How Built-ins Transform Every Room
Achieving both function and personality with furniture alone can be a challenge. That's where custom built-ins come in. Whether framing a fireplace or turning an overlooked corner into an eye-catcher, they have the ability to completely transform the way a space looks and feels.
Each of these projects highlights the impact custom built-ins can have, along with the intentional design choices that made each one feel both beautiful and functional.
Evanston Living Room: Creating an Anchor
How this space began:
A big, undefined box with the furniture floating and lacking a natural focal point.
First step:
Anchor the room by elevating the existing fireplace and designing custom built-in's that frame it with intention.
Want a more custom look? Our favorite trick is to add sconces!
To keep the space open and airy, we designed a slat wall that helps break up the space, adding more definition to the room.
Because the homeowners wanted to avoid a formal look, we introduced a pop of color and sculptural lighting to create a more casual, inviting feel with the filter sconces in Oxblood from Blu Dot. Pairing these with a light wood finish keeps the wall consistent with the light and airy feel that we wanted to achieve.
When it comes to styling built-in shelves, I always lean toward “less is more”. This client preferred a minimalistic feel, so we chose a curated selection of larger-scale accessories with room for personality through meaningful objects like their favorite records, vintage candle holders, sculptural pieces… and don’t forget the plants!
Douglas Dining Room: Adding Depth and Texture
This dining area originally felt unfinished.
It didn’t have a distinct presence or definition with the rest of the home. By adding tambour paneling behind the shelves, we created a strong anchor that naturally draws the eye toward the fireplace.
In the end, this built-in really helped the dining area feel cohesive, layered, and fully integrated into the home's overall design.
The tambour panels brought depth and texture to the dining space. These were the chef's kiss of architectural interest that really added movement to the space.
I love how this built-in honors each homeowner’s vision and personality. We tailored one side to have the sophistication of a library, while the other serves as a stylish bar for entertaining and pouring drinks. Function? Check. Personality? Check.
Bronzeville Parlor: A Bold Moment
This once-blank and underutilized corner turned into a bold, personality-filled parlor.
By drenching the walls and cabinetry in Inchrya Blue by Farrow & Ball, the space takes on a rich, cozy atmosphere.
And because every parlor needs one, we added a dry bar that’s perfect for easy, at-home entertaining!
We try to be as intentional as possible when it comes to getting to know our clients and their personalities so that the design outcome aligns with, not only how they want their space to function, but their personalities, too. This blue wasn’t just a design choice, it was a reflection of the homeowners’ personality and Since we drenched the room in blue, we decided to carry the color over to the bookshelf to keep things cohesive.
Because this room doubles as a parlor and a space for this family to connect and spend time, we created storage spaces without taking away from the swanky vibe of the room. Hidden storage and a dedicated bar area give everything a place while keeping the room feeling elevated.
Overall, I wanted this space to feel like an experience from the moment you walk into the room. One thing the homeowner wanted was to not have her home feel like a "swap meet". By enveloping the entire room and built-in in one color, the space feels clean and gave us the freedom to layer in personality through furniture, patterns, textures, and collected pieces without the room ever feeling busy or cluttered.
A Personal Take: My Home
While every home we design is deeply personal to our clients, one of our favorite built-in projects lives a little closer to home.
The wall felt like wasted space, and it was the perfect opportunity to create a feature that was both beautiful and functional.
Every detail of this built-in was carefully considered. From the beginning, our goal was to make the TV feel more like a piece of art than just a screen mounted on the wall. The tambour paneling created the perfect backsplash for the framed TV. We also paid close attention to the finer details, including the Buster + Punch knurled hardware. Even the profile of the built-in was intentional, placed in a way that doesn’t block the room in any way as you walk through the space.
Before the color of the built-in was decided, I already knew that I wanted these brass patina wall sconces by Kelly Wearstler that had a brass, vintage feel. To be honest, I never bothered looking at any other sconce! Then, I knew that I wanted a smoky blue color that translated well in the daytime and the evening. I wanted to keep people guessing on what color it was. Is it gray? Is it blue? Maybe gray-blue? A dusty blue?
I wanted to keep the styling less cluttery and incorporated some inspired coffee table books, photos, plants, and larger scale items that complement the largeness of the bookcase. Fun fact: This built-in was intentionally designed with my record player in mind, making sure that there was enough shelving space to place my records and player.
