Avenue Lifestyle

Hello everyone! Are you dying to see the new studio space as much as we are dying to share it with you? Well, the full scoop is at the ready and we couldn’t be more pleased. We got the keys on the 1st of January and whipped it into shape in record time so we could get to work as fast as possible, and with as little interruption to our current workload as possible. It took us about two months in total to get it ready to show you guys, and we are so in love with the results. Calm, functional and inspiring was the goal and is very much the result! Love it when a plan comes together.

In case you missed it in our partnership announcement a few days ago, the studio is located on the top floor of a beautiful big building in The Hague. The building is majestic and boasts spectacular architecture. It is a former oil company headquarters which now functions as offices and flexible working spaces for professionals from all sectors. When we were looking to move away from our home studios and into an external studio space, the location was as paramount as the first impression – it had to be practical and pretty in equal measures! With both boxes securely ticked (the studio is located exactly between both of our houses), and the perfect space secured, we got straight to work with designing the space. Here’s the full scoop, plus a few before and progress shots because we know you love those! Get the full scoop

I’ve been hinting that there’s been something exciting brewing behind the scenes here at Avenue for a while now, something that has been all encompassing, scary, thrilling and at the same time calming. Today, finally, after months and months of scheming, organising, analysing and planning, I can share my news with you. I have a business partner! I now share Avenue with Hedda Pier, an interior designer who is not only highly skilled but has been one of my best friends since living in The Netherlands and someone who has unwaveringly offered me support, inspiration and encouragement. That there are now two faces behind a business and brand that has become almost a personal extension of myself is both thrilling and terrifying, for both of us, but I have never felt more calm, creative and in control as I have since we merged in January officially as Avenue Design Studio.

The past two years has been incredibly fast moving for me work-wise and I have grown in leaps on both a personal and professional level. I have split myself between the two sides of Avenue – designing for projects and photographing for magazines and brands – while having two interns who work every day (from the studio in my home), as well as maintaining the blog and social media accounts. I have travelled for work, which is always wonderful but also puts a strain on the work load back home not to mention family life, and have at times been overwhelmed by the fast pace of my working life and the impact the last year of juggling has has on the things I aspire to be doing more of – shooting projects, spaces, people and places, creating original content for the blog, creating and seeking out inspiration in new forms, building new relationships and having fresh new experiences. At the end of the day, if you’re constantly running, there’s little time and energy for creativity and making strategic plans to ensure goals are met. I have big goals and only one set of hands. I see potential in the business I have grown, but have at times felt paralysed with fear to take risks (big and small) and have felt a missing element for a long time. Someone to share the ups, downs, accomplishments, epic fails, inspiration and experiences with. Someone who shares my passion and dreams. I am a people person and solo enterprise can be a lonely thing, I can tell you. And while I regularly collaborate with other creatives, I have intrinsically felt this void for a while. Get the full scoop