Take a Sneak Peek at the All-New Season of ‘Love It or List It’

The grill and patio furniture are evidence that someone sat and/or cooked here at some point, but one would have to be awfully generous to call them part of an outdoor living room — and the family of four that lives in this diminutive house needs every room available.

Now, these are the signs of life we’re talking about! When a smaller home’s footprint is fixed, it’s all about being able to stretch your legs everywhere. Hilary swapped in a cozy outdoor sectional sprinkled with plush pillows and anchored with an area rug, then punctuated the new gathering area with pops of autumnal color.

In the absence of proper storage, this room holds a little of everything and doesn’t feel dedicated to anything. Its jumble of A/V cables is dominating seating and the hearth, and what’s under that leopard-print cloth?

A pair of generous cabinets corral clutter in style (and blend into the background instead of distracting the eye, thanks to a coat of white paint that carries into the walls). With all due respect to her clients’ teeny wooden chair, the plush sofa and chairs Hilary chose for the family room are far more versatile seating options.

Over-the-door storage is a marvelous thing — unless it’s the de facto transition to one’s dining area. With blink-and-you’ll-miss-‘em counters and cabinets, moreover, this kitchen is failing as a catch-all space, too.

Cabinetry comes to the rescue across an entire wall (“It’s sophisticated but still cozy,” Hilary notes), and what a difference it makes: For starters, she gave this family the gift of clothes that won’t smell like last night’s dinner anymore. An ample island serves as both a “hangout space” and a much-needed prep area, and sparkling new appliances give her client’s son the tools he needs to be the family chef.

While there wasn’t much space to steal to give the lady of the house a nook of her own, Hilary created the effect of additional room with cleverly deployed organizers. “I didn’t think you’d fail,” her delighted client said, “but I didn’t think it would look like this!”

What’s a designer to do when one hall bathroom needs to fit the bill for a seven-year-old boy and his two much-older brothers? Hilary knew her best bet was to keep things clean and simple — and to make strategic adds like a double shower head that added function for everyone.

Speaking of little tweaks that make a serious difference in the way a space feels, Hilary removed a perpetual hallway roadblock by mounting the ironing board to a closet door. It’s an inexpensive, old-school hack that transforms the flow of foot traffic in her clients’ house.

As Hilary’s clients gave her a tour of their home’s initially kooky layout, they joked that they would love to turn one odd door into a bookcase concealing a secret passage. In their defense, they’d never met her … but c’mon, they should have known she’d take them up on it.

Architecturally, this room oozes with potential — and realistically, even the huge stuffed bear tucked into the bed looks uncomfortable with how it’s being used.

Hilary relocated her clients’ sons’ room from an awkward space downstairs and gave them the haven they so desperately needed. We’re in love with the curtained hideout she tucked into the wall.

Hilary knew her clients’ home had upsides (look at that massive bank of windows!) and that she needed to re-map their seating area, which didn’t feel especially welcoming. What’s with those half-pillars?

Demolishing the doorway between this room and the kitchen did wonders for its flow, as did anchoring the revamped gathering space with an ample butler’s pantry. Hilary also created two proper conversation spots with this quartet of chairs and a sofa. “You can have a really grand party here,” she said with satisfaction.

See what we mean about that flow? This home’s post-Hilary layout is so much more natural that it confounded David at the reveal: “I’m still trying to figure out what their house used to look like,” he confessed.

This porch had gone to the dogs: Seriously, its plastic weatherproofing was so lackluster that Hilary’s clients used their so-called sitting area to stash their pets’ beds and toy. She gave them the serene screened space they’d always wanted.

Behold Hilary Farr’s one-image rejoinder to traditional architecture (read: boxed-in formal dining rooms with no natural light). This dazzling space is perfect for everything from weekend brunches to dinner parties that spill out into the yard.

To retool an old phrase, children’s stuff should be seen and not herded into a corner at the end of the day. Hilary gave her clients’ kids a room of their own that disappears behind barn doors after bedtime.

This counter and bar wall are a hiccup in the middle of the room — and the cramped work area combined with inadequate counter space makes it clear that Hilary’s clients are in dire need of a kitchen do-over.