Sarah greets us with a warm smile, and within seconds we feel welcome in her home in Berlin. Sarah Hartmann started out just a few years ago on Instagram @saraheartmann up-cycling and creating her DIY projects which have since then become her full-time profession. Her home is filled with her recognizable colorful projects, and no matter which corner of her home captures your eye, there’s a story just waiting to be told.

What is your best advice in terms of creating a personal interior?

My best advice would be to try to avoid going to everyone's favorite Swedish furniture store and setting up the entire apartment at once. It is so much cheaper, and much more personal and unique to buy second-hand and to invest in selected high-quality and durable furniture.

What is the best part of being your own boss?

The best part of being my own boss? I’m still figuring this out because I pretty much love everything about it. I'm self-employed for the first time in my life and it's only been 5 months. It is incredibly exciting to do what you dream of every day and to be able to organize your day and the tasks yourself. It still feels like a dream and I can't imagine going back to an office job anytime soon.

Do you collect anything?

I don't really collect anything on purpose, but I actually have an amazing collection of
glasses and sunglasses, having worked in the field for a couple of years. The same goes for the huge accumulation of nail polishes that got so big because of my last full-time job at a nail polish company.

What is the most glamorous thing you own?

I'm not sure what I would describe as glamorous in my home, but it must be the famous lipstick mirror by Roger Lecal - I mean, that name alone. I'm totally in love with the shape. A lipstick-shaped mirror - that's definitely glam if you ask me.

What's your favourite item in your home?

There are many items in my home that I really love but one special piece is definitely my lilac dining table, which doubles as my home office desk. It was one of the first second-hand items in my new apartment and set the style and color scheme for the living room. I bought it from an elderly couple in Charlottenburg for little money and repainted it. The best thing is that it is extendable in case I have guests coming over.

What has been the most memorable project you did so far?

Design has always been a huge part of my life. I grew up with parents who were very interested in furniture design and architecture. In that way it’s not a surprise that I do what I do. I live and breathe design. And I might be a bit biased but I strongly believe that good design improves all of our lives. It can be that perfect pen, a great proportioned chair, things that are intuitively easy to use or breathtakingly beautiful. Things that are done well are good for us. It’s that simple.

What do you want to accomplish this year?

Two months ago I already reached a huge milestone, which was having my own creative studio. I would also like to do workshops there and meet up with contagiously interesting people. I'm very excited about where this journey will take me and I just hope things continue to go well. Otherwise, I've been working on my first very own piece of furniture for half a year. It's probably going to be a long process, but I'm really keen to step out of the internet and into the real world.

Tell us a secret! What's something people might be surprised to learn about you?

A random fact that I don’t tell that often but it surprises people quite a lot. I played a few small roles in German movies and in the afternoon tv program during my school days. It was a lot of fun and I was able to get to know very interesting people. However, I did not become an actress and decided to study graphic design instead.

Which historical figure would you like to have tea with?

When I was a teenager I was totally obsessed with Coco Chanel. I had to have every book about her, her fashion and her role as a woman at the time. I'm not a big fan of the fashion house Chanel per se, but the woman behind it fascinates me to this day.