Interior designer Sandy Aiken was overseas when she first saw real estate listing photos from her prospective clients’ home in central Wellington, but she could immediately see the place’s potential, as well as its challenges.

The approximately $200,000 makeover took 18 months, and has transformed the three-bedroom, two-bathroom apartment into an oasis of luxury and cosiness.

SANDY AIKEN, FROM D FOR DESIGN: My client approached me by phone while I was at the airport in Tokyo waiting for a flight to Amsterdam.

Her enquiry was for help with redecorating the fully furnished apartment she’d bought in Wellington.

My first impression from emailed photos was a great open space with many interesting architectural features, lots of different heights and many strange geometric shapes created by beams.

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The existing decor didn't do the space justice.

Initially we thought we could get rid of some beams, but we found out they were necessary to hide pipes and wiring. So we had to work with the interesting shapes to make them more attractive.

My client wishes were for a warm, cosy, luxurious feel with elegant furniture, inspired by the home decor stores she had visited during a recent trip to Stockholm. She shared her likes for cream furniture, a glass coffee table and blue accessories. She wanted to use the space more effectively.

The whole idea of a luxurious Ralph Lauren-inspired, black, white and blue interior decor came quickly to life in my mind.

I custom designed most of the furniture: the sideboard, coffeetable, side table, sofas, TV cabinet, dining table, dining chairs, barstools and all the bathroom cabinetry, mirrors and vanities.

The custom-designed furniture worked with other pieces of furniture I’d sourced from trade suppliers.

Here, I engaged Southern Creations because I knew I could count on my friend Scott Bowden (a very talented furniture designer) to help me nut out the fine details.

I absolutely love custom designing furniture and rugs as they make my clients’ homes truly unique.

Sourcing beautiful fabrics for custom-made cushions and furnishings is a big part of my interior design, as is selecting the right art.

These clients had some art already which I integrated into the design, and I sourced other pieces, including two commissioned from artist Jane Mason in Auckland.

I had seen previous work of hers on Instagram and it was perfect for this apartment. She created a sculpture and a painting which added real wow factor.

The two downstairs bedrooms had windows to the atrium of the apartment building. They were giving a little bit of light, but it felt intrusive, so I recommended gibbing over the windows to make it feel more private.

My client was doubtful of the dark blue wallpaper in both spare bedrooms, but I convinced her it would look amazing and that the white bedlinen and white painted ceiling would off-set this. Clever LED up and downlights would give plenty of light. The mirrored wardrobes made all the bedrooms look bigger.

Jill Laird from Moth Lighting has been exceptional in helping me create a successful lighting plan throughout the entire apartment.

There was no fireplace, and a fireplace really gives that homely feeling and a focal point. We decided to install a Planika Lincoln Biofuel Fireplace – the first bioethanol electric fireplace. It gives a lovely ambience, although it doesn’t give off much heat.

Proportion is really important in design. In this apartment it was challenging to get that right. The pendant light over the dining table I initially got was too small. I ended up getting a larger one to make sure it was perfect.

Luckily that was the only thing I got wrong.

To create a beautiful home with an exceptional interior design requires a lot of trust from the client, allowing a designer to do what they need to do. Because of her very demanding job, my client did not have time to do anything herself, so she trusted me to do everything.

There were high expectations which we were able to meet and I feel privileged to have their trust.

My clients absolutely love their apartment and say it’s a home-away-from-home that never fails to provoke a ‘wow’ reaction from anybody who comes through the door – a compliment I treasure from clients who have become friends.