Design Cures

Home Rehab

Designer Phoebe Howard of Mrs. Howard and Max & Company worked her magic on this coastal space -- to rid the condo of light-barring walls and cramped, cheerless spaces.

The Quick Fix: Infuse life into a small room by combining a variety of textile patterns in similar tones -- like the polka-dot, honeycomb, and geometric fabrics shown here.

Custom Kitchen Island

The designer installed oak floors stained dark to resemble old European hardwoods, then she enlisted help to design a kitchen island and bath vanities to distinguish the condo from the run-of-the-mill builder's special.

The Quick Fix: Craft your own kitchen island using a favorite antique piece as inspiration. This one was made with a wooden shiplap back and bracket feet.

Looks Built-In

The Quick Fix: Customize a kitchen corner with a tailored piece like this banquette that looks built in and saves space.

Versatile Palette

For the homeowner's requested palette (Brown, yes; wicker, no), Phoebe took a cue from the faux wood screens and incorporated natural-tone furnishings spanning from bleached driftwood to stained teak. "It's amazing how warm and cool brown can be, " Phoebe says of the anchoring color. "That's perfect for a family who uses a space year-round."

The Quick Fix: Enliven a plain-Jane drywall surface with a textural faux-bois wallcovering. Its vertical lines create the illusion of height within the 8-foot-high space.

Slimming Shutters

"In Condos like these, you have to work a little magic to make the space seem wider and taller. Sort of like when you want to look thinner -- you put on stripes that are going the right way." -Phoebe Howard .

Graphic Print

Beef up plain drywall with heavy trim, and let a bold geometric print be the starting point for a room's entire color scheme.

Mirror Magic

In this all-white master bathroom, the cabinets get a special treat with glued-on mirrors which reflect light in a windowless room.

I love these rooms and the palette used is calming. via