Before and After

This room, and the adjoining kitchen, went from sorrowful sectional to funky cottage in the blink of an eye. We demolished the dividing wall, added an island for storage and dining, and enlivened the seating area with welcoming neutrals and bold pops of pink, orange and red.

Our client needed many pieces for her new home, after moving from a smaller house on the East Coast. To keep costs down, we reupholstered the furniture from her old living room, giving it new life as a light and airy family room.

This bungalow's beauty was hidden behind textured wallpaper and heavy drapes. Using the stained glass windows and client's new velvet sofa as inspiration, we created a relaxing room with textured fabrics from the same color palette, walls updated with Par Four by Benjamin Moore, and a woven sisal-like carpet.

Sometimes an empty room can be daunting to a designer. Luckily, we found two matching settees (upholstered in bright pink silk) on our first trip to a local resale shop. The size and shape were perfect for our modern sitting room. Recovered in a tone-on-tone velvet, they set the stage for the rest of the room.

Removing a dividing wall between the kitchen and dining room, we were able to add a counter peninsula that provides exceptional under-counter storage and an area for food prep and serving. While the footprint remained essentially the same, the functionality of the space has been completely transformed. Cabinets by IKEA.

The clients' purchased this table when they were first married. Now they wanted to complete room, but the collection had been discontinued. We found the regal china cabinet and accent chairs at HomeGoods. Simple, elegant drapes complete the look. It goes to show, a room can look finished without having pieces from a set.

This 1970s den — with painted paneled walls, faux beam ceiling and orange brick fireplace — needed to be reawakened as a 21st century family room. SpaceLift updated the fireplace with narrow slate tiles, rotated the furniture placement for flat-screen viewing, and had custom cabinets built for media and gaming equipment.

The cool blues and warm beiges of this master bedroom in a condo above Chicago's bustling Michigan Avenue provide a calming haven for the homeowners. The bed crown and floor-to-ceiling silk drapes create a sense of luxury in tight quarters.

A space that served as mom's work-from-home office, needed to make room for three growing children. Built-in cabinetry lines the walls and commercial-grade carpet allows chairs to roll easily. Mom still takes precedent, but each kid has a their own study space, complete with bulletin board, storage cabinet and computer.

To create a dramatic focal point in the living room, we gathered paintings and accessories we found throughout the house. Grouped together, the pieces make a statement about the clients' interest in portraits and figurative art.

This master bedroom needed finishing touches. Pops of red give the bed more presence; art above the headboard and floor-to-ceiling window panels accentuate the room's height; and a leather storage ottoman serves as a coffee table in the seating/TV area. Inexpensive woven rugs pull the entire room together.

French Country and contemporary co-habitate in this Chicago condo. A neutral color palette and simple lines complement the modern cabinetry and window casings. Textures and antiqued finishes pay homage to the countryside. We liked to call the scheme for this project — Parisian Chic-Meets-French Country.