Not-So-Extreme Home Makeover: Pandemic Edition

Even if you love your space, there’s something about an extended (and extended, and extended…) amount of quality time that tends to magnify those less-than-perfect elements. Here, a trio of interior designers share their own pandemic home improvements—perhaps the inspiration we need to stop doomscrolling and start decorating.

Phyllis Lui of Kalu Interiors

Design problem

Now sharing a home office with her husband, Lui wanted to create a space that reflected both of their aesthetic tastes.

Design solution

Wallpaper from Metro Wallcoverings, simple black Ikea cabinets and sketches of their current and past homes suit both co-workers’ style. But they couldn’t enjoy the makeover for long… because they soon welcomed a new baby and transformed the space into a nursery. “My new home office is my dining table,” she laughs.

Chad Falkenberg of Falken Reynolds Interiors

Design problem

Chad Falkenberg and partner Kelly Reynolds got keys to their condo on day one of lockdown. Right away, they realized they needed to make the space warmer than their bright, gallery-like previous home.

Design solution

Making the space warm and cozy with colour and light. “Rather than white and bright, we used a combination of slightly grey and slightly ivory for warmth and added depth,” says Falkenberg. A 57 Stem Bocci fixture features black mirrored glass when it’s off, and a warm glow when it’s on.

Aleem Kassam of Kalu Interiors

Design problem

Kassam found that both he and his partner were gravitating toward the kitchen to work—but the island wasn’t exactly designed for modern business affairs.

Design solution

A re-build that takes into consideration cooking, entertaining and working, with an oversized island (a 13-by-5-foot Dekton countertop offers ample space and durability), hideaway plugs from Legrand and ultra-comfortable upholstered swivel stools from Restoration Hardware.