Child psychologist, Marieke, lives what sounds like a pretty idyllic life. Residing in a small town in the Netherlands, on the edge of woodland with her three children, aged from five to thirteen years old, she tells me she is married to her best friend. Not only does their location paint a pretty picture, the interior of their home boasts some enviable views too.
They moved in to their current home right after it was built in 2011, and in the beginning Marieke choose mostly monochrome colours: black, white and grey. “Over the years I’ve added more natural tones, like sand and beige, and light wood. We expanded our home in 2018, where we now have a play, chill and work space for the children and us which I’m very happy about.”
Marieke started her Instagram account in 2014, just before her youngest was born. “I’ve taken photographs since I was a child and I love to create pretty corners and to reconfigure the kids rooms – ‘styling’ and ‘moving things about’ are my middle names! This combination led me to Instagram, not knowing it would turn out in this lovely way”
Marieke keeps her styling minimal, which is what makes her home so ‘Instagrammable’. Her use of white acts as a blank canvas for her subtle colour scheme and each buy is carefully considered. But that doesn’t mean her home feels plain; Marieke loves wallpaper too and has used Cole & Son’s iconic Woods & Stars design as well as others such as a bear pattern by Belgian brand Room Blush.
“People think my home is always this calm and neat, but it isn’t and that is good, because it’s important that children have space and time to play. My work can be very intensive, so the quotes ‘clean house, clean mind’ and ‘less is more’ are definitely made for me,” explains Marieke. “Even at home where I’m always busy with our three kids, I find peace and balance in a calm house. That doesn’t mean that there can’t be mess or a lot of toys, I also love that! But at the end of the day, it is all tidied up again”.
What Marieke loves most about Instagram is the lovely people she’s connected with – some of whom she has met in real life. Additionally, some great collaborations have come about, and she enjoys the process of taking brand images, meeting the deadlines and making sure that is all fits on her feed. She describes her approach to her Instagram work: “Perfection is my third middle name(!), which puts pressure on me sometimes, but luckily I am not too stressed, and I believe that everything will work out in the end.”
Other accounts that Marieke follows have inspired her, and she explains she particularly loves Instagrammers who share their homes, kids rooms, kids fashion and their way of living and she really appreciates the community Instagram provides: “I also love to inspire others; I will always answer questions and I love the chats on Instagram.”
While some of her posts are technically ‘work’, Marieke doesn’t tend to see it like that and says: “Styling my home and taking photos is definitely very relaxing for me. Uploading and editing pics on Instagram is like a little party for me, even more when others like it too, but in the end the amount of likes is not the most important thing.”
Marieke’s advice for sharing your home on Instagram? “Just be yourself, and stay true to yourself, find things that inspire you, but don’t be fooled by all the perfectionism on Instagram. Just see it as visual eye candy and be happy with what you have.”
Follow Marieke at @sophieenvic
