Chloé Kian talks about new beginnings, her love for vintage, and her new home in the countryside, where she has found a calmer, more consistent rhythm today. Her background in film shapes her view of spaces just as much as her work behind the camera. And after years abroad, her focus has shifted back to what is right on her doorstep.
Interview and text by Kaira van Wijk.
Chloé's Favorites
For Chloé Kian, returning to Switzerland feels a bit like returning to her roots. She became well-known through her personal YouTube channel, her relaxed, elegant style, and the wellness rituals she openly shares with her community. After years in Berlin and later in Cape Town, she now lives back where she grew up: in a small town not far from Lake Geneva.
Her hair is tied back, her skin looks fresh, and every time she turns her head, her earrings catch the light. Beside her lies Olja, her Australian Labradoodle, curled up and long since asleep. "I always wanted a dog," she says, smiling. "But first, I needed the space for one."
Through the large windows, the view extends over soft shades of green and blue to the mountains and beyond to the lake. The rooms are flooded with light. It is a scene that feels almost like a Swiss postcard – quiet, expansive, and a little like being permanently on vacation.
The house dates back to the 1970s and has been changed and renovated repeatedly by different owners over the decades. It is located in the French-speaking part of Switzerland. It was only after her time abroad that Chloé began to appreciate many things here anew: that different generations meet in a small town, but also that the region is shaped internationally by the companies based here.
"You can lead a quiet life without feeling completely isolated," she says. She also likes the sense of community. "It is a fairly close-knit community. I like that a lot. Everyone lives their own life, people respect each other's space—but at the same time, you are there for one another."
Little by little, Chloé is making the house her own. A process for which she brings a lot of intuition. At the same time, her studies in film production influence the way she looks at and designs spaces. She speaks quietly, appears effortlessly elegant, and has a fine sense for intimacy—the very quality upon which her work is based and with which she has shared insights into her life for years.
With life in the countryside has also come a new desire: to reconnect more strongly with her immediate surroundings. "I want to have more contact with the community here—and with nature."
We talk to Chloé about personal style, her love for things with a history, decorating a home, and what it means to return.
What are the staples of your personal uniform?
"I love a good shirt, vintage Levi's, comfortable linen trousers, and a simple white t-shirt or tank top. Those are the basics in my wardrobe. I like to combine these with special accents—jewelry or shoes, for example—often in somewhat unusual shapes.
Basically, I keep my wardrobe fairly neutral because that way I can wear the pieces longer. I also really like oversized cuts. Even as a child, I used to rummage through my parents' closets—my mother's as well as my father's—and put together my own looks from them. Experimenting with clothes, whether new or old, has always been fun for me."
How has your style changed through living in different places?
"In Berlin, where I studied, everything was about vintage for me. I scoured every flea market, and I'm sure 90 percent of my wardrobe was secondhand.
In South Africa, my style became more minimalist. Partly because I lived out of a suitcase, and partly because the lifestyle there called for something lighter and more uncomplicated—for clothes that are less tied to the seasons.
Since being back in Switzerland, I've been investing more in quality: good natural materials like cotton, wool, or cashmere and pieces that last a long time. In the city, I tend to dress a bit smarter. Out here, it's more about comfort and functionality—things I can work in the garden with or go for a walk with the dog."
Did your love for vintage start in Berlin?
"No, much earlier. My mother discovered her passion for sewing before I was born. She made many of our clothes herself and always bought special pieces on her travels.
During my school years, I started shopping secondhand more often. Where I grew up, there weren't many shops, and somehow everyone wore the same thing. I found that a bit boring. I was interested in what else was out there.
That attitude is also reflected in my interior design today."
How is that shown in your home?
"When we moved in here, we already had furniture from our two previous apartments. Then we fell in love with these vintage dining chairs by a Swiss designer from the sixties.
I love the hand-woven details and the wood with its patina. The chairs are well-preserved, but you can tell they had a life before us. That is exactly what I like—with clothes as well as furniture: the history that a piece brings with it."
What was your biggest investment during the renovation?
"Probably the materials. In the bedrooms, there was already a wood-look floor, but not real wood. We wanted a 100-percent wood floor throughout the house.
So we replaced the floor everywhere, including on the landing. That changed an incredible amount. I like that wood is 'alive'—that it expands a little in the heat and contracts again in the cold. We often walk barefoot at home, and that is where you really notice the difference."
You've lived in different places. Has having your own home always been important to you?
"Yes. I've always taken care of my home, even when I was only renting and didn't even know how long I would stay.
I still decorated and tried to create a place that felt like me. Sometimes all it takes is a candle, a perfume, or incense with a very specific scent. Small things like that can make a room feel familiar almost immediately."
How does your background in film influence your view of rooms?
"For me, interior design and film overlap. When I design a room, I think about how it looks on camera, but just as much about how it feels when you actually live in it.
I've always had an eye for symmetry and for when something feels cohesive. Every time I move to a new place, it takes a while until I've figured out which perspectives work and how the light falls.
I only really get to know a room by living in it and trying things out."
Is there an object that particularly defines a room for you?
"Lamps, definitely. That's something I don't mind spending a bit more on. My mother always said a lamp can change a room just as much as the right shoes change an outfit.
In my living room, there is a Gubi floor lamp that I already bought for my previous apartment. I still get a lot of compliments for it. Its shape is a little unusual—and that is exactly what makes it interesting."
What advice would you give to someone who is starting from scratch with their interior design?
"Don't be afraid to try things out. I would first make a rough plan: How much space do I have? What is most important in this room?
In a bedroom, for example, I would start with the bed and plan everything else around it. First the large furniture, then the small things.
Once the large pieces are in place, it's the smaller elements with which you can change a room again and again. Moving a bed is quite an effort. Moving a bouquet of flowers or a lamp takes two minutes."
What do flowers mean to you?
"I love the ones from Silkhaus that we have in the entrance area. Many people think they are real. If I didn't say anything, they probably wouldn't even notice that they aren't.
I used to not be able to do anything with artificial flowers. At the same time, with fresh bouquets, it eventually bothered me to constantly have to throw them away. This has completely changed my mind.
I feel like continuing to play with them, rearranging bouquets, and little by little building up a small collection—with different flowers, vases, and arrangements for different rooms. They simply bring something lively into a room immediately.
Fresh flowers still mean a lot to me, though. During a difficult phase of my life, I often bought them for myself, just to make the day a bit nicer. That cheered me up immediately.
Every now and then, we get a vegetable box from a farm nearby, and right next to it, there is a flower farm. Our neighbor has since become almost like a mentor for me in that regard. She takes care of the flowers; her husband takes care of the vegetables."
