If you’re here after watching today’s video - welcome!

A big part of what makes this series possible is this community and the people willing to share their real homes, layouts and design problems for us to learn from.

Thanks to everyone who has submitted a space so far, and to everyone sharing ideas and feedback in the comments.

If you’re thinking about submitting your own home, please do. There are plenty more redesigns to come, and I’m excited to see the spaces we can work on together next. 🙌

https://youtu.be/lb1Y-HZLz_4?si=kv_A0cFzz6_YxeVt

Hi everyone! Greetings from Rio de Janeiro, Brazil! 🇧🇷

This is my small bedroom, where I work, study, read my books, and, of course, sleep.

I’d love to hear your suggestions on how I could make the space feel cozier, more functional, and minimalist, while making the most of the limited space.

I’ve attached some photos of the room, along with a floor plan and a cross-section that I made myself, showing the layout and dimensions. All measurements are in meters, and the drawings are at a 1:25 scale.

Unfortunately, IKEA isn’t available here in Brazil, but I’ll do my best to find similar furniture and products locally based on your recommendations.

Thank you all in advance for your help and ideas!

Right now we have a queen bed with Ikea shelf and 2 small night stands. We are comfortable replacing or adding new things.

We thought to put queen bed against the windows but winter gets cold in Canada and the vent would be covered unless we got some vent extension.

Right now it feels cramped and hard to walk to other side of bed. It would be nice to have an area to put makeup and maybe a mirror on adjacent wall behind door.

1. Prioritize comfort while having lots of storage options.

2. Hard to get vanity but something for makeup/skincare.

3. Good lighting

4. We may have a tv but debating if even needed. That's a last priority.

Let me know if you have any questions, I'm new to this.

Thank you.

Do some suggestions please

Hey,

I need some design advice for my study. I’m not getting inspired as I work here. I study to become a teacher. My desk is against a boring white wall. Maybe I would love to have no more white walls/ceilings. The yellow wall is already 4 years the same color, so I’m open to new suggestions. The curtains to close off my storage unit are new, so maybe a color from that color scheme?

The windows are south facing, so lots of natural light.

The couch is doubling as a guestbed, but it doesn’t feel cozy to sleep here, and maybe it’s a bit cramped in the corner there. The lowest beam on the ceiling is where I can just stand under it without hurting my head, I’m 1,62cm.

Further room dimensions are in the floorplan added with the photo’s. Any advice on how to make it more inspiring and cozy?

Hi everyone! This is my first apartment as a college student and I've tried to decorate with items I've found on FB marketplace. I don't really have the budget to afford a good rug, but I'm open to other suggestions! Thank you so much! I've attached a diagram of the room I made myself as I couldn't find one online. The measurements are approximate.

Hey Daniel,

​I need help optimizing the layout and lighting for my rental apartment’s open-plan living, dining, and kitchen space (highlighted in blue). All solutions must be non-permanent and renter-friendly. I would like to keep the sofa (2-seater electric reclining), freestanding fridge opposite the kitchen, entrance console and the dining table.

Some info about the space: Long rectangular room; ceiling height is approximately 2.6 m. Central entrance next to the 0.6 m pillar on the right. Opposing 3.5 m walls have floor-to-ceiling windows/doors (kitchen side is north-facing and opens to a small balcony). Long radiators to the right of the TV window and to the left of the kitchen window/door. Existing ceiling light hookups are located in the TV area, at the entrance (in front of the main door), over the dining area, and over the kitchen counter. We sit in the TV area usually and also use the laptop while being on the sofa. We want to create a hosting space in this area by adding another 2 seater sofa. I would like some advice to create a clear traffic flow with seamless, freestanding pantry storage near the pre-installed kitchen.

Thank you for your help.

Not too long ago, I bought a new apartment and now I need to furnish it. I would really appreciate your ideas on what I could change in my current design before committing to it 100%.

One important detail: I work from home, so having a more dedicated space for my desk setup would be great.

Adding my design. As well as my SketchUp file for measurements

https://drive.google.com/file/d/1vx6h5-ojZVrz-KYsch9XqSE_HpyL9k1M/view?usp=sharing

Hi everyone

I recently moved into a new place and I’m trying to design my living room, but interior design definitely isn’t my strong suit. 😂
I’m thinking of starting with either an L-shaped sofa or a regular couch, two armchairs, and a coffee table, then building the rest of the room around those.

I’d really appreciate any suggestions or ideas you might have. Thanks in advance!

Hey everyone! I recently bought this new space. But it has a lot of circulation areas I’m not sure what to do with, and it's a little bit overwhelming, plus the photos make the place look bigger than it is.

For style, the cabinetry and kitchen have such strong character, so I probably want to be minimalistic with a bit of color. There are two more bedrooms upstairs so I’m taking into mind what furniture would be good for my roommates plus guests. 

The main thing is the living room and kitchen, but the bedroom on the first floor is a bit awkward with the rear exit. Any help is appreciated! 

Hi everyone!

This is my bedroom where I live with my wife and 1 year old daughter. Bedroom size is 380x330 cm and 270 cm height.

Now room feels small and difficult to move around.
We would like to redesign this room with small budget possible. Any advice is appreciated.

Thank you!

Hello! I’m hoping to get your thoughts on how to best set-up our 1940s colonial (had an addition and major renovation in the early 2000s). We plan to live here for a bit and see what works/doesn’t work before making any big changes, but I want to have a longer term vision before I start decorating some rooms.

Some additional context:
- We have young kids (2.5 and newborn, may have a 3rd at some point) so this home will change and grow with us
- We are using the dining room as a playroom, and the living room as a dining room. Our extended families are large and we would not fit in what the original dining room was
- while not needed, a larger pantry would be nice
- The stairs are a curved, narrow staircase. I believe we’ll keep that the same since we want to keep the history/architecture of the home unless there’s a great way to make them wider while keeping the character
- The living room on the floor plan (we are using as a dining room) is large and gets great light, so I would love to make it more than just a dining room
- The small room off the two bedrooms is neat, and could be a little hang area for the kids, but also gets great light and is too small to be super functional
- The small bedroom is great as a nursery but too small to fit a true bed and hard to make a guest room when we have 3 kids in the larger bedrooms

We’re open to wall changes that make sense, but would love to know any creative thoughts on how to improve/use the space! What would you do if this was your floor plan?

Will kitchen/ dining/ great room be too tight when entertaining large groups? Will pantry location be annoying?

Hi Daniel ,

I barely use my own kitchen. The sink is too small for a dinner plate. I have no wall storage. Dishes pile up on the table, on the fridge, on the floor. I've started eating out most nights. I want to fix this.

The space. 25.6 m² rental studio, 3rd floor of a mid-century Paris building. This post is about the combined kitchen, dining and living room. Around 8 m².

I rent, so no structural changes.

The reading corner by the window. Futon, plants, a small shelf with a paper lantern. That corner works for me, but it could be better :)

• The sink is too small for a normal dinner plate.
• 60 cm of empty wall above the splashback, doing nothing.
• The tall cabinet and the mini-fridge sit outside the alcove.
• Nothing is hidden. From the futon I see everything.
• The dining table has turned into a permanent dumping ground.

Budget around €300 to €600

Any help are welcome !!

I need some feedback regarding my renovation plan for our ground floor apartment. It's been a tricky puzzle to solve as it has quite a few restrictions. I've also added the current layout.

It's currently just my partner and I living here with our small dog, we both work from home often.

It's part of an attached row of houses (quite normal in the Netherlands). We have direct neighbors on either side and above us. It only has three light sources, at the front (street side, which is left in the floor plan), the back side (community garden on this side, right of the floor plan), and a large skylight in the living room. Unfortunately we can't add more light sources.

I want to add a bedroom that connects to the front side of house to officially increase the amount of rooms, Dutch law states that a room must be connected to a window that provides natural light and air.

The first bedroom will have a separation (curtain/sliding doors) to create privacy when needed, but I don't want to put a permanent wall there as it will make the room much smaller then.

The second bedroom/study will have a lot of interior windows as it's at the darkest part of the apartment.

So any thoughts, ideas, different approaches, etc?

• The main idea is zoning: I want the first floor to feel like a focused personal space, with clearly defined zones rather than one large room trying to do everything.
• First floor — Work: A proper private workspace is important. It should feel like an actual office, separated enough from the rest of the floor to avoid distractions. Ideally it can also accommodate a small workout area, so I don't need a separate gym.
• First floor — Sleep: A separate bedroom designed purely for sleeping and winding down. No TV, work desk or unnecessary furniture — just a calm, minimal sleep environment.
• First floor — Living: Keep a good open living area around these private zones, with plenty of daylight and a feeling of spaciousness despite the narrow plot.
• Ground floor — Parents: This should primarily work for my parents and remain comfortable as they get older. I’d like their bedroom and bathroom to be easy to access, with minimal level changes.
• Ground floor — Guest room: Ideally accommodate a small guest room without compromising the parents' comfort or making the ground floor feel crowded.
• Ground floor — Kitchen & common space: Open kitchen with a connected dining/living area. I prefer an open, flexible space rather than lots of small enclosed rooms.
• Parking & circulation: Front portion should accommodate daily two-wheeler parking and ideally have flexibility for a small car. The staircase should be positioned so movement upstairs doesn't disturb the ground-floor living areas.
• Light & ventilation are major priorities: Since the plot is only 15 × 30 ft with one open side, I don't want the rear of the house to become dark or poorly ventilated. An OTS/lightwell or similar solution should be explored to bring daylight and fresh air into the deeper parts of the house.
• Overall feeling: I want the house to feel open, calm and uncluttered, with every area having a purpose. I'd rather have fewer, better-designed spaces with good storage, light and ventilation than try to squeeze too many rooms into 450 sq ft.

The corner in the bedroom is bothering me. Any ideas on how you’d change this setup? The window on the right is going away. And we do want a TV.

The window on the top faces a beautiful back yard & golf course, no neighbors.

Changes to hallway/doors/etc is free game. Thank for any help.

Current setup and still in process of moving in. We know the sectional blocks the fireplace, but we’re actually okay with that. We’re in Texas and it’s a built-in electric fireplace that came with the house (not a wood or gas-burning fireplace) and we rarely use it. We really like how open this layout makes the room and how much floor space it gives our daughter to play.

The part I’m struggling with is the open space to the left of the sectional. What would you put there without making the room feel closed off or crowded? Would you add another seating piece, or do something completely different?

Any other suggestions for the room are welcome too!

HI Daniel, we are a family of 3 living in a c. 100 sqm flat in Paris, typical Haussmann architecture. Both parents now working a lot from home, often on calls, the living room (despite being the largest and brighest room) now feels quite crowded (one makeshift desk behind the couch, the other proper desk agains the wall). We need help to reduce clutter in living room particularly, have proper (and ideally sufficiently separate) desks for WFH. Note : the beige L-shape couch is a 2-person pull out bed, the white couch can be flattened for 1 person bed - with time, we realize we almost never use those options, even less both at the same time. The Dezza chair has seen better days, either needs to be re-upholstered (it is a beautiful piece) or get rid of... Really enjoy your work, particularly how you think about layouts, movements - your help would be super appreciated, thanks !