When Design Intervention principal Nikki Hunt and her husband built their home in 2005, they drew inspiration from colonial black-and white bungalows. “I love their casual majesty. Their style exudes a sense of strength, like a protective constant that we can return to no matter how topsy-turvy the world may seem,” she reflects.
But while she finds their permanence soothing, when it comes to the interior, she is perpetually tinkering. as a designer, many furniture prototypes come in for testing. With new fabrics, she may redo some curtains to see how they fall or re-upholster a chair to see how it wears.
She even brings in project rejects so that she can use them and figure out how best to improve on them. The home has also undergone a series of planned renovations in keeping with the changing needs of the household.
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“When we first designed the home, we planned it around our young kids. Seven years on, their needs as teenagers changed so we reconfigured the home to incorporate a dedicated study area and spaces where they could have more privacy and hang out with their friends,” she explains.
Fast forward to seven years later when another round of redecoration was carried out in 2019 after both kids left to pursue their education overseas, leaving vast areas within the expansive property underutilised.
“Unused rooms always feel cold and unfriendly. I wanted to create a home that resonated with fun and life, one that would refresh and revitalise us,” she says. Now, with the kids and their stuff gone, she gets to explore a more flamboyant design style that would flood the home with vitality and a sense of fun.
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The reception room’s eclectic colours, prints and shapes convey the impression that the room has evolved over time. The casual, hand-painted fabrics and mismatched elements cut through the glamorous formality and encourage guests to relax.
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“People think that I love maximalist interiors and I will not deny it, but what truly delights me are interiors that exude personality. I cannot abide boring homes that are dull, with no sense of who lives in them,” she shares.
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Designed to revitalise, the television room incorporates a plethora of colours and materials. “Dorothy Draper believed that bright colours can lift the mood and this is something that neuroscientists have now proven,” says Nikki. It is a room where anything goes rough is mixed with smooth and shiny, big teamed with small, and even wood grain directions have been deliberately misaligned.
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The existing outdoor terrace has been enclosed to make it more comfortable in the tropical heat because Nikki considers comfort as the “ultimate luxury”. This is where the couple relaxes on weekends, especially at dusk when they get to enjoy spectacular views of the sunset across the pool.
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Instead of blinds, stickers have been used to provide privacy in the master bathroom. The stickers take their cue from the wallpaper mural but allow light to pass through without compromising their screening effect.
From inside the bathroom, the trees outside are still visible through the stickers. “Art and reality merge so it is difficult to determine what is real and what is not,” Nikki points out.
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A study area attached to the master bedroom exudes a laidback formality with its textures, unstructured forms, and imperfect prints.
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Calmer, but no less cheerful, the master bedroom is a soothing cocoon for rejuvenation and relaxation. The combination of yellow and blush pink creates the feelings of optimism, serenity and romance.
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Good design is all about balance and the kitchen showcases Nikki’s skill at achieving perfect harmony between competing elements.
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The cheery and uplifting pastel colour of the cabinets is balanced by masculine, jet black accents and square profiles.
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The Hunts have been socialising more with the kids gone and they now have a dedicated bar. Here, the space is filled with a variety of bold prints and patterns extending all the way to the roof. She regards ceilings as “a fifth wall” and the ceiling of the bar has been adorned with botanical motif wallpaper, complementing the lush vista outside.
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The billiard room has no view and is used primarily at night, so Nikki created a visual interest with a mural that evokes the feeling of being in a tropical garden lit by candlelight, surrounded by the flickering shadows and shapes of the garden.
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Nikki’s style inspiration for the terrace is Coco Chanel and she has included a table similar to the one that Coco Chanel had in her Rue Cambon apartment. She believed that wheat is a symbol of prosperity and this table, with its gilded metal wheat sheaf base and round glass top was made famous by the style icon.
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Nikki is also mindful of the distinction between residential design qand commercial design. She believes that while commercial interior designers design to impress others, a home should be about creating an environment that pleases the homeowner.
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She says: “If it makes you smile, it has to be right.” For Nikki, a home is the backdrop to family life. “The best residential design promotes family interaction, relaxation and a sense of belonging. It makes you feel loved and safe, it nourishes the soul and it is comfortable and honest. This is what I have tried to do,” she concludes.
This article was originally published in Home & Decor.
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