Klaar Meijer is an interior designer who can whip up your dream interior after having no more than one conversation with you, using what she calls her ‘sixth sense’, personal intuition. Meijer also brings to the table a multi-decade career working as Client Director for two of the best design studios in the Netherlands, Jan des Bouvrie & Studio Piet Boon – and it was that same intuition (something nobody can teach) that led her to them 24 years ago. After beginning a career in the fashion industry – one day Klaar’s intuition told her to get up, leave, and walk right into a studio of Jan des Bouvrie, where she straightforwardly asked for a job. “I loved it from the start, I had lots of clients and was open for it, so I learned a lot!” The rest is history, and The Public House of Art is proud to call Klaar Meijer our interior consultant. Now in charge of her own company, KM Interieuradvies, she Zoomed in with us on a chilly December day to speak about her interior philosophy, trends in 2020, and tips for transforming your house, no matter the budget.
Bring the warmth, but make it flow
Contrary to the classic tip, Meijer is not a fan of painting an accent wall. “I believe in a flow in the home, sometimes you see one wall in a very dark [or bright] colour. I don’t believe that, I think you should have those colours go through your home, on the floors, furniture, rugs and curtains.” And a major colour trend this year is a rise in warmer tones, “you see a lot of terracotta, burnt oranges and yellow tones in homes nowadays, probably because of the times, people want more coziness around them.” We couldn’t agree more.
Feel it
When decorating, an often overlooked aspect is how textures come together and feel to the touch. “I love materials, I am a freak for materials”, says Meijer with bright eyes, “when I touch a material, I immediately know what it’s made of.” When asked what textures are her favourite, Meijer answers like a true consultant, “It depends absolutely on the circumstances.” She would lean towards softer and warm materials to contrast the starkness of modern homes, while going with sharper textures in an old fashioned house to contrast its age.
But can I afford it?
We all have different budgets, and that shouldn’t stop anyone from building the home of their dreams. Meijer’s advice for those with a tight budget is to experiment and compromise. You can get there “by adding one or two statement pieces, like an art or design object, maybe a special chair, coffee table, a beautiful vase or two luxury cushions on an Ikea couch.” If you’re lucky to have a budget set aside for decorating, then going with a designer can be your best spend, “designers know their way around and where to find everything, it really saves a lot of time. My clients rather spend time with their families than be searching through furniture stores.”
What does art do for an interior?
“It’s the cherrie on top” says Meijer. “Art is a very personal thing, it is the feeling it gives you, and that is different for everybody. For me, it’s important to get to know your client so well that you know what they would like, but still…you can have surprises…” Confirming that personal preference in art can never be boxed and more importantly, is always evolving. How about hanging tips? “Nowadays there isn’t really a guideline, and it depends on the space, size of the work and height of the wall. One thing I often notice is that people hang their art too high! You should have a good view when you are seated as well. With that said, it is nice to play around and hang art not as expected, like a small piece next to a large one, or starting from an unusual place on the wall, in the end it’s all in the flow…”
See Klaar Meijer’s website for more ideas and to find out what inspires her interior mind, check out her Pinterest that she regularly updates.