Inside the home of: Keeponstyling

This time we got to peek inside Annemarie's home! She has lived her whole life in the city of Groningen and now lives with her partner and five children in a beautifully styled home. We grilled her about where she gets her inspiration from. Read on?

Who are you and what do you do?

"I'm Annemarie Poorter, living in the city of Groningen with my partner and 5 children ranging from 2 to 16 years old. Besides being a 'content creator' for my Instagram account (and blog of the same name Keeponstyling), I also work 1 day a week as a content creator at a home mall. There I fill the social media channels with different types of content."

How did @Keeponstyling get started?

"Ten years ago I had a webshop where I sold vintage interior items, called Retroloekie. At that time I also created an Instagram account for it and kept a blog. Then I discovered how much I enjoyed styling and taking photos of it. The loveliest creations came from this and I could really let my creativity run free. After 10 years I decided to stop the webshop and focus entirely on styling and inspiring people. Of course that came with a new name: Keeponstyling. So it basically started with selling second-hand items online and eventually grew into styling new interior items."

How would you describe your interior style?

"I used to describe my style as 'fresh vintage' because I had a lot of second-hand items in my home back then. Now I'd describe it more as 'natural vibes with a touch of vintage'. The natural aspect comes from the bamboo accessories and other natural materials I use. But also in wallpaper prints with birds or botanical themes."

Your children's bedrooms don't escape your styling either. How do you approach styling the kids' rooms?

"I think it's important to involve the children in this. I ask them what colour(s) they'd like in their room and they always have a strong opinion. Over time you also learn to understand your children's taste better and dare to try more. It always works out and they love the end result! I also try not to change their rooms too often, because you want them to have their familiar, trusted spot where they feel at home."

What's your favourite spot in your home?

"I think the living room is always the place where I really enjoy myself and where I like to make it extra cosy. I really love wallpaper with a nice print. In the utility room we've put forest wallpaper on a large wall, in the front room a kind of flower meadow. This gives you the feeling that you're nicely sitting in nature, but indoors! Wallpaper often brings a bit extra cosiness and for me it really completes a space."

What makes a house a really nice place to live for you?

"If your soul is in it. If you feel that someone has really put their taste into it. I think it's important that you see something of yourself everywhere. That's why I pay attention to all the spaces. The toilet is for example a place that's often forgotten, but in my opinion it also deserves some love. Actually, every space should feel like a party to be in."

Do you have a favourite item or piece of furniture in the house that you're really happy with?

"I regularly swap items and furniture, and I generally don't attach much value to them. This is because I'm always open to new things. I did pick up an old apothecary cabinet from a vintage second-hand shop a while ago. It's an antique white metal cabinet that used to be in the hospital. This is really an item I'll never get rid of, because I find it so beautiful and timeless. I think the combination of such a vintage item in the living room amongst all the new items is really nice."

You have a number of Volero rugs at home, in which rooms have you incorporated these?

"That's right! The Field Terra is currently looking beautiful in the front room, and the colour scheme works really nicely in the space. I have a wall full of flowers in the dining room, where the terra colour also comes back, so this is the perfect combination! Besides that, I also change rugs seasonally. Towards summer I choose lighter fabrics, like for example a jute rug. Because I'm always so careful with the rugs and walking over a rug with shoes is a no-go in our home, the rugs last really well."

You're not afraid of colour or statements in your home. How do you make sure it all still comes together beautifully?

"I always look at what's already in the room, and make a well-considered choice in terms of colour. I have different types of wallpaper, so I look at the colours in it, pick a colour and build on it. Or I look at the fixed items that are already in the space and which I won't be getting rid of anytime soon, so I make sure the colour I add also appears somewhere else. A colourful statement is fine, but to keep the balance I make sure it comes back somewhere else too."