While the mid-century modern influences – wood panelling, brass accents, and sleek profiles – of Esther and Jayden’s home are hard to miss, the same cannot be said for the trio of favourites which inspired its classy interiors, due to the personal meaning that they hold.
“It all started with lounges, bars, and a TV console,” Jayden explains. “Having a drink by the lounge is one of Esther’s favourite diversions, which is why we have a bar counter at home. And also because we bought the TV console first, and we tried to match the decor to it, rather than doing it the other way around.”
“As for the rest of the space, it pretty much came naturally to me,” says Esther who assumed much of the responsibility for the renovation – a logical decision to make because of her background as an architect in DP architects.
That said, even with her professional experience, the job presented its own unique set of challenges for Esther. “Getting the built-ins done was pretty straightforward, but the furniture hunt took a while because it was hard to find the right pieces,” she recounts.
Fortunately, by tapping on her contacts, Esther managed to procure a handsome, tanned European leather sofa from King Living that could be easily incorporated alongside her muse and favourite piece of furniture: the Commune Bruno TV console that she got right at the start. “It was the console’s brass accents that inspired us to include similar elements in the rest of the house,” she admits.
That being said, those weren’t the only perfect furniture finds that the design savvy homeowner managed to score. “There’s the barstools and lights from Made & Make too,” adds Esther. “I got them as they fit well into the overall aesthetic, and also because they wouldn’t look out of place.”
To achieve a cosy ambience throughout, they spent a considerable sum on rewiring, including plenty of warm lightings throughout the house. Similar upgrades were subsequently made to different parts of the house, including the couple’s personal boudoir and bathrooms. “It was quite stressful for them (the contractors) because of the amount of alignment and rewiring work that they had to do,” recounts Esther about the process.
Likewise, getting the bar counter’s look right required extra effort. “It was tough finding matching laminates for the counter top and its base panelling. And achieving the curved profile of the counter took some time as well,” says Esther.
On the other hand, it did not take much to achieve the common and en suite bathrooms’ warm, classy feel – brought on by a combination of clean lines and natural tiles plastered wall-to-wall. In fact, almost no work had to be done at all.
“The only thing we did was to install the cove lights, the rest of it came as is,” Esther says of the quick upgrade – a surprisingly undemanding job in a makeover that was all about bringing the ideal hotel home to life.