To get a glimpse into Madelon Oudshoorn Spaargaren’s home is to observe her past and present amid souvenirs from near and far. She’s someone who spent her entire life traveling—living in and visiting locales in Asia, the Middle East, and Africa—and feels an understandable push to keep moving. But for now, at home in Amsterdam, she’s surrounded by the colors and textures of her whirlwind take on the world. “I dare to use colors and materials, and I combine antiques with design,” Madelon says. “Dutch people are often careful with choosing colors. The majority choose ‘safe’ colors, like gray, black, or white. Not me. I like extraordinary fabrics, wallpapers, and wall painting techniques.”
As an interior designer and owner of Mos Interiors, Madelon has built a career out of appreciating materials and the ways in which they can tell an interesting, intimate story. “We live in two apartments in the building—the apartment on the ground floor is our office,” as she describes the layout of the 17th-century property. “Where we live is on the first floor in what’s called the ‘front house,’ which has our living room and kitchen. The ‘back house’ has two bedrooms, two bathrooms, an attic, and a small roof terrace.”
She envisioned this home to have what she refers to as a “special touch,” seeing as it was going to serve as a live showroom to clients. But after working on so many other projects, and traveling consistently with her four grown children, Madelon sought to create a space that mixed her specific wants with her penchant for wanderlust. “In most of my projects, I start with one fabric,” she says. “From there, I combine it with more fabrics and wallpapers. I draw plans of which furniture can be placed where—we moved a lot over the years and many pieces are in storage—and I love to ‘shop’ in our collection and reupholster what we plan to use. It’s a matter of combining everything so it gets that harmonious atmosphere.”
In the living room, which overlooks the famous Westerkerk church with floor-to-ceiling glass, Madelon reupholstered chaise longues in a crisscross fabric from Le Manach that she designed herself. They sit across from a burnt orange corduroy couch, which offsets the purple-and-yellow print of the hemp wallpaper behind. The same lean toward pattern and color transitions into the kitchen and dining space—a room that was once a standard black that Madelon aimed to “bespoke”—complete with a white-squiggle mural that makes neutral shades shine. “It reminds me of my travels through Ghana, Tanzania, Kenya, and South Africa,” she says. “But it is also an eye wink towards Keith Haring, of whom we own some art pieces.”
Through it all, she knows the name of every artist, the backstory of every fabric, and the attributes of every color choice. The library between the living and dining areas displays art including a Peruvian statue and intricate jewelry by tribes in India and Ghana. The bathroom’s pattern took inspiration from wallpaper by Pierre Frey that she had enlarged. In every material and every finish, Madelon meticulously played to her distinct tastes—even if she’s already dreaming of somewhere new.
“It’s funky, with a peaceful flow. But there will always be a certain balance.” she says. “I do warn my guests about the outspoken wallpaper in our living area, but I loved it at first sight.”
Combine pieces you already own with new fabrics or colors “Never, ever buy everything new in a home,” she says. “You can reupholster your old furniture by using fabrics, painting techniques, and new colors.”
Create a palette “Have a certain style and let this flow through the whole interior—balance is a good thing,” she says. “Let colors return in more than one piece.”
Follow your own sense of style “Do not blindly copy what others have, and try to stand out in the crowd,” she says. "Make sure your home keeps its soul, which is something I think a lot of homes lack.”
Hemp carpet by Loook, loook.be
Bar stool in scrap wood by Piet Hein Eek, $705, thefutureperfect.com
Silk cushion cover by Jim Thompson, $52, jimthompson.com
Bella coola wallpaper by Pierre Frey, pierrefrey.com