London Meets Paris in the Home of Skinfluencer Emma Hoareau

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 photographer and beauty blogger Emma Hoareau’s charming flat in London.

Stepping into the London flat of skinfluencer Emma Hoareau feels a lot like stepping through your phone into her gorgeous Instagram grid. Her home is refined yet warm, relaxed yet sophisticated, and carries a strong feminine aesthetic throughout. Born and raised in Paris by her artist mother, Emma has been appreciating beauty in all facets of life from a young age. Her space is decidedly British, but has that unfussy Parisian edge we all covet – sensual, refined and very chic. 

Her understanding of the artist’s method has allowed Emma to be a holistic creator, taking inspiration from everywhere and not being afraid to dip into different mediums. Emma has been creating and sharing her work with her loyal audience since 2009, uploading product reviews to her growing Instagram audience, as well as consistently publishing work to her website Lolita Says So. Emma’s work has also been featured in notable publications such as Russh, The Telegraph, Refinery29, and London Planner – just to name a few.

Emma continues to build her creative portfolio, expanding her photography skills and constantly challenging herself by learning new things that she can share with her audience. In 2020 she set out on a new creative endeavour and started @theflatupstairs_, a home and interiors Instagram account which shares her renovation journey, and inspiration behind her interior design choices.

We’ve been lucky enough to step inside Emma’s home, which blends elements of cottagecore interiors with mid-century pieces. The result is a warm and charming space; one that you immediately feel welcome in as soon as you step through the door. It’s beautiful, feminine, sentimental, and ever-changing, just like the multi-faceted content creator herself. Objets d'art are peppered throughout her blush-toned space, each piece carrying a story and representing different moments in her life. “I created a warm, blank canvas and I played around more with colour and texture in accessories I have around the home,” she shares with Bed Threads Journal.

The styling of the home remains consistent, except for the playful, Moroccan-inspired, terracotta-lime-washed kitchen. “I was inspired by Marrakech and those beautiful walls in the medina,” she says, “and for me the kitchen is a great room to play around in as so many can be so bland.” Being a beauty blogger, the way the bathroom is styled and laid out is of the utmost importance. The walls are covered in pearlescent square tiles, with stunning gold hardware on the vanity. It’s easy to see how you could end up spending hours getting ready in here.

Earthy tones envelop Emma’s bedroom, resulting in an utterly soothing space. “I’m big into sleep and think rest is so important, and I have created my space to make it the most inviting and cosy for me.” Emma has opted to dress her bed in Pink Clay and Hazelnut, which seamlessly continues the feeling of cosiness in her sleeping quarters.

Below, we chat to Emma about how she came to be where she is now, and where she sources inspiration from for all of her amazing content.

Shop Emma’s Edit.

Talk us through your creative process. Where do you start?

My first port of call is always light. I’m obsessed with light, like so many artists – how it can change the look and feel of something so drastically. I also try not to overthink my planning process. If I do this I often get so stuck in my head about it coming out ‘perfect’, which blocks the creative flow which makes a photo or video special.

What’s been the single most crucial tool or strategy you’ve used to further your career?

Dumb trust. Truly. This is something I talk about in my mentorship programme as I think it’s often the key ingredient to being a successful creative. You need to have dumb trust in your abilities, dreams and goals. Dumb trust that they will be a reality. I think it’s so easy – especially when you work for yourself – to compare constantly and feel ‘not good enough’ so it’s building the trust muscle a little everyday and reminding yourself that you do deserve everything you dream of.

Now, the home stuff. How long have you lived in your home?

Nearly 3 years!

How did you initially know this was the space for you?

I knew the second I got to the front door – I visited the flat for the first time on my 30th birthday and as soon as I arrived outside I had that gut feeling of ‘this is your home’. I’ve learned to trust that gut feeling, especially when it comes to where I live. Even if somewhere is perfect on paper, it might still not be right – and even if somewhere doesn’t have all the things on your list, it might still be the perfect place.

Did you do any renovations or make any big changes after moving in?

The first thing I did was rip up the carpets – I’m very lucky that there was original beautiful wooden flooring underneath. I then did the upstairs bathroom as my bathrooms are an oasis to me, especially since I test so much skincare for work so I’m in there a lot!

What was the thought process behind the way you’ve styled the interior?

There wasn’t a conscious process. I think interiors are so personal, and so often reflect what you wear in terms of colours and textures as for me those are the things that make you happy. I didn’t want to feel boxed in by a certain style or colour palette, so I created a warm, blank canvas and I played around more with colour and texture in accessories I have around the home – like cushions, vases and prints. The kitchen was the one room where I put colour on the walls, and I did the terracotta limewash myself. I was inspired by Marrakech and those beautiful walls in the medina, and for me the kitchen is a great room to play around in as so many can be so bland.

Where do you source your beautiful decor pieces from?

I’m such a big fan of Vinterior – you can get great antique pieces on there. I found my drawers (in the studio) and my mantlepiece from there and love that they feel extra special as pieces as they’re so unique.

Which is your favourite room in the house?

It’s hard but probably my bedroom, it’s such an oasis to me. I’m big into sleep and think rest is so important (especially as a creative!) and have created my space to make it the most inviting and cosy for me. I chose warm colours for this – in bedding but also the sisal carpet I have is natural, feels great on the feet and the bathroom up here is also earthy warm tones of pink and green for the whole space to flow.

What are your top tips for a well-styled bedroom, and home generally?

You don’t have to fill every space. I think so often we think that an empty space has to be filled, but there is beauty (and calm!) in space. That’s why I chose not to have any big prints in my bedroom to distract me. I have lots of trinkets but I try to keep them in one place (by my bed or on a coffee table) on trays or bowls so that it doesn’t feel too full and messy with little bits. But also styling is so personal – and for me less is more because it makes my normally very busy mind calm, but for others it might be the opposite – so it’s always trusting your gut and knowing what you like to live in. It should make you happy before anything else!

For more from Emma, follow her @emmahoareau

Photography by Vicki Adamson. Styling by Hannah Simmons.