Merlin, 28, is a mom to two little boys Bix(2) and Dem(1), who she calls her little boys squad. She is a fulltime mom and runs her own online shop ‘Wanne Meuk’ in second hand vintage, boho and rotan interior pieces. At TSA we’re always impressed by the natural style of her home interior – especially the kids’ room - which she photographs herself for her Instagram @huisjemerlin. And today, in our conversation, Merlin shares a few of her secrets on interior styling.
You describe your style as minimalistic and Scandinavian.
Where do you find your inspiration?
Merlin: “My favorite colors are beige, brown and rust and white. All soft colors and tones, which are typical for the minimalistic and Scandinavian style. So that’s the base you find in any interior piece in my house. Next to that, I find a lot of inspiration through Instagram interior accounts and accounts of other moms. Mom accounts @xxkail and @j_milla_ and interior accounts @styleandsugar and @junus.en.mama are really worth following!
The style in your shop is mostly vintage, rotan and boho.
How do you select your stock?
Merlin: "I find all pieces in thrift shops. That's what makes the items so special, because you can't quickly find a second pair of these items. And I select them all based on my style - the items could easily fit in my own interior too."
What are your best tips for styling interior?
Merlin: “Make sure your walls are smoothly plastered and your base is always white. You can always complete the look with accessories. White radiates so much tranquility in a house and gives you the freedom to quickly change styles, whenever you want too. For example, by replacing the interior pieces or adding something new. And my other tip would be – if your child has a lot of toys and you would love to keep the toys in sight – buy wooden toys and put all the colored in a closet, to keep a calm overall look.”
Are there any toys your kids just can’t get enough of?
Merlin: “That would be the wooden kitchen! I notice that they play less with the bigger ‘impressive’ toys and that they are very happy with the small wooden toys, which is also even better because the wooden toys are more sustainable – and looks more beautiful in the interior.”
Could you share a few tips for moms in decorating the kid’s room?
Merlin: “The kids’ room in our house is a lot busier than the overall look in our home. It’s the place where I can play a lot more with accessories. My tip would be to just start with the basics and continue from there with the accessories. But, if the furniture itself is already quite expressive, you could tone down the accessories and complement the overall look with a (half) painted wall or a painted decoration on the wall.”
Being a mom of two little boys, is there any big
motherhood lesson that you’ve learned so far?
Merlin: “I think as mothers, we learn from our children every day. Seeing my children's characters develop, it teaches me that everyone is their unique self and that it's important to be more acceptive of one another. Next to that, from my own experience I learned that giving love is so important. It makes everything right in life and easier for children to give love back to their parents as they grow older."
If you’d like to see more of Merlin and get inspired by her interior style, visit her Instagram here!