We love designing people’s homes and we believe that a good project can improve the quality of life. Making our clients happy living in their dream homes is our goal.

MEL interiors is an Amsterdam-based interior design office created by two Brazilian architects Marilia Callou and Elayne Alves.

Our experience as foreign architects living in Europe taught us that in order to deploy our creativity properly, we had to create our own opportunities. Inspired by this idea we opened our studio in Amsterdam in 2014.

We are specialized in bespoke residential projects to transform a house into a home while paying attention to detail, design, and quality. MEL interiors create their projects in collaboration with their favourite brands to fulfill the dreams of their clients.

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MARILIA

CO-FOUNDER & DESIGNER

I’m Marilia Callou the “M” from MEL.

I grew up listening to my parents say that I should work with love because when we do it with love we will be great at it! My father is an engineer and entrepreneur and before I even knew I wanted to study architecture I knew I wanted to build something for myself as my father did!

I graduated in architecture in Fortaleza (UniFor) in 2012. During architecture school, I discovered my passion for furniture and interior design and that made me want to educate myself deeper. That’s when I enrolled in a Master's degree in interior design in Milan at Domus Academy in 2013.

After getting experience working in residential and retail projects outside my birth country, I felt ready to start building my own opportunities. When I met Elayne we had an instant click. She is the dreamer and I’m the realist. We were the missing pieces for each other and that was keeping us from moving forward. That was the beginning of Mel.

Designing homes for me is about translating feelings into a unique experience. Everyone is unique and beauty is relative and that is the biggest challenge of our work. We get into people’s private life to understand how they live to design what will make them happy.

By the end of every project we say “made with love” and that is the essence of everything we do at MEL!

ELAYNE

CO-FOUNDER & DESIGNER

I’m Elayne, the “EL” from MEL.

My dream of becoming an architect came when I was little listening to my mother talk about her unfulfilled dream. I grew up learning to love architecture and dreamed of building buildings that would change the life of society and that would not be just a junction of walls, but an architectural experience.

I graduated in architecture in 2008 at UFPE, in Recife - Brazil. During college, I did an internship at a well-known Interior Design Studio and that's when I learned to love this area too.

Shortly after graduating, I went on to oursue a Master's degree in sustainable architecture at Universidad Politécnica de Madrid.

But when I moved to Amsterdam, I saw that my true passion was interior design and I have been working with Marilia since 2014.

Together we do each project with great affection, and all of them are like our babies to us. For me, the most important thing is to try to read the client's taste and create the dream house that fits their style and needs, so that when they enter the house they feel comfortable and happy there.

For me, the best payment for my work is to hear from a client that our design changed their life in a positive way and that they are happy living in their new homes.

 

ANA

INTERIOR DESIGNER

“My name is Ana Laura but everyone just calls me Ana. I'm an Architect and I've been part of MEL for almost 3 years now. I was born and raised in the countryside of São Paulo - BR and I've been traveling the world for 5 years. All the places I've been have made my passion for Interior Design grow even more. I like to be fun, I love my dogs, Friends, I love to sing and I am driven by the privilege of being able to turn houses into homes.”

ALLINY

SALES MANAGER AND DESIGNER

“I'm Alliny, born and raised in the Brazilian capital, the city where I worked as a lawyer for over 6 years until I moved to the Netherlands in 2019. Between 2019, I planned and executed many stages of my own renovation, including DIY. This experience made me fall in love with interior design and pursue a career change. Now, I am working as an intern at MEL.

I love expressing myself in different ways, which is why I chose aerials as a hobby.

Being creative comes naturally to me. It's part of my essence, part of who I am. I couldn't be happier working in a place that inspires me with such a creative team – helping Elayne and Marília turn people's dreams into reality.”

 

RACHELLE

SOCIAL MEDIA INTERN

“My name is Rachelle and I’m born and raised in the Netherlands. After getting my degree in graphic design I felt that I wanted to explore more about the possibilities of design. This is when I decided to do the Allround Design course at Academie Artemis. In the third year I ended up doing my internship at Mel Interiors and absolutely loved it.

I have always liked to be creative in lots of ways but recently discovered that my biggest passion is interior design and that I specifically love the japandi style.

Besides interior design I absolutely love travelling and going to concerts. These two things are like fuel for my creative mind and give me a lot of inspiration.

I’m really happy to be part of the Mel Interiors team and to be working in such a creative and inspiring environment.”

 

LILY

3D RENDER DESIGNER

“My name is Lily-Fleur, but people call me Lily. I'm from France and I have a degree in interior design. Currently, I'm finishing my Master degree in interior design and luxury scenography.

I love museums, art, philosophy, and traveling because they inspire me. I'm motivated by challenging projects and enjoy learning from the people around me. My goal is to design spaces where people feel comfortable, incorporating subtle touches that reflect their lives. I particularly enjoy creating unique places that tell the story of their owners.”