In
‘It is often difficult for people to estimate how an empty house, especially if it has been completely gutted, can look habitable. Or how their sofa fits into that gigantic living room they are viewing. I’ve always worked in the sales and events industry, but I actually got into this job through work with my husband. He is a contractor and we have a real estate company with two others. Before the sale, we always renovated the homes first. I was disappointed that there is not much good offer for sales styling, so I started doing it myself next to my regular job. I have also been doing it for other clients for three years and it has become my full-time job.
“I pay myself a fixed amount per month, but that is minimal. It’s also much less than I made in my previous job – in fact, it’s the worst paying job I’ve ever had. But that’s fine, I’m doing something that I really enjoy and that I want to grow even bigger.
“That’s why I invest as much as possible in my company. I have a whole warehouse full of furniture and thousands of pillows, rugs and other things to furnish houses, but there is still room for more. And I notice that the number of customers is attracting. That is why I sometimes work with interns or freelancers.”
Out
‘I live with my husband and our 4-year-old son in a house in Amsterdam. We have moved four times over the years. We started quite small, renovated the house and moved again. As a result, we now have a relatively low mortgage for a relatively expensive house of 140 square meters. For now, we’re just fine. My father’s garden is adjacent to ours, so Grandma and Grandpa are close by too.
“I don’t really have a good idea of how much we spend on fixed costs each month, and we think it’s important to eat good products. We therefore get meat from the butcher and fish from the fishmonger. Then you often get a better quality than in the supermarket. And people often come to eat with us, so we spend quite a bit on groceries every month.
“My husband also has an expensive hobby, wine. Once a year we go to Burgundy to stock beautiful wines. My husband has built a wine climate chamber in our house where everything is stored. We have wines there between 8 and 80 euros, some have to be 20 years old. I don’t know much about it, but like to grab a wine from the cupboard every now and then when we have diners. I can only use the wines in the front; those in the back are special. That has gone wrong before.”