Welcome to my cozy corner of the web. I was inspired to create a space where I could share my love of beautiful and soulful interiors with like-minded friends. Over the years I discovered my passions for travel, gardening, and history. These interests culminated together and flourished when I translated them onto my surroundings, or more specifically my home. When reading historical novels I would dream of myself in faraway castles, and when traveling I would marvel at the way in which dwellings would adapt themselves for the environment and reflect the setting’s unique history. I can’t be the only one that checks the displayed real estate listings on every trip, and imagine myself living an entirely different life. My love of gardening grew from desperation out of the grey confines of the pandemic. During that time I grew to love the nurturing relationship, their responsive nature, and the inherent timelessness of plants. If you’ve read this and its struck a chord with you, welcome. I wish we could have a coffee and cake together and discuss our shared interests. But as an alternative, I hope you’ll stay here a while.
My name is Kirsten, I’m in my 30’s and living in Barcelona, Spain with my husband and dog, Hendricks. I’m half Dutch, half Peruvian, and lived in the US for the majority of my childhood. As is the case with many cross-culture kids, I struggled to find a place in the world where I felt I belonged. Due to a series of happy accidents, I found myself in Barcelona in my 20’s, soaking up the frenetic vibrancy of life. What at that point seemed only to be a chapter in life turned into something more lasting when I met my husband Xavi. A Barcelonian born and raised, he brought me into the softer, more nurturing side of the city. Now in my 30’s, I have fully embraced my homebody nature, and have slipped into a space in this city that suits me like a second skin. On the weekend you’ll find us spending leisurely mornings on the terrace, meeting our friends for vermut and tapas, and enjoying the gastronomic offerings of the city. In the summer we visit my parents at their house in the Costa Brava, and we spend the year judiciously planning our travels. In past years we flung ourselves to far corners of the planet and challenged ourselves to experience cultures completely foreign to us. Our favorite trips were to Iran, Guatemala, Lebanon, and South Africa. While we are calmer now, we haven’t lost our wanderlust. Our next trip on the wish list is to Chile.
While I can’t imagine living anywhere else than in Barcelona (although that doesn’t stop me from dreaming – See above!) there are aspects here that I have found contrast with my inclinations. I grew up in a Colonial-style home in Virginia with an interior decorator mother who favored traditional designs. These style inputs, together with my affinity for the international settings visited in my travels have left me sitting stylistically quite far from the “average” Spanish interior style. When renovating and decorating my home, I struggled to find pieces and inspiration that I could bring into my own home. Although as I opened myself up on the internet, I began to find more and more people like myself. Dreamers, readers, gardeners, and homebodies. And it is this desire to create a little community of all of us that lead me to built this space.
So welcome, I hope you find it inspiring here, and that you have as much fun reading my words as I have writing them. Please reach out with questions, comments, or just to chat! I love hearing from you all.