Makeover Magic: A Makeover From the Art

By Anne Krueger

When Andreas Charalambous, principal architect of Forma Design in Washington, D.C., talked to clients who wanted to re-do much of the interior of their Colonial-style builder house, he asked them if they had any special items they particularly loved. "We have a Matisse," they replied. "From the beginning, I knew we had to feature this," Charalambous says. "It was the starting point."

As a result, his firm tore out a library immediately next to the entry. "With the extra space we created a fantastic entry foyer that showcases the Matisse." The redesign of the rest of the home followed from this starting point.

Here's a close-up look of the before and after transformation.

The original foyer was very crammed. There was no space to "arrive" per se, and it gave a negative first impression as you walked in.