Pretty in Pink! How Talida makes everything cute and everything 'her'

Even though the time in her current space has been limited to just around three months, stepping into Talida's room there is one thing immediately noticeable, personalization and a clear interior style pattern. She describes her room as very girly, and pink, and often likes to connect it to the lively season of spring. A breath of fresh and bloomy spring air, and a total contrast to the rainy and grey weather outside her window.

Talida is currently doing her internship at a laboratory at Saxion as part of her study of Biology & Medical Laboratory Research. She moved into her room just recently, this February, and lives together with her sister and one other girl. Together they form a small cozy and comforting girl household.

Talida herself has a girly and energetic personality, immediately welcoming me into her little room. “I don’t have a lot of space, but I try and make the best of it.” She says. One of the most important things for her is to make her living space her own. She enjoys decorating and being creative. She cares about how her space looks and feels and likes it cozy.

Even before she moved to Enschede she started collecting small furniture and decoration items for her new room. The outcome? Two whole boxes, with only decoration. A lot of her trinkets and décor are thrifted, which means that she bought them at a second-hand store, also known as Kringloopwinkel or Kringloop. She often pays a visit to her favorite Kringloop in Enschede where she found many nice items already. Over time she added more and more little details to her space.

Besides finding hidden treasures, she also likes to go to places like Søstrene Grene and browse through the décor collections: “They just have so many cute things, and I always want to get everything.”

Like many young people today she enjoys thrifting not only decoration and furniture, but also clothes. “I buy a lot on Vinted, like cute shoes or vintage pieces.”

Thrifting has become a huge trend over the past couple of years since it is often cheaper than buying things new. Especially for students, who often have less money, this can be really attractive.

Even though it can take some effort to find what you want, you might end up with something really cool and unexpected. Some people practice thrifting almost like a sport, putting a lot of energy into finding rare items and deals, always on the hunt for something new.

The main reason why Talida prefers thrifting is because the things you buy have more personality and a story behind them. There is a mystery behind each of them that might remain a secret or might be uncovered. “I should really stop myself from buying.” There are just so many interesting things to find. After all, there is also the possibility that you find something rare or even unique, that only you own.

Talida tells me about a plate she once bought because she liked the flowers that were painted on it. While she bought it for just a couple of euros, turns out it was a hand-painted antique from the brand Villeroy & Boch, a luxurious ceramic manufacturer.

The other day she discovered a vintage chaise longue which she would’ve loved to get, to sit and read books on. “It’s one of those couches where old rich ladies in movies lay on.” She planned on buying it but came to the sad realization that she just doesn’t have enough space.

Want to find out more about a certain object or area? Then you can explore the space further by hovering over the hotspots in the interactive images. They might reveal some interesting stories.

Before living in Enschede she moved from Zwolle to Nijmegen where she was living in a basement apartment that was usually inhabited by the daughter of the couple who lived upstairs and rented out the room. Since the room was already furnished and the daughter left a lot of her things in it Talida didn’t have a space that she could fully make her own. “It never felt truly like my own room, it felt like I was invading someone else's space.”

Even though that room was bigger than her room now, she was really happy to move and finally be able to show herself again, and not feel like she was stuck in someone’s place. “I am very influenced by my environment, which is why I try to make everything my vibe.” This doesn’t only apply to how she decorates her room, but also to her outfits, notebooks, laptop, and basically everything that is customizable in any way.

“I want to make everything cute, make everything me!”

Her room is her safe space. Talida feels lucky to be living with her sister and another girl, who are both very happy to also live with her. That's why she often likes to spend time in the living room with them. If she feels like she needs to relax after a busy day she enjoys being by herself. “This is the space where I can truly be me”

It doesn’t matter if it’s working on school assignments, reading, doing her make-up and getting ready, watching a movie, or a TV show.

Since she is currently doing her internship she often comes home and has all her work done already, but sometimes it can be difficult for her to concentrate and she often gets distracted when she needs to work at home. If she had a separate space for working it would be much more motivating and easier to hold concentration. 

For her, her room is there to relax, not to work, and that is why she also doesn’t really like to work in bed. Her bed is an area of comfort and coziness, here she likes to sit near the head of the bed and watch the street in front of the house. “There is always something happening here, I feel like the police are here every day and there are always some people arguing.” 

Inside the coziness of her room, Talida has created a story of her personal expression, transforming her space into a reflection of her personality.

Vintage lamps shine a warm light over curated thrifted treasures, each item telling a story that reflects her vibrant spirit and unique style.
The mix of pink and green tones, combined with floral elements mirrors Talida's energetic and kind personality. Her story should remind us that our living spaces can be more than just functional – they can embody our aspirations, memories, and the essence of who we really are.