What Are Examples of Challenging Spaces You’ve Transformed?

What Are Examples of Challenging Spaces You’ve Transformed?

Diving into the world of aesthetics and functionality, we've gathered seven transformative tales from accomplished Interior Designers. They share their experiences from maximizing flow in narrow townhomes to creating cozy libraries in rented spaces, offering a glimpse into the creativity and strategic thinking that drive successful design outcomes.

• Maximize Flow in Narrow Townhomes
• Optimize Attic Space with Built-Ins
• Revitalize Office with Light and Layout
• Reconfigure Kitchen in Mid-Century Home
• Innovative Lighting in High-Rise Condo
• Authentic Updates in Historic Home Renovation
• Create Cozy Library in Rented Living Room

Maximize Flow in Narrow Townhomes

A common yet challenging space I work with often is long, narrow townhomes. The biggest challenge comes from the lack of flow space, but with the right approach, there will always be a solution.

Flow space basically means having clear and open paths between rooms and specific high-use areas like the living room couch. It's easy for these paths to get restricted or completely blocked in a narrow space because it's hard to fit furniture in the right way.

The best way to go about this is with a somewhat minimalist design approach. Even if the square footage is technically large, you're very limited on what furniture you can use and how much if you want to preserve flow. So, by minimizing the amount of furniture and decor, you'll keep every pathway open.

This is easily achieved with multipurpose furniture like sofas with built-in storage, or even loft beds that let you utilize vertical space. This greatly reduces the amount of space taken up by immovable objects, making it easier to move around the home.

And as a special touch, adding a large mirror on the longest walls helps make the space feel wider.

Optimize Attic Space with Built-Ins

One challenging space I transformed was a small, awkwardly shaped attic with low ceilings and limited natural light. To make the space functional and inviting, I focused on maximizing every inch of the room. I used built-in furniture to optimize storage without encroaching on floor space and chose light, neutral colors to create an illusion of height and openness.

Skylights were added to enhance natural light, and I incorporated strategically placed mirrors to further brighten and expand the space visually. The outcome was successful because the room became a cozy, well-lit retreat that felt much larger and more functional than its original layout suggested.

Revitalize Office with Light and Layout

As interior designers, we excel at turning challenging spaces into functional and beautiful environments. One particularly difficult project involved a small, poorly-lit office with a fragmented layout that stifled productivity. To address these issues, we reimagined the space by maximizing natural light, creating open sightlines, and incorporating versatile furniture solutions.

Our design choices enhanced both the brightness and cohesion of the office, resulting in a vibrant, efficient workspace. This transformation not only improved the office’s functionality but also significantly boosted employee morale and engagement, showcasing how thoughtful design can overcome even the toughest challenges.

Reconfigure Kitchen in Mid-Century Home

Our challenging space was a mid-century modern gem of a home, complete with mahogany ceiling tiles that seamlessly extended throughout and captured the essence of the era's design. As we toured the space, it was clear that we needed to make the home feel more spacious while also improving storage and functionality. The lower ceilings and limited storage posed challenges, especially given the family's passion for cooking. To address these, we reimagined the existing kitchen as a pantry and back kitchen, adding a hidden walk-through pantry to enclose the area. This approach allowed us to create a stunning front-facing kitchen with larger appliances, a central island, and a beautiful stove as the focal point.

Innovative Lighting in High-Rise Condo

In a high-rise condo with concrete ceilings, we faced a significant challenge: The client was adamant about not tapping into the concrete to install new lights for fear of blowing her design budget. The existing lighting was insufficient, casting unflattering shadows and making the space feel dim. To address this, we decided to lower the ceiling ever so slightly to accommodate 'pancake' recessed lighting, which provided a sleek and unobtrusive solution. This adjustment allowed us to install adequate lighting without disrupting the concrete structure and keeping her budget in line.

Additionally, we strategically placed table and floor lamps to enhance ambient light and create cozy, well-lit corners. The result was a well-balanced, illuminated space that met the client's requirements while respecting the structural constraints. The successful transformation brought a warm and inviting atmosphere to the condo, showcasing how thoughtful lighting solutions can overcome design challenges.

Authentic Updates in Historic Home Renovation

Much of my work is on historic houses, in historic districts, in New Orleans. I not only need to know modern structural systems but also traditional systems and materials, and I believe I need an in-depth foundation of what the different stylistic eras expressed in order to pay homage to them but also be true to the owner's vision.

With a master's degree in Historic Preservation and over 40 years in design, I do my best to balance the two by doing a paint analysis to discover original paint color schemes and rely on the proportions of rooms to guide me, for example. On a recent renovation for a 200-year-old house, this was my approach, and the clients couldn't be happier with the quirky updates rooted in authenticity.

Create Cozy Library in Rented Living Room

My client had a long and narrow room that was essentially a second living room. As a major reader, he'd hoped to have a home library, but he was renting, and we had to rely on just furnishings without making drastic changes to the shell of the space. We put in wall shelves from CB2, and then carved out two seating areas—one has a daybed and chair for visiting with guests or lounging, and the other is an extremely comfortable reading chair with beautiful views of Puget Sound. We used two vintage area rugs to define each space and make the echoey room cozier. There was no overhead lighting, so we added several floor lamps, table lamps, and even a swing-arm plug-in sconce to maximize light options.