Katrin is a 38 year-old merchandising manager, mother of two lovely girls, married, coffee lover and deco junkie. She has a passion for colours and flowers, vintage items, decorating and cozy living. She built her home with her husband Sven in 2017. As she points out, every day at home with their girls Marlen and Klara is full of love, different and full of… colour. In 2019 they fulfilled their dream of a caravan holiday by the Baltic Sea and have been passionate glampers ever since. Until they can live permanently by the Baltic Sea, they continue to decorate their home between Hamburg and Bremen. A taste of their kitchen.
What are your tips for intergrating colourful decorative elements in a room?
Always choose elements matching with the colours of the walls. I usually choose items that perfectly match each room in terms of colo
How can you bring more color into the kitchen?
I love colorful accessories such as vases, flowers, towels or ceramics. These can be easily interchanged and you can redecorate for each colour story. I’m also fan of a highlight wall where posters can be placed and quickly swapped.
What colours do you think combine incredibly well?
Yellow, yellow and yellow. Add to that a light purple and some pink. Together the colours look both warm and vibrant. I really like this mix. Plus I’ve always liked the combination with copper. Green is also never missing through plants and fresh flowers. It gives notes of naturalness and freshness.
You love colours, but your kitchen has become rather simple. How come?
This is a very interesting question. When we were planning the interior of the house, we originally wanted a taupe and glossy kitchen. By the time of the final design meeting, I had decided on all the colors of the other furniture as well. In terms of the overall concept and flooring, I particularly liked the light kitchen with the worktop. It exudes tranquility and thus fits all my color ideas.
What is the source of your inspiration?
I’ve been decorating all my life, it’s been my passion. 20 years ago I trained as a display designer. My head is always full of new ideas and I often get extra inspiration from magazines, my girls, nature or Instagram.
However, isn’t it very easy to make a mistake with colours? How do you manage to keep your decorations from looking untidy?
It really is. Everyone has their favorite colors they want to live in. It’s important to pay attention to shades and effects rather than using lots of different colours. Most of the time I rely on color tones and pick the same colors over and over again. This way the decorations look neat and tidy in our home as the color concept is present in every room and throughout the house.
What is your favorite color and how have you incorporated it into your home?
Yellow, of course. I love its warmth, vibrancy and the good mood it creates. I have painted some walls in yellow and then I have a lot of decorations like vases, candles, frames and fabrics that I combine in different ways.
You are extremely creative and like to tinker. Do you have a lot of DIY crafts in your kitchen?
The truth is I need to get back to that. So far I have only rearranged the small wardrobe. I painted it and fitted it with furniture knobs.
Could you use colored fronts?
Of course. There are so many bright colors, fronts and fittings. If I could, I would make a different kitchen every month.
Do you cook as colorful and extraordinary as you decorate?
We cook very carefully with fresh ingredients from local farms. Our two girls like “regular” dishes like mashed potatoes with carrots, vegetable casserole or rice pudding.
Do you have any tips on what to look out for when planning a kitchen?
One thing we did beforehand was to tape the dimensions of the kitchen island to the floor to see if there was enough space left around. I would definitely do that again. It was also important to me to have lots of light, not too many wall cabinets and a kitchen cupboard front in the utility room. We had the narrow “check out” window put in to see the sunset in the evening and also to be able to look out into the garden while we were working in the kitchen.
What did you absolutely not want to do without in your kitchen?
The kitchen island with counter, assorted drawers, handmade ceramics, flowers, vases, coffee and music.
Do your children enjoy cooking already?
My big girl is 6 years old and likes to help with cakes and pizza. The little one just turned one and wants to try everything at the moment.
You have a really wonderful meadow of plants in your home and in addition lots of flowers in your feed. What do they mean to you and what role do they play in your decoration?
I just love flowers. They have a wonderful natural beauty that often looks like something out of a painting. They give any room a special feel and also give you the ability to do so many things in decorating.
What exactly is the #vasenmove about?
We were stuck at home due to coronavirus and weren’t meeting anyone or celebrating. They were all isolated in their homes. I had gathered all my jars at one point wanting to take a picture. At that moment I thought of everyone who was in their homes and thought it was a good idea for communication: to invite everyone to a “vase move”.
What does life in the kitchen mean to you?
I spend a lot of time here, it’s the center of the house. We have an open living area and I often work in the kitchen and can keep an eye on the girls playing in the living room. We eat at the counter and talk about our days or drink coffee.
You built your house in 2017. What advice do you wish you had taken before and what advice do you wish you could give others now?
We were very well looked after and had lots of advice, which is the best thing that can happen. Specialist work should always be done by the relevant specialists. Visualising everything in advance is unlikely to help and planning is everything.
