Artists Jordy van den Nieuwendijk and Kate Isobel Scott lived in their previous home in The Netherlands (where Jordy is from) for four years before moving to Australia in 2020. Neither had lived in Melbourne before, so they set about creating a new home together — although they couldn’t leave Jordy’s book collection behind!
‘Jordy has been buying books for over a decade… Moving these over from Europe was an absolute nightmare (I can still feel my lower back), [but] I do appreciate them!’ says Kate.
It’s these books, along with a yellow Mika Tolvanen light (also from the couple’s previous home) and plenty of art that gives the home its sunshine-y, colourful personality. As renters, Jordy and Kate are limited from making permanent changes, but small updates have gone a long way to enhance their home’s original features.
‘Jordy has transformed the living room by building a cabinet and making bookshelves,’ says Kate, who works as an animation director and illustrator.
‘We made the smaller storage room our bedroom, and made the big bedroom in the front of our house into a studio where we can paint and shoot Kate’s stop-motion animations,’ says Jordy, a painter and illustrator.
Scandinavian mid-century influences are also evident throughout the home, which make Jordy feel at home.
Kate and Jordy don’t always agree on their home’s styling, but it’s perhaps their clash of tastes that makes their space so inviting. For the most part, Jordy says he buys ‘stupid’ things he comes to regret, while Kate buys practical pieces ‘that look nice and serve a purpose!’
‘I sometimes buy things that Kate feels are dust collectors. And sometimes, Kate buys items that I don’t like at the start, however now, after a few years, I still don’t like [them],’ Jordy says.
All this magically ties in with the couple’s eclectic artwork collection, including many bright pieces by Jordy himself. Together – it all works perfectly!
