I don’t have the dream house. I have a 1965 split-level — and that’s the point.
I’d love to tell you I’m renovating a beautiful old heritage home with high ceilings and a story behind every wall. I’m not. I live in a 1965 split-level, which is honestly not my favorite style of house. The layout fights me. The ceilings are low. Nothing about it whispers “luxury.”
But here’s what I’ve learned: most people aren’t decorating a dream house either. Most of us are working with whatever we’ve got — a builder-grade rental, a starter home, a house that was fine for 1965 and hasn’t caught up since. And I think it’s worth showing that you can still make a home like that feel intentional, elevated, and genuinely beautiful — without a full renovation and without pretending your house is something it’s not.
That’s what Esquerre Design is: a place to follow along as I figure this out in my own home, room by room, and share what actually works — the small changes that make an outsized difference, the budget-friendly swaps that read as high-end, and the honest failures along the way too.
If your house isn’t your dream house either, I think you’ll feel at home here.
— Nakita, Esquerre Design
Esquerre Design 