Born and bred in Germany, I’m an Anglophile at heart and have been living in London for the past 17 years. The diversity, beauty and vibe of this city still gives me a buzz and I love being at the centre of so much creativity.
I’m a graphic designer by trade and writing this blog is another way of expressing myself. Every post is a record of my inspirations often paired with some musings on my own life and how to juggle a career with bringing up two little boys.
Apart from a slight obsession with design and interiors I like to champion craftsmanship and highlight interesting people and businesses in the wider field of design in my column ‘people to watch’.
My love for simple, modern design aesthetics spills over into all areas of my life and you’ll find recipes, travel destinations, fashion and kids related topics on here.
If you just take one inspiration away from this blog make it my favourite Coco Chanel quote:
“Simplicity is the keynote of all true elegance.”
If you’d like to find out a little more about me read my interview on BodhiLuxe a new online lifestyle magazine celebrating all the little things that bring joy and indulgence.
I was honoured to be featured for the launch of their site in May this year and want to share a little taster of my interview where I discuss balancing work and family life, my inspirations, stylish living, what led me to launch Stylejuicer and how I inspire my children to be – and stay – creative.
ABOVE | My Instagram feed.
What led you to launch Stylejuicer and what does it now mean to you?
I found myself craving some design inspiration and general beauty as a counter balance to the chaos that two toddlers create.
I started Pinning and Instagraming just over a year ago and was immediately hooked. I felt so inspired, enthused and creatively invigorated by all this beauty that I wanted to share my finds with the world in a way that people could comment and connect with me.
I take great care to make my posts as visually stimulating as possible through layout and photography. Nowadays the bloggersphere is incredibly crowded. I deliberately keep my posts short and entertaining, so people tend to follow me because they like my taste, style and aesthetics.
Uncovering interesting and exciting stuff still gives me a buzz and I have a bit of an obsession with design and interiors in particular. Though, you’ll find recipes, travel destinations, fashion and kids related topics on there too. I just love the mix of it and the fact that I’m the boss.
Stylejuicer is my virtual ‘home’ a place to escape to when there’s chaos around me. It’s like a painting that I add a few brush strokes to almost every day, where everything is just so and I can be who I want to be. It’s very precious to me.
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So how is your life now structured?
The above all seems a long way from my life now as a mum, but through the blog and my social media accounts I’m always keeping track of design and fashion trends. I love to look at bloggers and creative people from other countries to see what they’re up to and am currently crushing on all things Australian.
From graphics to interior, architecture, photography and design, I love it all. My clients love the fact I’ve started blogging, as it means that I bring tons of new ideas and enthusiasm to each project; most of which gets done when the kids are asleep or at the weekend.
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What would you tell those who believe family life is not conducive to living stylishly?
Family life with small children is intense, there’s no way round it, and it takes commitment to maintain a stylish home. However, for me, stylish living is perfectly possible whatever situation you’re in. It just means adapting your home to you and your family’s needs at different stages of your life.
I’m a big fan of white interiors and furnishings and have been determined not to stop surrounding myself with white since I’ve had kids. Instead, I’ve been mindful of having washable covers on sofas and chairs and surfaces that are scratch and crayon-proof. Well aware that our current furniture will have to be replaced in a few years, I went for less expensive options. Walls are easy to repaint and the pleasure of living in a space that is just how I like it outweighs the inevitable maintenance for me.
I’m not too precious about anything and make sure that much loved but breakable objects are out of reach for the kids, while still on display.
My main priority is tidying. A clutter free space relaxes me and I make sure that toys are tidied away every night, so John and I can have a meal and spend some grown up time together.
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How can you inspire your children to be – and stay – creative?
I’m not a big parenting book/advice reader. Maybe I should be! I prefer to trust my instinct and one of my main priorities is to expose my children to as many different experiences as possible; whether it’s travelling, culture, culinary, activities etc., to stimulate and inspire as well as giving them a good grounding.
This certainly doesn’t mean that there’s exciting new stuff happening every day, often it’s quite the opposite. I’m a big believer that boredom is actually good for children as they’re forced to think for themselves, make up games and be creative when there are no toys around. I try to restrict the amount of toys they have to play with and often I put something away for a few months so that when it comes out again, it feels like new to them.
I also like to make sure the boys play outside every day – not only for the fresh air and physical exercise but also to stimulate all their senses. I’m no hard-liner and they do get to watch some TV every day, mainly to give me a break, but as a rule the TV is off-limits.
Doing crafts with them and role-play is another way I like to encourage creativity and I’m often surprised what they come up with. They had me in stitches the other day when the potty served as a ‘birthday cake’ with straws as candles. Now that is creative!
For the full interview please hop over to BodhiLuxe.
MORE INFORMATION | BodhiLuxe
PHOTOGRAPHY | Annie Kruse