At Home WithPassionPersonal 24 August 2014
At home with CHAPTER FRIDAY owner Yara
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To find out how other young creatives cocoon and chill out at their crib, CHAPTER FRIDAY asks fellow hardworking souls how they calm down and cool off at home after a hard day’s work. After all, home is that one special place to find peace of mind (and body). For this third edition (also see the wonderful apartments of Iman and Suuz) we flipped the script, as CHAPTER FRIDAY founder Yara invites you in to her Amsterdam apartment. Kick off your shoes and come on in!

What’s the first thing you do when you get home?
Yara: ‘Home is where the bra comes off! The first thing I do when I come home from a long day at the CHAPTER FRIDAY headquarters is pretty much always the same. I take off my shoes, turn on some music, open my big balcony windows and put on different clothes. Getting dressed and doing my make-up is how I get ready for a new day – taking it all off is my signal to my brain that it’s OK to unwind again.’

So what does one of those chill outfits look like?
Yara: ‘It’s usually a loose tank top, a pair of boyfriend jeans, silk pyjama shorts by Love Stories or somewhat fasionable leggings (seriously, H&M makes some pretty cool ones) and a sweatshirt by Rika, 194t or Amatør in pure cotton. Who says you can’t look good while you relax?’

Your favorite chill spot?
Yara: ‘My bed, for sure. It’s stuffed with a pretty big pillow arrangement so it feels like a hotel room. Now if only that came with room service! And travel size bottles of Cowshed shampoo!’

Favorite book before bed?
Yara: ‘Well, as you see in this photo – which is a totally accurate description of how I read in bed, obviously – I’ve just picked up on The fault in our stars for the third time. I wonder if this time I’ll be able to keep it dry at the end of the story! By the way, did you know the bench that they kiss on in Amsterdam got stolen? Kids these days… ‘

How would you describe your interior style?
Yara: ‘Modern meets Scandinavian meets cozy. And can I add undone? I feel like it’s never finished. I don’t really have the time to perfect it. Well, probably I just don’t make the time. Oh, and – although I hate cleaning – I love organizing. A clean house is a clean head.’

4 tips & tricks to cozify your home
– ‘Store as much as you can out of sight. Having all kinds of small objects laying around makes me very restless, so I organize everything together in boxes. You can pick up beautiful and decorative once at HEMA, Hay and IKEA.’
– ‘Make your bedroom a place of rest. Buy soft bed linen, create a pillow arrangement, style your nightstand in a personal way and keep your wardrobe organized by style or color.’
– ‘Add personality. I have a postcard rack hanging in my hallway that stuffed with little cards and polaroids. My friends gave me a Polaroid camera for my birthday so by now it’s quite an extensive collection of dear memories. Sweet and easy.’
– ‘Stick to one color palette to create a union. If the base is white or gray, it’s easy to add personality with budget friendly items like a vintage rug, a fifties leather chair or big palm leaf plants.’

Odd at-home hobby?
Yara: ‘On a lazy day I love playing around with my extensive makeup  collection. Whenever I’m in Paris or New York for Fashion Week, I go wild at Sephora. My favorite beauty toy is the Naked Palette by Urban Decay (palette 2 totally beats number 1, FYI) – and other favorites are M.A.C, Maybelline, Chanel and Make Up Forever. Give me a smoky eye YouTube tutorial, some chocolate snacks and thirty spare minutes, and I’m a happy camper.’

Big interior wish?
Yara: ‘A tall, handsome and muscular man to help me fix things around the house. I can switch a light bulb, but that’s about as far as my skills go. Once, and I had to spend two days at home with a peeping fire alarm because I was too damn short to reach it myself. Let’s say it was a dark time ;) ‘

About all the pretty stuff in the pics:
Lightbox ‘I want it all’ is from Bxxlght by super talented Daniela Upmark – Postcard rack via Dotshop – Pillows by ZARA Home – Feather frame is a low budget DIY project – Kelim rug in an online find – Other kelim pillows by RAW Materials

(Text by Yara Michels and edited by Kelly Nederlof – pictures by Karen van Duijvenbode)

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Yara Michels is a professional blogger, NET5 tv-host, award nominated and marketing author and all-round business chick. She hosts blogging masterclasses, takes on online cases for big companies and is an experienced speaker on online topics. Curious yet?

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