Small Space Makeover: A Double-Duty Den
How smartly sized pieces helped our style director fit two rooms in one.
Since moving into their home nine years ago, style director Donna Garlough and her family have used a compact second-floor space as bedroom, a family room, and even a dual office-and-nursery when their son was born. After renovations on other areas of their house gave them the ability to spread out, they wanted to define the room and create an office for Garlough’s husband, who recently started a wine business and works from home.
Garlough knew choosing pieces of the right scale would be essential. “We wanted more than just a desk in the room—we were hoping to incorporate a seating area and some storage as well,” she says. Despite the room’s large-seeming proportions, this was a challenge. “The ceilings are 12 feet high and the windows are very tall, but the footprint isn’t huge."
To keep things feeling open, Garlough floated the desk in the middle of the room and placed a large sunburst mirror behind it. A pair of cool etageres in each corner display books and décor without making the space feel closed-in. “The glossy navy finish and bamboo-esque design on the shelves is a showstopper,” she says.
On the opposite side of the room, two small-scale club chairs and a petite coffee table provide an alternate area to sit and work. “It’s a great space where my husband can bring his laptop and enjoy a cup of coffee when he wants to break up the workday,” says Garlough.
When it came to adding color and defining the areas of the room, Garlough relied on rugs to do the majority of the work. “Layering a small antique rug over a large vintage-inspired one helps to differentiate the desk and sitting spaces,” she says. “And we hung a vintage flatweave kilim rug on the wall to echo the rust-and-indigo color scheme and provide a visual focal point.”
To complete the space, Garlough found two matching storage consoles that nest perfectly in the nooks behind the sitting area, and topped one with a marbled two-bulb table lamp for extra reading light when the sun goes down. “The drawers are the perfect place to stash little essentials, like stationery and phone cables,” she says.
With thoughtful additions and right-size pieces in place, Garlough and her family—her husband in particular—can settle into the new space and enjoy every square foot.
