This condo had three bedrooms, one of which we turned into a bunk room, and it needed to sleep eight. The shared living and dining area was very small, and making it work for all eight was the biggest design challenge.
The builder’s plan had the living room in the corner and the dining area next to it. We swapped them. A table with chairs needs space behind every chair, but a banquette sits flat against the wall, so the corner worked better for dining.
Tucking the table into that corner gave the living room more space. All eight people can sit at the dining table. When everyone gathers in the living room, the sofa and chairs seat about five, and the other three can sit on the banquette and still be part of the conversation. In a space this small, we look for furniture that can do two jobs.
It took six or seven rounds of rearranging to get there, and we tried two dining tables and two sofas in the room before we found the right ones. It was one of our hardest layouts, and it’s still one of our favorite projects.
The owners gave us full creative freedom, and we used it to make a small condo stand out. Wood paneling runs from the wall onto the ceiling, and a bold mix of deep gold-yellow, blue and blush fills the seating, pillows and curtains.
Each bedroom has its own color mix. The primary bedroom has deep greens, lavender and violet. The guest room is softer, in gold and taupe. The bunk room goes Southwest, with color and regional imagery around the beds.
One of the owners wasn’t sure about owning a vacation rental at first. Now she’s the one who sends us a message whenever it gets featured or gets a great review. Three years later, the owners still check in to tell us how it’s doing. They’ve told us they’d like to stay there themselves, but it’s usually booked.