Project Hester

So, I’ve been teasing you with this project for years now (see here and here). Ridiculous. I’m sorry. We finished it awhile ago, but I hadn’t gotten around to taking non-iPhone photos of it, so I had yet to share. Well, this lovely client of mine has purchased a house (this was a rental flat) and is in the process of packing up all of these pretties as you read this, so it became very necessary to get some photos before she began. So at last – proper photos! 

A little backstory: As mentioned above, this was a rental flat. It had lots of charm, for sure, but there were certain aspects that we just couldn’t change and had to work around – the wall colours, the overhead light fixtures, and the window coverings. And when we started, my client only had a bedroom set, so we had to bring EVERYTHING else in!

This was one of my favourite projects to work on to date – this client is so fun and easy-going; she let me try out all my crazy ideas, which I think resulted in a pretty fun space. Let’s start in the foyer/hallway. This was a tiny space that was mostly used for passing through. To spruce it up, we added a kilim upholstered bench and framed a bunch of movie posters my client had found when travelling.

The kitchen was actually pretty decent, so all we did in here was build an island to make the space a little more functional, and paint my client’s existing stools to tie in with the pop of colour from her dish towels.

In the dining room, my client found this amazing rug, sideboard, table, and chairs at auction. After a few text message photo consults, she purchased them and we got to work polishing up the rest of the room.

We chose a fun modern fabric to reupholster the chair cushions and added a few accessories to bring the room together.

Typically, we would also bring in art and window coverings but that didn't get done (or couldn't get done) before the move.

This may be one of my favourite living rooms yet. 

We layered a classic hempweave with a fun striped rug and added a cozy down-filled sofa and classic leather club chair piled with an assortment of pillows in different textures and a plush throw.

We also added a vintage dresser for the TV, matching gold side tables, an industrial coffee table, and a modern spine bookcase to fill the corner; and brought in some black & white photographs and fun navy lamps for an extra dose of personality. Again, we couldn’t add drapes here but ordinarily we would!

Lastly, this little office nook was pretty fun. We used a kilim-esque rug with a vintage desk and chair, a bright teal lamp, and a vintage armoire for storage. Simple but pulled together.

So there you have it! The whole space. I love how this flat came together and I’m so excited to reuse and repurpose these pieces so they work in her new home. You can catch a sneak peek of our plans on Instagram here. And if you’re interested in having me help make your home feel more cohesive and beautiful, I’d love to chat! You can reach me at vanessa[at]thebackdropdesign[dot]com.