When your home does not feel quite “right,” it can be natural to think, “If only we had more space.” It can also be natural to look at your existing space and not know what to do to make it feel right to you. When embarking on any project, I like to step back and ask this key question:

Is your current allocation of space doing everything that it can to serve your needs, or could adjusting the interior layout of the existing footprint create an ideal home?

I am certainly not against additions and enjoy helping to create them when they are the right decision path. I also know that they are very expensive to execute and carry greater risks than any renovation that does not involve expanding the existing footprint. Whenever possible, I like to focus on the existing space available.

A client recently felt completely at a loss about how to furnish a room. The openness of the space felt “off” to her, preventing her from seeing the size of the area accurately. It looked both too big and too small for what she wanted it to be. This home is beautiful, with a thoughtful layout and lovely architectural details that are in proportion, yet she felt in conflict.

As soon as I shared a  plan that embraced both the architecture and her goals, she immediately understood the space. She wanted this front area of the home to be more elegant, and this open area felt casual to her. By adding an interior wall featuring clerestory windows and following the direct lines of both the ceiling architecture and an existing column, we created two delineated spaces, a foyer and a sitting room.

With that simple change, we achieved her overall goal of elegance without forced formality. The new entrance foyer now ushers guests into the home, and the sitting room provides seating for eight in a space she had been concerned would even seat three.

As it turns out, this area was much larger than her eyes had been telling her. We simply embraced the architecture to create the ideal result. This example included the small non–structural change of adding a wall, but often we do not need to make any adjustments in order to develop an ideal furniture plan. The key is simply letting the architecture be the guide.

Clients are usually rather amazed when we are able to transform their existing square feet to serve their needs, so I know that it can be challenge to think of these options without a professional. No one can have all of the answers. I simply encourage everyone to be open to the possibility of “righting” their current square footage.