When we first came across Iro's home on Flickr and on her blog, we were struck by her serene sense of style and her great story. The home she shares with her boyfriend, "The Penthouse," is constantly evolving, but always a fantastic example of clean, minimal style.
On her blog,
Busy Bee's Blog, Iro shares gorgeous photos of her own home, as well as other sources of design inspiration (her
Flickr sets, are fantastic, too). We caught up with her recently, and talked with her about her story and advice for the Houzz community.
Please tell us about your "first meeting" with your houseThe first meeting with the Penthouse was made on the screen of a PC, in an internet café, somewhere in the centre of Athens, under Acropolis. It was almost 2 years ago, when my current partner and I had met and very soon decided that we wanted to try out living together.
Choosing an apartment on line was the most convenient choice at that time, since I was living in Greece and he in Germany ( being German). We were looking for something nice to start with and after we saw the pictures of this Penthouse - gallery - apartment, we both agreed that it was the right one.
I was fascinated by the huge window with the semicircular detail, the cylindrical stairs that lead up to the gallery - second floor and the fact that it is a few meters from a lovely park ( Verna Park) by the river Main.
So, to make the long story short, my first meeting with the apartment was under the influence of intense, fresh feelings of love and many hopes.
What is the first step of your decorating process?The first step of the decorating process for me, is to take in to consideration all the basic features of the space. Those would be the architectural elements ( if there are any - coz that’s not always possible ), the natural light, the size of the space and last but definitely not least, the budget and personality of the people who want to inhabit it.
I personally like to have simple, minimal and neutral big pieces of furniture, that will allow for additions of small furniture and objects of various styles. And of course, I’ m fond of houses that grow with the people who live in them and are not, at once, completely planned to the very last detail.
Part of the decorating process for me, is also a recycling process, which involves, reusing objects, donating or selling them, in order for new things to be added up in the house. That’s a way of keeping a space fresh, not feeling overcluttered with too many things, thus managing to constantly keep that fresh feeling we have in a fairly new home.
What is the biggest decorating challenge you've faced?Well, decorating this Penthouse was kind of a challenge to me, but must admit that it was a very smooth process, even though it involved some of my furniture arriving in a track from Greece and combining them with some pieces that my partner used to have in his previous place. We don’t have exactly the same taste, but mostly we agree on how things should be and I must admit that I ‘m given a lot of freedom to express myself and do things as I like them, here in the Penthouse.
What is the biggest decorating challenge you've faced?My biggest decoration challenge though, is the one I faced this summer in Greece, having to completely renovate a new - old apartment my parents bought and doing it under extreme time pressure and not the biggest budget in the world!
From tearing down walls, to ripping out completely the kitchen, the bathroom, the closets in the bedrooms, to installing new water pipes, wooden floors and tiles in the verandas. A process that lasted for 6 weeks and works were being completed even until a few days ago, me having returned in Germany in the mean time and having to coordinate everything on the phone.
Yes, that was a challenge and still is as I‘m flying there in a week for a short while, this time to do the most pleasant part, of organising and decorating the place.
Describe your favorite style and colorsI really like eclectic interiors, that have a feeling of uniqueness. Overall all though, I ‘d say that I love simple, minimal style with touches of vintage, and some mid - century pieces, combined with beautiful and surprising details.
I love white for its totality and brightness and for the fact that it creates a perfect canvas to work on, with different splashes of colour. I also very much like the warmth that natural materials, such as rattan, wood and raffia, bring to a place.
What's the one spot in your house that makes you most happy or proud?I love the big window in this apartment and I enjoy being in my reading corner, which I decorated with framed wallpaper samples, a project of mine that seemed to be very welcome especially by the Flickr friends.
What's your most precious accessory, piece of furniture or work of art?I cherish a lot of things, mostly for emotional reasons but something that I feel has given the tone and added to the current style of the Penthouse, is the golden, vintage Albert Van Luit wallpaper from 1965.
I was lucky to find a few rolls of such various designs in a shop in Athens and since I have them, I feel that I possess something very valuable! I think it helps that some of them are stamped and signed.
What's your next home project?My next home project is the kitchen. I ‘d like to have some part of the walls painted a dark grey or even chalkboard black and of course then adjust the details.
I was meant to have it done by now, but completely miscalculated and have to postpone it for after my return from Greece.
What are the 5 things that houzz readers need to know about your blog?I created Busy Bee’s blog after being totally inspired by a number of great blogs about design, decoration, photography, arts and crafts held by more or less professional bloggers. I was fascinated by the ability to communicate so directly with other people, who have the same or similar interests.
Being a very new blogger, I discover things in the process of doing them, that meaning that the blog is and will be evolving for quite a while until it reaches the desired regularity, style and content.
At the moment there are posts relating to my Flickr account, where I am found as ivy style33, which mostly involve pictures of the Penthouse and various projects I’ve worked on. Moreover, I ‘d like to present more of favourite places that I visit throughout my daily life, which is spread in cities such as Frankfurt, Ruesselsheim, Mainz and Wiesbaden. And having studied Psychology and spent many years teaching children, I ‘d like to also write about relative subjects. In this context, projects that are accomplished with my little students at the Arts&Crafts in English classes and seminars, will be described.
Last but not least, through keeping this blog, describing pictures on Flickr, writing comments and answering to people’s questions, I realised how much I like to write and enjoy the peacefulness found in these moments. It’s a great addition to being creative! Actually it’s another form of creativity, new but very welcome to me!
What is your best tip for the decorating beginner?I’ d say practice makes perfect, like in everything! Read, look, get inspired, pay attention to your space, try to keep a balance while at the same time expressing yourself and your personality in and through your home! And of course, do try things out!
Thanks so much, Iro, for sharing your beautiful, peaceful home with the Houzz community!