Modern, sophisticated and cool – that’s how I would describe Mauricio and Olja’s style. I discovered this very talented duo on Instagram: oljaryz and mfcorridan and now I’m following their exciting journey.

I’m glad that Olja found a moment to chat with us. She has busy days working as a photographer and blogger with brands and designers. To give you a glimpse, she worked with brands like Calvin Klein, Burberry, and Cartier. Olja is currently a John Frieda ambassador and has been featured in magazines all over Germany.

It is truly inspiring how her aesthetic extends beyond her work and into their home. Even with the arrival of little Leo, the family hasn’t compromised on decorating or style. It’s a beautiful reminder that style and family life can coexist!

Olja, thank you for accepting our invitation to this small interview. Your willingness to share a part of your daily life with our readers is truly appreciated, and I’m sure it will inspire many!

1. Could you briefly introduce yourself and tell us about where you live and with whom?

My name is Olja Ryzevski, and I’m a photographer and content creator. I recently moved to Mallorca, Spain, with my husband and son after living in the Netherlands for almost six years. I’m German/ Russian. I was born in Siberia and grew up in Crimea before moving to Germany at the age of 14. 

2. Can you tell us more about how you developed such a unique, modern, and sophisticated style? Did you have a radical career shift, or was this style something you always carried with you?

First of all, thank you for the sweet compliment. My style has been influenced by so many different things over the years. 

At a young age, I was already very much into design, interior, travelling and later into fashion. I enjoyed reading blogs and would get inspiration from everything I could. I had wanted to pursue a more creative path, but since I didn’t have any creative influences in my surroundings, I studied Business Administration in Germany. Shortly before finishing my studies, I met my husband, Mauricio, and shortly after, we both decided to pursue a degree in photography in Berlin. It was then that I really started to get more and more into everything creative during our studies with each assignment, especially during the exchange semester we spent in Seoul, where I fell in love with their sense of style and Fashion. 

3. How do you manage your working days with a little toddler running around? Living in different countries, apart from your close friends and family, must be challenging. How do you manage to do it? 

It’s not easy! The first two and a half years were definitely the most challenging due to the fact that we are both self-employed and spend most of our days with Leo. He didn’t go to daycare until 2,5 and spent all this time with both of us. Sometimes, we had to cancel projects, and sometimes, we could organise that my mom would come from Germany to the Netherlands for a week or so, so we could work on our projects. Basically getting work done or literally anything, was not an easy task 🙂 Since we moved to Spain, our son Leo has now started to go to pre-school for the first time, and we now have more time during the week to find a proper balance. Living abroad without having family close by is very hard as you can’t rely on anyone most of the time, but we have each other, and  it’s also a phase which you have to go through as a parent, and it also goes very fast. We are trying our best to enjoy this time with him as much as we can.

4. We’re intrigued by your ability to maintain a minimalist lifestyle, even after becoming a parent. Could you share with us how your style and lifestyle have evolved since Leo arrived? 

It was definitely easier before having Leo. It was a lot more minimal and organized back then, but that’s just part of life, and I also love the chaos that kids create. Our love for natural colours, especially at home, is a big part of our style, and we try to keep it that way, which is also one of the reasons we chose Rafa Kids.

5. We’re curious about why you chose the Rafa-kids A teen bed and about your experience using it. 

We have known Rafa Kids for a while and always thought the products looked great. We chose the teen bed for a 2-year-old (now he is almost 3) because our boy Leo is no regular toddler. 🙂 He moves a lot throughout the night and needs a lot of space. Regular toddler beds simply weren’t for him. He would hit the wall the whole time, and this would wake him up, so a teen bed is the perfect fit for us, and we really love the clean design. 

6. And lastly, could you reveal one of your guilty pleasures?

Believe it or not, I honestly couldn’t come up with any guilty pleasures, and my husband just laughed and confirmed that I don’t have any 🙂 

THANK YOU so much, Olja, for taking the time to share a bit of your life with us.

We wish your family all the best. 

If you would like to meet and follow Olja on Instagram, you can find her here: @oljaryz