At Home with Melanie
The interior blogger has lived in her wonderful apartment in the Hanseatic city for 3 years. We met her in her 170 square metre old building apartment in Ottensen and found a colourful vintage paradise there. In our interview, Melanie reveals what the "Creepy Man on the Couch" is all about and how she came up with the idea of painting every wall in her apartment in colour.
Vida: Tell us briefly: how did you become so colourful?
Melanie: It grew organically. The first thing we decided after moving in was to remove the woodchip wallpaper throughout the apartment. It was an incredible amount of work, but because I didn't have Instagram at the time, I was very free in my decisions, as I wasn't easily influenced. Because the apartment was very large and echoed due to the few pieces of furniture, my husband and I decided to bring cosiness into the space. The credo is: "In the end, no wall here will remain white." My husband and I chose the many different colours together. Of course, there were some disagreements, but in the end, we found compromises – he got the beige in the hallway and I got the minced meat Labskaus tone in the living room. Now I'm glad he insisted on the beige. The apartment is laid out in such a way that you can see into the hallway and therefore into other rooms from every room, so it would have been too much if there had been an intermediate colour. He always ensured that there was some colour-related calm and made sure that the colours didn't clash.
"In the end, no wall here will remain white."
V: What would you advise someone who is a bit hesitant about colours on the wall? I know that feeling myself, for example. My apartment is classic eggshell, but in retrospect, I wish I had chosen more vibrant colours for the walls. It makes an apartment look furnished and cosier much faster. Beige, black, and white are, of course, a simple and great interior concept, but you quickly realise how wonderfully beautiful it is to be surrounded by vibrant colours.
M: You need a little courage, but starting with the walls is the easiest, most cost-effective, and quickest way for me. This method is reversible. With friends and a case of beer, you can easily fix a faux pas. The consequences aren't that significant. Even if you have to leave the apartment white in the end, that didn't stop me from being bold with colours – even dark ones. You can test the waters on one wall and don't have to paint the whole room, including the ceiling, right away. Wallpaper is also a good idea, of course, but definitely more effort. Otherwise, textiles would be the next step. Colourful cushions, colourful curtains, and colourful rugs. Those would be my first steps before buying an expensive, colourful sofa, for example.
V: If you're good with colour, it totally enhances the basic furniture – like wearing a chic bag. When you have a great colour on the wall, the room radiates. What is your absolute favourite piece in this apartment?
M: That's a very difficult question, of course, as we choose everything with care and love. Many things are finds from eBay classifieds or things we've brought back from holidays. Many things have a story, and naturally, you become attached to them. No matter which corner we look at, we want to see things we love. If I had to choose, it would be the vintage pieces. For example, I was absolutely delighted with a planter I found on eBay classifieds because it fits the colour concept so well and you can't buy it like that. My absolute favourite piece, which you probably wouldn't guess at first glance, is our coffee table. It was the first piece my husband and I bought at a vintage flea market when we moved in together. Those are the kinds of things that are close to my heart. We are also attached to all the artworks. Everything has been lovingly selected and chosen. It wasn't like we planned a concept in advance; much of it evolved and grew organically.
V: In every corner you look, you get the feeling you're going on a journey with you as a family. What I find cool, for example, is the painting we're looking at right now. Would you like to tell us the exciting story behind it?
M: Yes, that's actually our 6th family member. The "Creepy Man on the Couch." That's also an eBay classifieds find. The funny thing was that the man who sits on the couch there opened the door for me. The guy looked incredibly similar to the "Creepy Man on the Couch." He wasn't wearing a tuxedo, but I saw the couch, so it couldn't be a coincidence. I dared to ask, and it was him. He was friends with a French artist couple who knew the couch and used it as a recurring element. The pink shoes were also there. However, the tuxedo and the desert are purely invented. But the painting existed long before the apartment. I bought it back when we were still in our old apartment, where it didn't fit at all. It was really one of those things I just had to have! In the old apartment, we had neither a cellar nor an attic. That means: it simply stood in the middle of the room for a long, long time.
V: We are incredibly proud that one of our rugs is in your home. That's how we met in the first place. Why did you choose this beautiful piece?
M: We searched for a rug for a long time. Rugs are really difficult. The market is oversaturated, so it was a relatively long process for us. I always make decisions together with my husband. It was very important to him to have a rug from Iran or Afghanistan. He has an Afghan background himself, and we travel a lot in Pakistan. It was very important to him to have a rug that nobody else has. We always look at where the products come from and what brand and story are behind them if we don't buy them vintage. We immediately liked that Rugtales is from Hamburg and is a family business in the 6th generation. Then I looked at the highlights on Instagram and completely fell in love with the Gabbeh story. I was looking for a rug that was cosy. In the story, you talked about the dense pile, and they were originally used by nomads as beds.
V: Exactly! Someone was listening.
M: Yes, I did my homework and listened to everything before we bought the rug because it's also exciting for children. We sit on the floor a lot, and therefore these were rugs that could fit. Then I saw this Gabbeh and found it perfect because of the colours. At that time, the Ekstrem Chair by Varier and the Togo corner seat by Ligne Roset had already been ordered, and when I saw the rug, I was like: "Oh God, I have to be quick and call my husband!". I sent him the link straight away because I was afraid this rug would suddenly be gone – it only exists once like this. I couldn't imagine any other. This rug simply makes a statement and connects all the colours we have here. It just had to be the one. And what you then told me about the little figures that protect you and the patterns convinced me even more. The pattern reminded me of a tree, and I saw fruits in it, and I just found it beautiful because the rug can be and is much more than just a decorative piece lying on the floor that you walk over.
V: I think it's wonderful that you've engaged so much with the story and recognise it. You can see that in your apartment too. Wherever you look, there's a love for detail. You feel embraced by the apartment. If you had to say what home means to you in one sentence, what would you say?
M: For me, home is the place where I am together with my family and safe. Especially in today's times, this becomes more and more apparent. The world is upside down in so many respects right now, and that's why I can always feel at home where I have my loved ones around me and they are safe.
