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A red thread full of colours
She calls herself an ordensmenneske. The orderly/timely type. Fitting attributes when you’re a project manager. But when she clocks out, Oslo-based Julie fills her spare time and home with an intuitive passion for experimental interiors, soulful antiques and impulsive paint jobs. We had a chat with Julie about using her living space as a creative whiteboard.
When she isn’t at the office or walking under blue skies with her dog and partner, she’s under her blue ceiling in her Oslo flat. Always curious about her surroundings. Redecorating. Re-coloring. After 7 years in the same apartment, she still sees a world of opportunities. Even if that world is 45 square meters.
“It’s a small apartment with many small rooms. Maybe unpractical to some. We’ve lived there for 7 years now but that has given us the chance to really ‘bo os ind’ (get settled) as we say in Norwegian. We’ve gotten the time we need to fill it up with things we like”.
Finding style during COVID
Sometimes having time to look at the same thing for longer periods of time really unlocks one’s imagination. Like staring at clouds in the sky. Warping into various forms and beings. Julie felt this during the pandemic: “I always had an interest in interior and design but I think it was during COVID I found my style. ‘Cause before, I was very beige tone-in-tone colours. That very Scandinavian look. But it didn’t feel like me. It didn’t make me happy. So the colouring started in the COVID phase. Being home all the time, getting the chance to really look at your things”.
“Some days I can feel inspired and open to change. But I don’t know where that comes from. Sometimes you just get these epiphanies”
“I just had a lot of time as well. I went on Etsy – where you can buy vintage from all over the world – just browsing stuff I liked. I got into this Memphis style. It was just a lot of colour and shapes that kinda kickstarted me.”
“My partner is used to me being very spontaneous. When I painted the blue ceiling during COVID, the home-working day was coming to an end. I just suddenly realized that our ceiling was so grey and boring. So I went to my partner’s office space in the bedroom and said ‘I think I’m going over to the paint shop to buy this blue for the living room’. And he said ‘oh okay’. I painted it the same night. I thought of it at 4 pm and by 12 at night, it was done.”
Working hard. Playing harder.
Structure. Being practical. Having everything thought out. Being a project manager requires a lot of this. But according to Julie, this only balances out the scale in flourishing creatively when she clocks out:
“I realized while studying, that I like to keep a list of things. I like routines. And that kinda led me to the project management”
“It’s a creative environment and I enjoy working with skillful designers, even though I’m not a designer myself. I use my spare time with my own creativity which is mainly interior. At work, I have to make sure everything we deliver is tidy and correct. But privately I can just let loose. It’s a balance I really thrive in”
“At work, I have to make sure everything we deliver is tidy and correct. But privately I can just let loose. It’s a balance I really thrive in.”
It’s in the mix
“I just love beautiful things. Some of my favourite things are found in vintage stores and markets. And I feel it’s very personal. Also to mix it. Putting it together how I like. Having that very old picture next to a new artist. It’s very me.. aaaand us with my partner of course. Luckily he’s also into how we live” She says chuckling.
Julie continues about their space:
“It feels relaxed even though some people might find it very crowded with a lot of plants. And in terms of colours… I think many people would think it’s too much. Many I know think very smartly in terms of selling their space again. Choosing something white. Something everyone would like. But I just can’t do that”
“Many I know think very smartly in terms of selling their space again. Choosing something white. Something everyone would like. But I just can’t do that”
Look for the light
Light has a huge impact on us. On our routines. It can alter colours. Change our mood. Be cold and warm. Annoying and soothing. This is why it’s nice to be able to control it. At least at home. One doesn’t have to scroll for long on Julie’s Instagram to notice that she has a thing for light. As she says herself: “I can’t not take pictures of it.”
Julie has chosen various curtain solutions for her different rooms. Focused on maintaining a red thread in her styling while letting every room have its own personality. She tells us about her kitchen:
“A kitchen can feel so boxy and technical. So it’s nice to get some tactility and softness into that space as well. And the light, especially in the summer, is just so beautiful when it comes in through the curtains”
She continues about her living room:
“I mean, the blue curtain in the living room. I feel it’s such a statement. And it matches my blue ceiling. I think it’s so cool”
“We love colors but we don’t want our home to be all pastels. I try to tone it down with something more earthy or brown. We did try some different colours for that curtain but I talked to one from Kurage, and we decided on the blue. Matching some of the colours that were already in the apartment”
“Influencer” Julie
We are naturally drawn to authenticity. When someone cares about something, nerd it and communicate it passionately. It works like a magnet to our interest.
“At work, they sometimes call me ‘influencer Julie’ in a sweet way. But I really do find it fun to take pictures, especially of the light. I can’t not take pictures of it. My Instagram is just kind of a journal of what pictures I like best”.
Julie continues:
“I love it when people reach out to me and ask questions. But I think it’s hard to give advice. Style is so subjective and personal. Even when friends ask me how to choose colours, I kinda just go blank”
And even though she won’t go full-time with her knack for the interior we finish our chat with some encouragement:
“My advice would be to just go with it. People spend so much time making the decision. I think if you choose the things that you instantly love your home becomes you”
“I mean, the blue curtain in the living room. I feel it’s such a statement. And it matches my blue ceiling. I think it’s so cool”
“I’m so happy with all my curtain solutions. Especially in the hallway. It’s always felt so messy with our storage things. But the curtain (Dotty) just made such a huge difference and made the room much higher. Giving it a more luxurious vibe”
“After having them installed, I even caught my partner sneaking into the hallway just to touch the curtains. He’s so happy with it”.
