House Tour: Innovative Design Strategies

Joan Steffend tours a home where the owner has put her creativity to the test.

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Joan Steffend tours a house where the homeowner has employed artistic elements and innovative design strategies to create spaces suited to her needs.

To de-emphasize the strange angles in the bedroom, a tone-on-tone purple paint application is found on everything from the walls to the wall-to-wall cabinet.

What was once the formal--and rarely used--living room is now a functional game room/library filled with custom cabinets (built by the homeowner's father) and comfortable seating.
The built-in cabinets along one wall provide a space for books, hide the radiator and create a window seat perfectly suited to leisurely reading.

Four oversized chairs surround a game table that has been painted to match the area rug underneath.

The interesting angles in the master bedroom created a definite design dilemma. However, the homeowner overcame the obstacles by placing the bed at an unusual angle in front of the sloped ceiling.

A custom wardrobe eliminates the need for additional furniture and provides a one-stop solution for storing clothing, a TV and books.

The area rug was the inspiration for the room's design, but it also took up all of the homeowner's budget. To save money, she made a stencil from the rug, sewed two sheets together for a duvet and stenciled it with fabric markers.

The bed skirt was made from matching sheets and features a bullion fringe border.

Opposite the bed, a large, frameless mirror was attached directly to the wall, then framed with door molding and decorative trim.

Handmade paper descends from copper wire to hide the outdated ceiling light fixture.

The radiator is disguised behind a fireplace grate and faux surround.