It's Pattern on Pattern on Pattern in This San Francisco Apartment

It would be impossible to distill everything I love about Christiana into one paragraph. She’s genuinely kind and cares deeply about friends and family. She’s exceptionally stylish and has a particularly keen eye for art and statement necklaces. She’s brilliantly funny, and we share an appreciation for sarcasm that has alienated more than one past boyfriend. But perhaps the best way to capture how I feel about her is to say that I consider her a sister, rather than a friend. We’ve been inseparable for the majority of our lives. Running a business together for the past ten years has added yet another dimension to our relationship, and we’ve managed, I think, to successfully navigate the potential pitfalls of mixing friendship and business. We celebrate our successes, support each other through our failures, and, at the end of the day, we’ve both decided that our friendship always takes priority.

当克里斯蒂安娜搬进她目前的公寓,I was so happy that she’d found such a sunny, character-filled space to call home. The working fireplace, original molding and built-ins, and claw-foot tub created the perfect canvas for her to build a very special, totally unique space. Christiana has always had the most wonderful eye for design, and it’s been a joy to see her home evolve. I love this little jewel box of an apartment—there is always something new and interesting to discover. We’ve had so much fun here; whether we’re entertaining a bunch of friends or just getting takeout and watching TV together, laughter is invariably part of the equation. One of the best things about our business is that I’m able to visit my dearest friend often, and I consider myself lucky to be able to spend so much time with her in her lovely home.

What was the design process for your home?
When I first moved into my little apartment, my idea was to keep things very minimal, which I thought would make it feel like a bigger space. But I quickly realized that’s not actually how I live or like my space to feel, so I began to fill each room with pattern, color, art, and objects that make me smile. Red, pink, green, metallics, patterns, mirrors, marble, design books, ceramics, plants, art, throw blankets, and pillows—I love it all. The design of my home is constantly changing as we create new Hygge & West patterns that I want to try out, or as I experiment with new ways to use our wallpapers and textiles. For example, I initially had just wallpapered one accent wall in my bedroom with our Diamante wallpaper in gold. But after living with it for a few months, I decided that I wanted even more gold and glam, so I just went for it and wallpapered all four walls. A couple of years later, when we launched that same pattern in fabric by the yard, I made matching curtains. I didn’t think I’d be into the concept of those two elements matching each other, but I like how it flows. The room now feels like a dark jewel box to me.

What does wallpaper bring to a home that other design elements can’t?
Adding pattern to a wall can quickly and dramatically change the way a room feels and the story it tells. Because walls offer such a large, blank canvas, altering just that one element can have a huge impact in any space. I’ve switched up the wallpaper in my apartment more times than I (and my landlord) would care to admit, and every single time I’m happily surprised by what a difference it makes.

Life in a small apartment means wall space is limited. What are some creative ways you’ve come up with for creating more places to add pattern to your home?
Very few flat surfaces in my apartment have been overlooked for possible wallpaper applications. The back of my bathroom cabinet, my closets, my refrigerator, and the bottoms of drawers have all fallen prey to my wallpaper experimentation. Recently I wallpapered the inside of my kitchen cabinets with our Tassels pattern in black. It adds a festive element to my cocktail glasses collection.

What is your most cherished object in your home?
When I was graduating from law school and getting ready to move into a new apartment, I spent finals week scouring decor magazines and the mysterious internet (yes, Google had just been invented) for inspiration. I realized then that this was my passion, which was unfortunate timing since I was getting a JD[Editor's note: that's a type of law degree]and not a degree in interior design. One of the magazine pages I dog-eared was a picture of a beautiful chair, the Sunset Chair by Christophe Pillet. I blew my entire first paycheck on it, and I remember the women who sold it to me saying I was “brave.”

There was actually nothing brave about purchasing a piece of furniture I couldn’t really afford, but five years later, when I decided to leave my legal career to pursue our business, I did finally feel that sense of bravery. The chair’s shape is very contemporary and not something I’d likely choose now, but I’ll always love it as a memento of discovering my passion and slowly finding the strength to pursue it.

You’ve managed to pack your place with style without it feeling cluttered and overwhelming.
I’m one of those people who really believe each and every thing has its designated space. So while I’ve admittedly packed a lot of things into my little home, they all have their place. It’s “pretty stuff” versus “clutter,” or at least to me it is. I recently removed everything but the books from the bookshelves in my living room. Only having books on those shelves made them almost textural instead of distracting, so the focus of that side of the room is really on the fireplace, where I keep my favorite crystal candlesticks and John Derian floral plates.

There’s a ton of greenery in your apartment, which certainly contributes to its lush aesthetic. What role do plants play in your home?
Initially, I brought in a couple of plants as a way to fill in some empty spaces and add more life to my home. I didn’t think I needed very many, as the patio that’s visible just outside my window is quite lush. But over time, the plants became a hobby, and I really enjoy how there is now plenty of green from the outside reflected in.

What do you love most about your apartment?
It’s one big pattern mix! I try to incorporate my favorite pattern from each of the collections we’ve launched, and each one evokes particular memories of the time period we were working on them. I made Julia Rothman’s Foret fabric into curtains for my living room. That pattern was easily the most time-consuming and frustrating pattern we’ve ever created, due in part to our inexperience at the time with its delicacy and number of colors. I loved the pattern when Julia first showed it to us, and I appreciate it even more now after all the work that was put into transitioning it from a sketch, onto wallpaper, and then to fabric. The Ornate wallpaper designed in collaboration with Wit & Delight in my entry represents a huge transition in our company as we finally launched our bedding collection, of which that pattern is a part. The Diamante pattern was inspired by a trip Aimee and I took to Mexico City.

What is the biggest benefit of living in a small space?
You can have only so much in a small space, so it forces you to really think through each and every purchase—or at least it should. I’m still working on letting my small home dictate my shopping habits, I suppose. I spend so much time prop shopping for our photo shoots, scrolling through our wonderful design community’s Instagram posts, and searching for pattern inspiration, that it can be very hard to resist buying things I don’t technically need, but that strike me as exceptionally lovely. And I know that a bit more restraint with such purchases would be wise, especially given that I have next to no space left in my little place for anything new. But I can’t help myself sometimes—there are just so many beautiful things out there.

是什么让你的l吧ife you live in it—hygge?
Livinghygge只是一种心态。如果你总是存在u remember to look for it. For me, it’s genuinely and deeply appreciating all the small moments I have at home and out in the world—that first cup of coffee in the morning snuggled in bed with my favorite guy and his dogs; relaxing with a good book in my beanbag chair while the sunshine streams in through a window; a drive along the coast with the windows rolled down, music flowing, destination unknown. And, most important, it’s about the people who walk in the door. True happiness at home comes from being surrounded with people whom I love and can be completely myself around and who love me back—my friends, my family, and my boyfriend. A lively mix of pattern, a pretty plate collection, a book stack in just the right spot—all these things are just icing on the cake, albeit it delectable, delicious icing.