Kristen’s Palm Beach-Inspired Home In Burbank

published Oct 12, 2015

Page URL

We independently select these products—if you buy from one of our links, we may earn a commission. All prices were accurate at the time of publishing.

About this tour

Explore More House Tours

Home Type

Apartment

Location

Burbank, California

Style

Art Deco

Bedrooms

Square feet

900

Sq ft

900

Name: Kristen Tola Hettich
Location: Burbank, CA
Size: 900 square feet
Years lived in: 6 years; Rented

Can't-Miss House Tours Straight to Your Inbox

Keep up with our latest house tours each weekday with our House Tour of the Day newsletter

When my friend Kristen decided to redecorate her bedroom last year, she enlisted a professional interior designer to help her out. That project lit a fire under her to tackle the remainder of the entire home on her own. Kristen is a food, fashion, and interior prop stylist who is very good at mixing patterns and is not afraid of color! It took her years to narrow down her personal style for her own home, but once she figured out which direction to go, she really nailed it. When she had me over to photograph her house for her portfolio, I encouraged her to let me publish it as a House Tour, and I’m so happy she said yes!

Hello everyone, meet Kristen and her adorable doggie, Remy! (Image credit: Bethany Nauert)

(Image credit: Bethany Nauert)

When you’re a stylist, your job is centered around creating a mood or a lifestyle and pulling everything together in perfect detail. The idea of bringing a full home together is so daunting for many people, and for some time, Kristen really wasn’t sure which style direction to take her home. After lots of Pinterest and really delving into interior design, she discovered her favorite style already had a name: “Palm Beach Regency.” Her favorite places to travel are all ocean surroundings and tropical beach destinations, and she found a wonderful way to blend her love of her hometown of West Palm Beach with lots of gold accessories and vintage decor. Not only did she indulge in painting every wall, she decided wallpaper was also the way to go. She felt that color and patterns on her walls (along with the rugs) really pulled every inch of the space together.

For Kristen, the most essential part of designing a home is really focusing on the areas of the home in which you spend the most time. “Also, making your home feel like an inviting space that you can feel calm and relaxed in and enjoy being there.” For her, it’s her beloved kitty, Mocha, and dog, Remy, (along with treasured family photos) which hold the most significance. “But as far as décor of the home it would be some of the shells found around the space. The shells I have out are from places I have visited. Shell collecting has been something I’ve done my whole life and with my parents. Also very significant is a photo of Bondi Icebergs Club. The photo reminds me of my first trip to Australia I took by myself. I had always seen photos of this iconic pool and I finally got to swim in it and this photo reminds me of that trip and reaching my goals to go there.”

I think she has done an incredible job of merging her South Florida roots with her California dwelling. She really feels her personal aesthetic is very different than the majority of the design in Los Angeles, “But I do find influence from old Hollywood glamour style. But again, I’m a Florida girl raised by the beach, and will always love bright vibrant colors and tropical beach vibes!”

(Image credit: Bethany Nauert)

Apartment Therapy Survey:

Our Style: Palm Beach Regency meets trendy Hollywood Regency glam (Is that a thing? Ha!)

Inspiration: Growing up in West Palm Beach near the ocean. The beach has always inspired my style in a fashion sense and in a styling sense. The décor I’m drawn to is really rooted from where I grew up. A lot of the décor in my place is really trendy right now but even if they weren’t on trend I would still be drawn to these pieces and would have used them in my home. Another source of inspiration is definitely from hotels!

Favorite Element: I really love my upstairs bathroom (the white and black one) and my desk area. Both feel really elegant and inviting.

Biggest Challenge: Oh, there were a few of these! The biggest was the layout of the living room (dimensions) and the heater vent on the floor. With an awkwardly-shaped room and a vent on the floor it threw me off but eventually I made it work. What also helped was spray painting the vent to blend in with the floor, making it less noticeable.

What Friends Say: Usually something like.. “It looks great!”

Biggest Embarrassment: Hmm… probably the hideous A/C units

Proudest DIY: That’s also tough to narrow down because I’ve done so much to this place. A couple of them are… the stenciling in the downstairs bathroom. (I won’t publicly admit how long it took me to finish this project but I will say that I don’t plan on ever doing stenciling again Ha!) Also painting the black and white stripes in the stairway. My favorite though and proudest is the tall white cabinet in my work area. This IKEA hack turned out better than I expected!

Biggest Indulgence: Definitely the vintage Hollywood Regency white lacquered dresser in my bedroom.

Best Advice: Spend some time thinking about what style you want your home to have. Pick a special room/area (i.e. bedroom, living room, family room, etc.) and start with that space to decorate and the rest of the house will come together. Also, using mood boards, like Pinterest, really helps! But I think the best advice overall I could give is that there are no rules to decorating; it’s so unique to each individual.

Dream Sources: Palm Beach Regency, Circa Who, One Kings Lane, Coleen & Company, Jonathan Adler, Chairish, 1^stDibs

Resources

(Image credit: Bethany Nauert)

PAINT & COLORS

Bedroom (above): Behr Vermont Cream
Upstairs bathroom: Behr Night Blooming Jasmine in Satin
Downstairs bathroom: Behr Scotland Isle
Living room: Valspur La Fond Turquoise
Living room: Behr Sterling
Living room ceiling: Behr Mint Majesty

(Image credit: Bethany Nauert)

ENTRY

White console: One Kings Lane
Set of white lamps: vintage from eBay
Woven tassel basket: Nate Berkus for Target
Flamingo print: Sharon Montrose
Leopard figurines: vintage from Rose Bowl

(Image credit: Bethany Nauert)

LIVING ROOM

Lattice curtains: Etsy
Mirrored tables: Target
White tray on mirrored table: Nate Berkus for Target
Brass floor lamp: vintage from eBay
Wall sconces: Jonathan Adler
White bookshelf/display shelf: IKEA
Rug: Overstock.com
Peacock chair: vintage from Rose Bowl
Teal and yellow pillows on couch: HomeGoods
Coral Greek key pillows: Caitlin Wilson Textiles
White and gold garden stool: Target
Brass plant stand: vintage from eBay
Wooden stool by stairs: HomeGoods
Brass side table: Target

(Image credit: Bethany Nauert)

OFFICE NOOK (FORMER BREAKFAST NOOK)

Tall white cabinet: DIY IKEA hack
Set of brass palm sconces: vintage from Etsy
Yellow Greek key lamp: HomeGoods
White desk: IKEA, with brass handles added
Rug: Target
Lucite chair: vintage from Rose Bowl
Fur pillow: Target
Acrylic storage/display case: Rose Bowl
Gold and white vases: HomeGoods
Wallpaper: Meg Braff Designs

(Image credit: Bethany Nauert)

KITCHEN

Bar cart: Target
Dishes on bar cart: vintage from Rose Bowl
Artwork over bar cart: Slim Aarons
Greek key rug: eBay
Brass bamboo tray: vintage from Etsy
Shelf over stove: IKEA
Vintage light fixture: Etsy
Palm wallpaper: Carleton Varney

(Image credit: Bethany Nauert)

BEDROOM

This was the first room in the house that Kristen transformed, with help from interior designer Lindye Galloway. From this starting point, Kristen took on completely redecorating the rest of the house herself. See the Before & After feature on this room from last year!
Headboard: One Kings Lane
Sputnik light fixture: vintage from eBay
White Hollywood Regency dresser: Sunbeam Vintage
Hollywood Regency tie backs: vintage from Etsy
Rug: Overstock.com
Greek key nightstands: Z Gallerie