entertaining. I like keeping hot pans, steam, and cooking mess away from where family and friends naturally gather with a glass of wine. With people often sitting or standing around the island, it is a safer and more practical choice. Would I do it again? Every time. It suits the way we live and entertain. Read more Why I Chose Pocket Doors Over Open Plan Living When we renovated our home, we kept the original pocket doors rather than creating a fully open-plan layout. As well as being an architectural feature, they gave us the flexibility to open the rooms up or create separation when needed. Years later, they've proven far more useful than a permanently open layout would have been. Would I do it again? Absolutely. They're one of my favourite features in the house. Read more Why I Chose Dark Wall Colours I've used dark wall colours in several rooms and still love the atmosphere they create. They can make a room feel dramatic, cocooning, and full of character. What I've learned, though, is that dark paint doesn't always age as gracefully as lighter colours. Scuffs, fading, and touch-ups tend to be more noticeable, and if you ever decide to go lighter again, repainting can be a real headache. Would I do it again? Yes, but only in the right room. Read more Why I Chose Bold Wallpaper I've never been afraid of a bold wallpaper. A striking pattern can transform a room and add personality in a way that paint rarely can. The downside is that even the wallpapers you love can start to feel familiar after a few years. Unlike paint, they're not always easy to change when you're ready for something new. Would I do it again? Only with peel-and-stick wallpaper. Changing your mind is much easier. Read more Why I Chose Ceramic Countertops Butcher block was everywhere when we renovated our kitchen, but I wanted a surface that could handle real life without constant maintenance. Eight years later, choosing ceramic remains one of the best renovation decisions I've made. Would I do it again? Without hesitation. Read more Why I Built My Kitchen Around An Australian Fridge When we renovated our kitchen, we designed it around our existing Australian fridge. The appliance was still in perfect working order, so replacing it felt unnecessary. What I didn't realise was that Australian fridge sizes don't translate well to the European market, making replacement far more complicated than it should be. Would I do it again? No. I'd plan for replacement, not just today. Read more Why I Chose Outdoor Rugs Outdoor rugs can instantly make a terrace or patio feel more finished and inviting, which is exactly why I got one. I still love the look, but living in the Netherlands means dealing with rain, fallen leaves, mud, and the occasional green tinge. They require more maintenance than most people expect. Would I do it again? It depends. In a covered outdoor space, absolutely. In an exposed garden, probably not. Read more Why I Chose Black Bathroom Tapware When we renovated our bathroom, black tapware felt fresh, modern, and a little different. I loved it for years, but over time I found myself drawn to warmer finishes. It also aged less gracefully than I'd hoped, showing wear more readily than traditional finishes. In the end, I replaced it. Would I do it again? It depends. If I planned to refresh the room with changing trends, yes. If not, I'd choose a warmer finish. Read more Why I Chose A Built-In Media Wall I never liked the idea of a television being the first thing you notice in a room. A built-in media wall helped it blend into the background while creating space for art, books, plants, and vintage finds. Instead of a television wall, it became a display wall that just happens to include a television. Would I do it again? Absolutely. It made the room feel far more personal. Read more Why I Added Plissé Blinds To My Skylight The skylight floods the room with natural light, which is wonderful until summer arrives. Without a blind, the room quickly overheats. Adding a plissé blind helped keep temperatures under control while still allowing us to enjoy the light when we want it. Would I do it again? Yes, but I'd connect it to a wall switch rather than rely on a remote control. Read more SEE YOU ON THE BLOG Fresh reads for design lovers. If you want to see where my ideas end up, you’ll find them on the blog. Browse articles