DESIGN PROBLEM SOLVING

PASSING THE TEST

When a client's requirement for landing their project includes taking a test and passing it you know you've come up against a client that's done their homework. A recent client had purchased a pied-a-terre on the upper Westside and as a way of deciding on a designer they gave each prospective designer the problem they needed solved. What they had purchased was a converted condo that had been reconfigured from a three-bedroom unit into a two-bedroom with a new open plan kitchen and family room and a large great room. Their problem was their children. Both of their children were grown but would be coming to visit on holidays and vacations. Their older daughter was now engaged and their younger daughter was a single recent college grad. When they all came to visit they were worried about the younger daughter getting short-changed with sleeping arrangements and this is the problem they asked us to solve.

Our solution was to take the great room, a long narrow space, and visually divide it using rugs and furniture into three distinct conversation areas one of which we suggested doubling as a sleeping area when that extra bedroom space was needed.

Part of the solution was already built in. The west wall of the great room included built-in storage that could be used as a place to store luggage and provide hidden closet space.

The bigger part of the solution was how to allow the space to function as a great room but when needed to convert into a sleeping area with as much privacy as possible. In the area furthest to the south end of the great room we proposed incorporating a sleeper sofa. The sleeper sofa would back up against a console that separated it from the central conversation area. 

Here's what we did. Along with our manufacturing team we designed the console incorporating a top that lifted up.

Once lifted it revealed a panel with the same wall covering used in the entryway. This tied together the great room and the entry while providing a temporary divider and creating a separate bedroom. 

At the same time this created a separate bedroom. while allowing a . This allowed it could become a temporary divider when raised creating a separate bedroom in the great room.

The concept worked and we won the job. Now with everything installed their daughter doesn't feel like a fifth wheel and the client loves the solution.

Design is constantly a task of solving problems with well thought out and stylish results.