A Frank Chat with Sabine Geurten

Within the frantic interior design scene of Amsterdam, one voice stands out. With modesty, yet confidence, with an eclectic yet a calm and clear sense of style and how Life should be marvelled at and gratefully enjoyed. Sabine Geurten, one of our most esteemed stylists... shares her insights with us.

Sabine, please take us through your career. From fashion stylist, fashion editor and creative director for various Dutch magazines and fashion brands, to Editor-in-Chief of Glamour. And alongside that: interior designer and artist.

From my earliest childhood, fashion has been a constant thread in my life. My mother owned a designer boutique, and as far back as I can remember she was always dressed in extraordinary pieces. I still vividly recall her Sergio Rossi heels and those sharp, power suits with oversized shoulder pads. Every month, international and Dutch fashion magazines lay scattered across the table. The imprint was there early on.

Choosing a fashion or art academy felt completely self-evident, there was simply nothing else I felt that deeply passionate about. Looking back, it was quite a leap: at sixteen, moving from Heerlen to Amsterdam. My love for creating and free thinking was also nurtured by an exceptional art teacher who quickly spotted my talent. It was the one subject at school where I truly excelled.

All the turns my career has taken happened organically. When I was younger, I saw opportunities everywhere and perhaps I was a bit bolder back then, too. Not from a résumé-building mindset, but purely because I enjoyed it. I still do. I thrive on reinvention and on taking on new challenges.

How does your background in fashion influence the way you look at a space or a project? And vice versa: how does your interior design background shape the way you approach work for a magazine or a brand?

I can’t separate the two. For me, it’s one and the same. I carry a kind of treasure chest of memories in my head that has shaped my taste: films, museums, street scenes, flea markets, travel. Everything blends together and forms the starting point for everything I do. I’m sometimes hard to follow… by others and by myself… but I navigate entirely on intuition and taste. That’s my strongest and most cherished asset.

When you design or style a space, what does your thought process look like?

I’m a storyteller, a visual thinker, and an artist. I’m always telling a story that first takes shape as an image in my mind. The initial idea is often too grand, even unrealistic, but in dialogue with the client’s wishes it slowly distills into something tangible and concrete. Most of the time it starts with a single object or image, and everything else is designed and built around that. Sometimes it takes a while, but once the first two colours, objects or pieces of furniture are in place, the rest tends to fall into place naturally.

How do you ensure you capture not just aesthetics, but also the identity and emotion of a person or brand in an interior? And how do you make room for authenticity and imperfection in an era of Instagram-perfect images?

I don’t like perfection, I find it deeply boring. A space or an image should feel alive, have an edge, contain something unexpected. Don’t expect showroom interiors from me, filled with brand-new pieces that could be copy-pasted into any space. That does nothing for me. I love balancing on the edge. Something that doesn’t quite fit, something you don’t expect, keeps the eye engaged.

Sometimes you have to convince a client, but experience has taught me that once I earn their trust and am given creative freedom, that’s when my best work emerges. If you find yourself wondering, or looking twice, or pausing to think about what you’re seeing—then my goal has been achieved.

What has been the most personal or impactful interior project you’ve done, and how does it still influence you today?

Oof…that’s a heavy one. My very first commission was immediately a gigantic residential project: a house of over 600 square metres, and a listed national monument no less, which was to be fully renovated. From one moment to the next, I was asked to design the entire interior. Incredibly beautiful, but with countless restrictions imposed by the Amsterdam Bureau for Monuments and Archaeology.

I went into it rather naïvely, without a deep technical construction background. But everyone involved; the architect, contractor, installers, craftsmen, site manager and client, was incredibly kind and supportive. Over the course of two years, I experienced every facet of the building process. It was the most valuable education I could have wished for.

Can you share a moment when a project or decision didn’t work out, and what it taught you as a designer, and as a person?

Things definitely go wrong for me when I make too many concessions to a client’s wishes. Often, people don’t yet know what they truly want; That’s precisely why they hire an interior designer. Someone may have seen something at the neighbours’ house or in a magazine, but that doesn’t automatically mean it fits their own home or way of living.

I once worked on a project where I didn’t stick to my vision. The design called for a choice between walnut and white. During discussions, I allowed myself to be talked into oak instead, a compromise. I woke up the next morning feeling deeply uneasy, thinking: this won’t be beautiful, and it doesn’t suit the space.

I called immediately and explained, clearly but firmly, why oak simply wouldn’t work. It had to be walnut. Thankfully, the client trusted my reasoning, and the project turned out beautifully.

What is a crucial design choice that readers or clients often overlook, but that can make or break a space?

Art and history. Every home needs them to feel alive. Filling a space with only new furniture adds no character. It’s the mix of old and new that tells the story of the people who live there. Without art, there is no life.

Which questions are too rarely, or no longer, asked by interior professionals today?

For me, it’s a very simple, almost banal one: What is your budget, and how are we going to use it in the smartest way? I can design a home on a small budget or a very large one. My taste and vision don’t have a price tag.

Cost differences usually come down to factors like craftsmanship, materials, uniqueness and brand. Everything revolves around managing expectations. Clients need to know upfront what they can realistically expect within their budget, and also be clearly informed when their expectations don’t align with what their budget allows. I’m very aware that everyone’s financial situation is different, and I dislike unpleasant surprises.

Lifestyle plays a role too: one person wants a fully equipped designer kitchen, while another barely cooks and prefers to turn the bathroom into a wellness retreat.

How do you see the role of interior design evolving in an era of sustainability, digital content and even virtual spaces? And how do you see your own role within that?

I’ve always been a huge vintage fan: a vintage lover avant la lettre, back when we simply called it second-hand. So sustainability is very much my territory. Objects can so often be reused, and it’s wonderful to see how consciously the younger generation engages with this; from recyclable materials to reworking old pieces.

That everything will change is certain. I’m incredibly curious to see what technology and craftsmanship will create together. As for my own role: staying well-informed and remaining open to what’s to come. I can learn a great deal from young talent and their view of the world—and the exchange works both ways.

That said, I’m too old-school to go fully digital. I love the smell of paper, paint on my hands, and the endless process of building and rebuilding. My computer is my assistant, not my boss.

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Photos by Nine Ijff