A Self-Professed "Trash Queen's" Amsterdam Flat Is Full of Secondhand Gems
Adrienne Breaux
·6 min read
Megan Burmeister and her boyfriend, Justin, have been renting this two-bedroom apartment in Amsterdam's Museum Quarter for three months, and pay €1850 a month. She describes her home's style as "soulful, cozy, colorful," and "thrifted!" Credit: Megan BurmeisterCredit: Megan Burmeister
"We added crown molding around the lounge to make it feel more classic, then painted everything a blueish green," Megan describes of some of the updates they made to the space. - The black leather sofa (also thrifted) is a Corbusier replica. - Credit: Megan BurmeisterCredit: Megan Burmeister
"In addition, I have upholstered many chairs, including our dining chairs, which were multicolor when we thrifted them," she continues. "I've hung curtains I made myself and we changed all the ceiling lights to thrifted retro ones!" Credit: Megan BurmeisterCredit: Megan Burmeister
"This vintage wooden display unit was free from Facebook Marketplace! It houses all our glassware and special serving dishes," Megan writes. "Our friend had got married the day before this picture was taken, so I hired a car and went to the venue to pick up all her flowers that were destined for the trash. My house was like a meadow for a week and it was heaven!" Credit: Lydia AinsworthCredit: Lydia Ainsworth
"A wooden tiger head I brought back from Mexico city and a Kokeshi doll from Tokyo — a Valentines gift for Justin," Megan explains. Credit: Lydia AinsworthCredit: Lydia Ainsworth
"We thrifted the Dutchbone carpet under the dining table for €90," Megan explains, also admitting that she reupholstered the dining chairs using "deadstock cord fabric I bought at an upholsterer's closing down sale. We picked up the retro '30s adjustable ceiling light from a thrift store for €10 and got a nice big bulb for it. I made the curtains out of an old pair I bought at a flea market in France," she continues. Credit: Lydia AinsworthCredit: Lydia Ainsworth
Megan said her favorite room is the lounge/dining room. "We have +3metre high ceilings and painted the whole room and the ceiling a kinda weird blue color, which gives such a fun feeling when you're in it," she begins. "I thrifted some gorgeous orange velvet curtains from a market in France (for €30!) and we love how dramatic they are at the end of the room. We often sit at the dining table surrounded by candle light, chatting, and drinking with friends for hours." Credit: Lydia AinsworthCredit: Lydia Ainsworth
"A glimpse of our ugly but charming little rental kitchen. I added books and a table lamp to make it more cozy, and stacked some of my Falcon enamel tins on top to give it a French country kitchen feeling. The silver lamp is a Vintage Robert Sonneman that I thrifted for €8." Credit: Lydia AinsworthCredit: Lydia Ainsworth
"We also hung drape curtains around the bed to add drama to our bedroom, as you can see it through glass doors from the lounge," Megan continues explaining of some of the updates they made to the rental. Credit: Megan BurmeisterCredit: Megan Burmeister
"This is our bedroom. I made these curtains and my boyfriend attached tracks to the ceiling that surround the bed. Every morning we feel like we've woken up in a hotel room!" Megan begins. "On the bed is a retro plaid, which I picked up at a flea market in Amsterdam, and the large painting on the wall was found by the trash." Credit: Lydia AinsworthCredit: Lydia Ainsworth
"This is the bar cart that my boyfriend built me in a 'Japanese Izakaya' meets 'New York Bodega' style. It's so fun to mix cocktails here when our friends come over and I love displaying our special liquors in it too," Megan begins. "Everything in the picture is thrifted from various places in the world (except the liquor) and those epic green wine glasses we bought as souvenirs when we visited the Madonna Inn, California." Credit: Lydia AinsworthCredit: Lydia Ainsworth
When asked for her best home advice, she's got six things: 1. Define your style! Make a Pinterest board to understand what aesthetic you resonate with. 2. Roughly plan out what you want to do with each space, then allow ideas to form as you go. 3. Don't be afraid to paint walls! It's not that hard to get them back to white. Credit: Megan BurmeisterCredit: Megan Burmeister
4. Decorate slowly, picking things up along the way. 5. Consume consciously by checking Facebook marketplace or buying quality pieces that will last 6. Have fun and remember that your space is a reflection of you. So do what makes you happy. Credit: Megan BurmeisterCredit: Megan Burmeister
Thank you Megan and Justin! Credit: Megan BurmeisterCredit: Megan Burmeister
Megan Burmeister and her boyfriend, Justin, have been renting this two-bedroom apartment in Amsterdam’s Museum Quarter for three months, and pay €1850 (about $2,003) a month. “My background is in fashion design but after falling in love with decorating my previous rental, I decided to retrain as an interior designer,” she begins. “Now I’m working to build my portfolio whilst decorating my apartment and home studio. My boyfriend, Justin, is a tattooist, specializing in naïve-style flash tattoos. He’s also very handy, so together we do all our own renovations.”
“Our home is cozy, colorful, and full of weird and wonderful things that make us happy. We have been lucky to have travelled a lot, so much of our home decor is from around the world,” Megan writes. “Ninety percent of the things in our home are thrifted/found on the street. I’m a self-confessed trash queen, spreading the message that secondhand can be contemporary and cool. I share a lot of our Amsterdam- and Europe-based treasure-hunt antics on my Instagram.
“I am South African and British, Justin is British, and we have been expats in Amsterdam for eight years, so making our space a home-away-from-home is mega important to us. As such, we are big on nostalgia!” Megan writes.
Our vintage Italian leopard, Lenny that Justin bought me for my Birthday one year :) Credit: Lydia AinsworthCredit: Lydia Ainsworth
“Justin loves old-school hip-hop, has a bigger-than-average LEGO collection, and loves drinking whiskey. I am obsessed with vintage Americana and have an online concept store, Motel Bodega, where I make and sell artworks and secondhand objects to make your home feel like the ultimate staycation. With many strings to our bow, our home reflects our varied interests but mostly it’s bold, totally extra, and super cozy. We like to draw the curtains and host dinner parties with friends that feel like we’re in the dining carriage of a Wes Anderson train.”
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