This Former “Basic White Box” Now Has Moody, English Countryside Vibes

Adrienne Breaux

Wed, March 27, 2024 at 4:00 PM UTC

7 min read

Gallery wall above couch, floor to ceiling color coded bookshelf, floral arm chair, round white table, vintage chairs and side tables — Photographer Jacqueline Clair describes her 700-square-foot New York City apartment as "English country, feminine, traditional, cozy, and collected." Credit: Jacqueline Clair Credit: Jacqueline Clair

Photographer Jacqueline Clair transformed her 700-square-foot New York City apartment into a cozy English country-inspired space filled with vintage pieces and floral motifs.
Jacqueline collaborated with interior designer Jennifer Hunter to incorporate chintz, brown furniture, and vintage items to achieve a lived-in, slightly moody English countryside vibe in her home.
By mixing floral patterns and sourcing key furniture pieces, Jacqueline successfully turned her basic white box apartment into a charming and character-filled space inspired by English designers Louise Roe and Carlos Garcia.

floor to ceiling color coded book shelf wall, floral chair with skirt — Jacqueline's proudest project was organizing the creation of the five IKEA Billy bookshelves in her living room. She added shelf extenders to make them taller but still wanted them to cover the entire wall's width. Unfortunately, another full bookshelf wouldn't fit. Credit: Jacqueline Clair Credit: Jacqueline Clair

Color coded floor to ceiling bookshelf — "He even had to cut off a bit of the existing trim around the baseboards to make it perfect," she continues. Credit: Jacqueline Clair Credit: Jacqueline Clair

Close up on white standing lamp base with iron flowers, floral pattern couch with ruffle skirt — Jacqueline was inspired by English designers Louise Roe and Carlos Garcia and wanted to make her space feel "lived-in." Credit: Jacqueline Clair Credit: Jacqueline Clair

Vintage white and pink vase with large pink floral arrangement in center of table in front of color coded book shelf, round white table with vintage wood chairs — Jacqueline found the dining chairs for $2.50 each at Housing Works and had them reupholstered. "Their swirled arms are reminiscent of the chairs in the Rose Reading room at the New York Public Library," she notes. Credit: Jacqueline Clair Credit: Jacqueline Clair

Gallery wall, green walls, floor to ceiling curtains, beige couch and rug, vintage wood chair — Jacqueline's grandma's bookshelf stands proudly in her living room. Credit: Jacqueline Clair Credit: Jacqueline Clair

Gallery wall above gray couch with wood vintage end tables and vintage gold oval mirror — "My favorite element in the space was probably all of the floral motifs and patterns. I collaborated with interior designer Jennifer Hunter on this apartment, and she helped me source a lot of the lovely floral patterns and fabrics we incorporated," Jacqueline writes. Credit: Jacqueline Clair Credit: Jacqueline Clair

Gallery wall, white lamp base with pleated red shade on vintage wood table — "I think the biggest challenge was taking what was your basic white box and turning it into a space that had charm and character," Jacqueline says. Credit: Jacqueline Clair Credit: Jacqueline Clair

Green wall entry way with peninsula counter half wall separating entry, vintage wood bench with floral upholstery — A vintage bench is perfect for guests to remove their shoes after entering Jacqueline's apartment. "Shoes off — this is NYC," she writes. Credit: Jacqueline Clair Credit: Jacqueline Clair

White cabinets in kitchen with green backsplash and black counter tops — One of Jacqueline's favorite things to do in her apartment is bake (as well as reading and editing her photography). Credit: Jacqueline Clair Credit: Jacqueline Clair

Hallway with multiple door ways and vintage sun lighting fixture — Faux grasscloth wallpaper from Society Social adds texture to the vestibule outside Jacqueline's bedroom and complements the artwork and Anthropologie light fixture. Credit: Jacqueline Clair Credit: Jacqueline Clair

Fabric peak headboard with matching pillows, floor to ceiling curtains, green base lamps with pleated shades on matching white nightstands — See into the primary bedroom, which is painted in Farrow & Ball's Pink Ground. Credit: Jacqueline Clair Credit: Jacqueline Clair
(Credit: Jacqueline Clair Credit: Jacqueline Clair)

Green lamp base with pleated lamp shade, fabric headboard with matching pillow — The headboard is from Serena & Lily , and the nightstands are from Pottery Barn . Credit: Jacqueline Clair Credit: Jacqueline Clair

Animal print arm chair, gold vintage floor lamp, pink roses, small green round ottoman, floor to ceiling beige curtains — Like in the curtains, floral fabrics help pull together the English countryside look that Jacqueline wanted in her home. Credit: Jacqueline Clair Credit: Jacqueline Clair

Gallery wall corner above fold down desk, vintage robins egg blue dresser with matching scallop edge lamp shades — A vintage dresser Jacqueline's mom found years ago complements the pink walls in her bedroom. Credit: Jacqueline Clair Credit: Jacqueline Clair

Robins egg blue vintage dresser, white vintage curved detail chair with patterned cushions, scalloped burlap lamp shade — "These are pieces that have traveled with me from apartment to apartment over the years," Jacqueline says. Credit: Jacqueline Clair Credit: Jacqueline Clair

Corner gallery wall, fold down white secretary desk, purple floral arrangement, black lamp shade on round gold base — "When you have those classic, timeless pieces, you just take them from place to place, and they always work," she continues. Credit: Jacqueline Clair Credit: Jacqueline Clair

Hallway, wood floors, view of living room floor to ceiling book shelves — The bathroom wallpaper, made by Caitlin McGauley, was Jacqueline's favorite purchase in her home. Credit: Jacqueline Clair Credit: Jacqueline Clair

City scape watercolor wallpaper, yellow flowers, black countertops — "It was a wallpaper I’d been wanting to use for years and through many apartments, and this was finally a perfect chance! It was a real showstopper and truly made the bathroom," Jacqueline shares. Credit: Jacqueline Clair Credit: Jacqueline Clair
(Credit: Jacqueline Clair Credit: Jacqueline Clair)

ABOUT THIS TOUR

HOME TYPE: Apartment

LOCATION: Upper East Side, Manhattan, New York

STYLE: Maximalist , Traditional , Vintage

BEDROOMS: 1

SQUARE FEET: 700

Photographer Jacqueline Clair has an eye for capturing great design — but she’s also got design skills, as evidenced by this 700-square-foot, one-bedroom apartment on New York’s Upper East Side she rented for two years. Though she recently moved from this place, it has too many brilliant ideas not to share.

“I think the biggest challenge was taking what was your basic white box and turning it into a space that had charm and character,” Jacqueline writes. “I was very inspired by English designers like Louise Roe and Carlos Garcia and wanted to create a kind of lived-in, slightly moody, English countryside vibe with chintz, brown furniture, and vintage pieces.”

Jacqueline achieved impressive English countryside vibes by adding key pieces to her furniture collection, like an étagère and circa-1940s English reproduction side table she found at a thrift store on Long Island, a gilt mirror from an antique store in the Hamptons, a beautifully detailed tole lamp, and lots of on-theme vintage items she’s collected over the years.

However, mixing many floral motifs and patterns also helped the English countryside vibes. Jacqueline worked with interior designer Jennifer Hunter to help, and she sourced floral patterns and fabrics.

“With Jen’s help, I had two little benches that my mom found years ago at yard sales reupholstered, and we were able to give them new life. Another great vintage find was the dining chairs — an absolute steal at Housing Works for only $5 each, and 50% off that! Their swirled arms are reminiscent of the chairs in the Rose Reading Room at the New York Public Library. Those were restored and reupholstered in a gorgeous brown Veere Grenney for Schumacher fabric that I absolutely love …

“I also incorporated my grandma’s old brown wood bookshelf and a vintage dresser my mom found years ago — these pieces have traveled with me from apartment to apartment over the years,” Jacqueline explains. “When you have those classic, timeless pieces, you just take them from place to place, and they always work.”

Resources

PAINT & COLORS

Bedroom — Farrow and Ball “Pink Ground”
Living Room/kitchen — Farrow and Ball “Lichen”

ENTRY

Large scale art — Kayce Hughes https://www.kaycehughes.com/
Bench — Vintage reupholstered in Lee Jofa Althea in Citron
Flush Mount — Alexa Hampton for Visual Comfort
Lamp — Pooky

LIVING ROOM

Sofa — Maiden Home Carmine
Pillows — Soane Britain Scrolling Fern in Chestnut made by Stuck on Hue
Lee Jofa Althea in Blush
Penny Morrison Ashok Pink
Chair — Custom in Lee Jofa Althea Blush
Chair pillow — Sister Parish Dolly in Pink
Rug — Williams Sonoma Home Canyon Sisal in Limestone
Side tables — Both vintage
White lamp — Pottery Barn with a shade from KRB
Modern lamp — West Elm
Gilded mirror — Vintage
Paper geranium — Papier Fleurs
Floor lamp — Vintage with Cruel Mountain Designs scalloped rattan shade
Spatter vase — the ARK Elements
Dining Table — Ballard Designs
Pink candleholders – Violet Rose Living
Dining Chairs — Vintage, reupholstered in Veere Grenney for Schumacher Folly in Berber Brown
Etagere — Vintage
White bench — Vintage, upholstered in Schumacer Cabanon Stripe in Rouge
Drapery — Custom Schumacher Cabanon Stripe in Rouge

KITCHEN

Flush mount — Alexa Hampton for Visual Comfort

BEDROOM

Dresser — Vintage
Dresser Lamps — Serena and Lily with scallop rattan shades from Cruel Mountain
Large scale art above dresser — Caitlin McGauley original
Small painting on dresser — Alexis Walter original
Small painting gold stand — Jayson Home
Pillar candlesticks — Ben Pentreath
Pink taper candles — Candle Flair
Obelisk — Parvum Opus
Desk — Pottery Barn
Desk chair — Vintage reupholstered with Schumacher fabric
Swivel chair — Society Social Stevie upholstered in Brunschwig & Fils Les Touches in Sand
Pillow on swivel chair — Custom through Etsy in Colefax and Fowler Bowood
Headboard — Serena and Lily Pondicherry headboard reupholstered in Colefax and Fowler Bowood
Curtains — Colefax and Fowler Bowood made through Shade Store
Large scale blue art — Christina Baker
Stool — Society Social
Pharmacy lamp — Lamps Plus
Gold lamp on desk — Nate Berkus (no longer available)
Art above desk — Inslee Fariss, Caitlin McGauley, Kayce Hughes, Christina Baker, my own via my Etsy shop
Duvet cover and shams — Sarah K Designs London
Sheets — Hill House Home
Nightstands — Pottery Barn
Bedside lamps — Ballard Designs with shades from KRB
Quilt — Nine and Sixteen Home

VESTIBULE

Flush Mount — Anthropologie
Wallpaper — Society Social faux grasscloth peel and stick in Wheat
Green Art — Evelyn Elizabeth Ball
Floral Art — Inslee Fariss

BATHROOM

Wallpaper — Caitlin McGauley New York City

Thanks Jacqueline!

This tour’s responses and photos were edited for length/size and clarity.

Share Your Style: House Tour & House Call Submission Form