The New York-based content creator’s Hudson abode is full of sentimental pieces.
Hélène Heath’s 1740s Home Is a Cosy Curation of Modern and Vintage
The New York-based content creator’s Hudson abode is full of sentimental pieces.
Welcome to The Makers. Each week, we celebrate innovators, artisans, and crafters of all types by taking you on a private tour of their creative spaces. For this instalment, we tour content creator Hélène Heath’s cosy 1740s home in Hudson, New York.
It’s not often people fall into a career path they believed to be destined for from a young age, however social media mogul Hélène Heath has defied these odds by being a sought-after content creator for the last 15 years.
Hélène began her journey back in 2008 when her nascent fashion career brought her to New York City. Starting in fashion publishing, then styling, and later pivoting into tech, Hélène learnt invaluable skills through producing literature and social media posts for successful international brands like French Connection, Mizensir, and Google just to name a few. Hélène now works as a full-time social-first content creator and part-time freelance writer, after mastering the tricks of the trade all those years ago.
Hélène now enjoys a slower-paced life in Upstate New York with her husband, in one of the oldest homes in the Hudson area that dates back to 1740. While the home’s interior remains true to its original condition, Hélène and her husband enjoy adding contemporary touches to the space while maintaining its sentimental charm.
Hélène and her husband fell in love with their home as soon as they stepped inside it for the first time nearly two years ago “It was the second house we visited and knew the instant we entered – the second my husband and I got back in the car, we turned to each other and just said “wow, this is the one” almost in unison,” she shares with Bed Threads Journal.
Prior to moving in, the entire home received a fresh lick of paint and the floors were sanded (which were originally stained black), to align with Hélène’s natural, farmhouse interior style. She is a big appreciator of antiques, sourcing sentimental tchotchkes from around the world to fill up their home with meaningful treasures – which perfectly suit the vintage charm that came with the impressive age of the home.
“The vision for the house was very much rooted in honouring its DNA,” Hélène shares, which is evident in her tonal homeware choices and subtle pops of colour. The master bedroom is bathed in natural light, which shines through the home's original casement windows. To contrast the light-toned wooden walls and floorboards, Hélène has opted for bedding in sunny tones of Turmeric, Lavender, and Terracotta in one bedroom, and verdant shades of Sage and Olive in the other.
When walking through her historic abode it’s evident that her background is in styling and fashion, as each room is beautifully decorated to complement the vintage structure of her home. Similar to styling outfits, Hélène approaches home styling the way she does with clothing, taking into consideration the body each garment is going on – just like she does with her vintage furniture and decor.
We were lucky enough to step inside Hélène’s eclectic vintage home in Upstate New York, and spoke to her about her career journey to date, along with the thought process behind how she styled her home’s interior.
Hi Hélène! This series is called The Makers. What is it that you make?
Hi! I make social-first content primarily for fashion, home, and beauty brands, as well as for my own channels.
How does the act of “making” relate to your personality and who you are?
Making content is super intrinsic to who I am, it’s second nature. Not sure where my shameless passion for oversharing anything I find useful or beautiful came from, but paired with my love of visual storytelling and my style flair, it feels like I was weirdly destined for a career in social media content creation.
Tell us about your career journey to date. Did you always know you wanted to pursue this line of work?
This line of work most certainly did not exist when I was entering the workforce, ha. I was always quite creative and really struggled with figuring out a direction for my career. I took photography classes in high school and college and considered pursuing it professionally, but when I realised fashion could actually be a viable career path beyond designing, that’s the direction I chose to take. I was obsessed with fashion magazines from a young age and my ultimate career aspiration was to be a magazine fashion editor, which technically is not that far off from what I do now.
Talk us through your creative process. Where do you start and where do you find inspiration?
It’s super intuitive and unstructured, but one thing is always consistent: my brain starts lighting up as soon as I get in the zone and remains this way throughout the entire journey of “making” something. I’m very in-the-moment and often just riff off of what I'm feeling and the unexpected things that come up while I shoot. For better or worse, the original ideas I have are rarely ever the end result because I'm so impulsive within my practice. Overall my process is very unforced and I like to let my surroundings and my senses guide me.
You’re someone who loves aesthetics – what do you think is the importance of being able to appreciate beauty and how has this brought value to your life?
At the risk of sounding shallow (Taurus vibe check), being surrounded by beauty is one of the most important things to me. Not only because I have a very strong need for my senses to be engaged at all times, but also because my environment is one of my biggest sources of inspiration. Beautiful things are a main character in the story of my life, it’s a visceral requirement.
What’s been the single most crucial tool or strategy you’ve used to further your career?
This is such an interesting question for me because I'm very un-calculated (almost to a fault). I’ve mostly followed my gut in my life and career and have been driven by what lights me up or not. It's very difficult for me to do something I don’t feel in my core, so whatever plunges I’ve taken in the past have been driven by an inexplicable urge I couldn’t shake.
Recreate this look with our Turmeric Duvet Cover, Terracotta Fitted Sheet, Lavender Flat Sheet, Turmeric Pillowcases, and Lavender Pillowcases in our Build Your Own Bundle.
What’s been the best thing that’s happened to you since you started your career?
I’ve had multiple career iterations at this point, and the single most pinch-me thing that strikes me every single day is the fact that I work for myself and get to play dress-up for a living. I never in my wildest dreams could have ever conceived of this.
Do you have a single piece of advice you’d give to your younger self or someone looking to pursue a similar line of work?
I think one of the most important things I've come to realise is that if you’re going to pursue a creative career path, make sure that you’re doing so because you truly love it and not because you’re seeking fame and fortune. This is not a linear road– it’s paved with ups and downs that often come from external, uncontrollable factors. But if you follow your true north, the universe will always somehow let you know that you’re in the right place.
Now, the home stuff. How long have you lived in your home?
It will be two years this spring.
How did you initially know this was the space for you?
We were toying with the idea of leaving NYC and decided to look at some homes to see if it was something we could really envision ourselves doing… It was the second house we visited and knew it the instant we entered. Kept a poker face the entire tour (as one does, lol) and the second my husband and I got back in the car, we turned to each other and just said “wow, this is the one” almost in unison. We both had the same gut reaction.
Overall my process is very unforced and I like to let my surroundings and my senses guide me.
- Hélène Heath
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Sage Bedding Set, and Olive Throw.
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Did you do any renovations or make any big changes after moving in?
Most of the changes we made weren’t cosmetic. There was a lot of neglected maintenance to tend to (read: not fun and very expensive) but the interior was pretty much turnkey, which is what we were looking for. The only aesthetic things we did before moving in were painting the whole place and redoing the floors, which are all original to the house. They were stained black when we bought the house and we sanded them down back to their old glory for a more natural, farmhouse vibe.
What was the thought process behind the way you’ve styled the interior? Is it an extension of your fashion sense?
One common thread with my home and fashion sense is that I’m trend-driven for neither. Although I approach both with a certain effortlessness, the vision for the house was very much rooted in honouring its DNA – it’s one of the oldest homes in the area (1740) and we were gung-ho about embracing its charm while still adding contemporary touches. John and I both love sourcing antiques (pieces with a past life are the most special) and we’re both a bit sentimental, so almost everything in the house has a story… Which, coincidentally, is very similar to the vibe in my closet: I’d say that 75% of my wardrobe consists of vintage clothes and family hand-me-downs. I love playing around with unique pieces and making unexpected combinations that somehow work.
What are your favourite pieces in the home?
Tough question. I will say that I’m really proud of our rug collection, but I also particularly adore a small wooden side table with mother-of-pearl inlay that my grandparents purchased in Spain in the '60s. Another special piece is the metal frame bed in the smallest guest room, which we unearthed from John’s dad’s attic.
Do you have any special décor pieces you’re looking to add?
Never not looking! Currently on the hunt for some sconces for our bedroom. That’s the next priority.
Which is your favourite room in the house?
It used to be the dining room (we love to entertain), but we just finished our music room and it’s quickly become my favourite. With its built-in bookshelves, dark walls and ceiling, vintage seating, vinyl player, and guitars all over, it’s a very sexy room that also exudes comfort. It’s inviting and sophisticated all at once, which to me felt like a great accomplishment, ha.
What are your top tips for a well-styled bedroom, and home generally?
I enjoy a minimal bedroom for sanctuary vibes. It’s a place where I want to feel relaxed with complete peace of mind, so less is more: candles, fresh flowers, and not much else. That being said, a layered bedding situation is how I achieve peak cosiness. I like to approach bedding the same way I do an outfit: playing with textures, colours, fabrics, prints or solids, etc.
For the common spaces, creating little vignettes in each room is a great way to add personal touches. I use fresh flowers (or self-foraged branches or greenery), candles, vintage candlesticks, books galore, beautiful vases, lamps, vintage art, trays, objets, the list goes on. I find those elements can make a space go from just nice to wow.
Mostly, I want things to feel easy, natural, and lived-in. I like homes that look beautiful but that also feel comfortable and make people feel at ease. I don’t iron sheets, I can’t stand too many pillows, I don’t do perfect tucks, and I like throws to actually be, well, thrown.
Do you have any projects coming up you’d like to talk about?
Nothing I can reveal quite yet!
For more from Hélène follow her @heleneheath
Photography by Meghan Marin. Styling by Laura Woolf.
