Explorer. Entrepreneur. Designer of worlds. Student of life.

I'm Marije. Still figuring things out by living them.

I travelled independently, explored different cultures, and went looking for answers beyond the life I was told to build. Somewhere between the outer adventures and the inner work, I became fascinated by a bigger question:

Who are we beneath everything we've been taught to be — and what becomes possible when we start designing life from there?

Here, I share the experiences, ideas, and practical tools helping me understand myself, question convention, and build a life with more intention and freedom.

Find your starting point
Marije Andrea, portrait published by Best Interiors
Portrait · Best Interiors ↗
Overview artwork: three businesses, one creative thread
Three businesses. One creative thread.
Ammonite Hotel dining interior with crafted material details
Ammonite Hotel · Photography Victor van Leeuwen / Excellent

The same curiosity that once led me to design spaces and build businesses now leads me to explore the human experience — and how we can consciously shape the lives we live.

My story

From designing spaces to designing a life

My background is rooted in design, entrepreneurship, and the art of turning ideas into reality.

Over the years, I've developed interior concepts, hospitality experiences, products, brands, and businesses — often building things from the ground up, from the first idea to the finished result.

My work has taken me across different industries and countries, from designing spaces and developing concepts to working with international suppliers, building brands, and bringing creative visions to life.

But beneath all these different projects, I've always been interested in the same thing: what makes something truly work?

What gives a space its atmosphere? What makes a concept meaningful? What makes a business sustainable? And what makes a life feel like your own?

Eventually, I began asking those same questions about the person behind the creation.

Because we spend so much time designing our homes, businesses, brands, and surroundings — yet rarely apply that same curiosity to the life we're building for ourselves.

What if we approached our lives with the same intention we bring to a design project? What if we questioned the original brief, challenged the assumptions, explored different possibilities, and created something that genuinely reflects who we are?

That's where business, design, self-awareness, and conscious living meet in my work today.

For morePortfolio ↗KOROOTS Store ↗

My story

Freedom, success and adventure — alongside losses and unexpected turns that changed the way I see everything.

I've built three businesses across different industries, created multiple income streams, travelled the world, and questioned the conventional 9-to-5 way of life for as long as I can remember.

By my late twenties, I was invoicing between €10K and €80K a month across my businesses. I had learned how to turn ideas into concepts, concepts into projects, and creative vision into commercial value — long before AI became part of the mainstream conversation.

Not by following someone else's formula, but through imagination, dedication, strategic thinking, and a willingness to figure things out for myself.

Because here's what life has taught me: you can build wealth on the outside and still have so much more to discover within. True wealth is not just about what you create, but about developing the inner capacity to sustain it — to hold freedom, time, peace of mind, joy and financial stability by doing the inner work.

The biggest lessons didn't come from the moments when everything was working out. They came from losing things I thought defined me, stepping into the unknown, and questioning who I really was beneath everything I'd built.

I began to see a connection between the way we build businesses and the way we navigate life. Both involve patterns, beliefs, perception, decisions and the systems we operate within. And the more curious I became about how things work on the outside, the more interested I became in understanding the inner world that shapes how we experience them.

That's where my understanding of true wealth began to change.

Not just money. Not just freedom on paper. But knowing who you are, understanding what matters to you, and having the awareness, courage and practical skills to build a life around it.

Today, I'm bringing together everything I've explored — from entrepreneurship, creative direction and personal branding to consciousness, self-discovery and life design — to help women reconnect with their authenticity, recognise their strengths, and turn their ideas into something of their own.

Whether that's a deeper understanding of themselves, a new direction in life, or an independent brand or business, the starting point is the same:

Understand yourself. Recognise your possibilities. Learn how to bring them to life.

Because the goal isn't simply to build more.

It's to build something that genuinely feels like yours.

KOROOTS — Marije Andrea
Who are we?

Koroots would like to tell stories trough design that bridge the gap between the strange and the known, between traditions and innovations, between the individual, the personal and the universal.

Marije AndreaMarije Andrea
About

I am Marije Andrea, explore fanatic, creator and designer of worlds

“I would describe myself as a true free spirit and life optimist. I don't like to think within the box and therefore live as limitless and free as possible. This is expressed in my work: adventurous, investigative and open-minded with a strong personal vision: All that can be imagined, as well can be created.”

KOROOTS journeys

Little Mary Jones
01

Little Mary Jones

Since a young age, I’ve always been drawn to calm, reflective ways of looking at life. Buddhism came naturally to me — not as something I studied deeply, but as something that simply made sense. I’ve always felt things strongly, noticed details others overlooked, and trusted my intuition when something didn’t feel right.

That sensitivity has always been just part of who I am. Not special, not dramatic — simply a way of moving through the world with awareness, curiosity, and a quiet understanding of people and places.

Who are we truly
02

Who are we truly

By traveling- living- creating all over the world, and by going solo off civilization: I am able to connect to life in the most purest way and, explore all kind of realms: spiritual, cultural, emotional. I feel naturally drawn to helping people and supporting good causes. It fits who I am and what I believe in. Personal growth and transformation have always been important to me, and I want to use that to make a positive difference.

KOROOTS creation
03

KOROOTS creation

My design company and creative journey, KOROOTS, is about reconnecting with the essence of the Soul of places — capturing the raw beauty of local communities, the deep-rooted spirit of cultural heritage, and the harmonious dialogue between nature and architecture. I specialize in discovering and capturing places that honor nature, culture, and intentional design. I love working with conscious stays and communities, creators who design from the heart, sustainable and future-focused organizations, and craftsmen who work with their hands and soul. These are the people and places that align with my vision.

Home : unity
04

Home : unity

I’ve spent years trying to bring back the essence of home — the home that lives in our hearts. Through my work, I’ve tried to breathe life into material spaces and give them a heartbeat. In the world of interior architecture and housing, I’ve woven together design with humanity — reminding us that walls and roofs mean little without soul, compassion, and connection.

Through my journeys, I’ve witnessed how deeply we are losing touch — not only with each other, but with ourselves, with nature, with what truly matters. It’s time to remember. Time to awaken to unity. Because what we seek outside has always lived within.

In a time when society is polarizing, we need to be more open for several nuances and a wide variety of visions.

Their story - our story - your story

koroots.store ↗
  • Soul & strategy
  • Freedom & structure
  • Cosmic integration
  • Business & millionaire mindset
  • Heart-centered living
  • Creating impact
  • Expanding consciousness
The life behind the questions

Not just ideas. A life spent exploring them.

Before and after of a fireplace wall renovation designed by Marije Andrea
Fireplace renovation · before / after
Before and after of a bedroom transformation designed by Marije Andrea
Bedroom transformation · before / after
01 / Ideas, made tangible.

The designer

Interior architecture. Spaces. Creative concepts. I’m interested in what happens when an idea leaves the sketchbook and becomes something you can actually live in.

Explore the studio
Marije Andrea seated in a leather armchair holding a portfolio
Own photo · Marije Andrea
02 / Imagination meets execution.

The entrepreneur

Building businesses means making decisions, adapting, and finding out what works in the real world. The vision matters. So does the plan.

See the work
Marije's dirtbike parked on a mountain ridge above the clouds
On the road · above the clouds
03 / Beyond the obvious route.

The explorer

Independent travel, remote landscapes, and a dirtbike off the beaten path. Exploring the world has also meant questioning my own way of living.

Follow the journeys
Marije in conversation with two local elders among the rocks
Meeting local elders
04 / People, not backdrops.

The cultural storyteller

I’m curious about craftsmanship, architecture, traditions, and different ways of living. The people I meet have their own stories — not just a role in mine.

Explore the stories
05 / The questions come home.

The inner explorer

My curiosity turned inward, too. Consciousness, meditation, personal patterns. Not to arrive at one universal answer, but to understand what shapes my own choices.

Explore inward
Children from a local community sitting together on the roots of a large tree
Under the old tree
Marije sitting with local children on a rock by the water
By the water
A local craftswoman showing Marije how to weave bamboo
Learning bamboo weaving
Marije and a craftswoman laughing while weaving bamboo
Craft, hand to hand
Selected from my world

Out there. In here. In progress.

Follow @marijerichards

Explore inward. Mirror outward.

There are 1000 ways to live. Why follow just one?

Explore the world. Question what you've been taught. Get to know yourself. Learn new skills. Build something of your own. Change direction when life asks you to.

You don't need to copy my life. You need the freedom to discover what your own could look like.

Start exploring

A life with soul. A business with purpose. Freedom by design.