Homeowners: Sheetal & Shakti C'Ganti.
The Dilemma: One of the biggest selling points in this living room is its stunning view of the Manhattan skyline. But the room's narrow rectangular shape and large windows lining two sides of the space prompted Sheetal and Shakti to crowd all the furniture against one wall. This instantly turned the space into an uninviting, make-shift sitting area that's far from a comfortable gathering spot for hanging out and entertaining.
The Fix: Step in makeover expert, designer Ondine Karady, who readjusts the flow in the living room and updates the overall look with modern streamlined pieces that not only transform the space into a stylish place for entertaining, but also provide extra storage underneath the big windows.
Given the narrow shape of the room, careful furniture arrangement is essential to making the space work. So one of the first things on Ondine's agenda is bringing in console cabinets, which she positions along the windows. The obvious benefit of these cabinets is that they offer extra storage and help hide electronics, but they also serve a design purpose -- they balance out the space so that it no longer looks disproportionate with only furniture on one side of the room.
Next, Ondine approached seating. She set the sectional in the middle of the room and instead of using one monolithic cocktail table, which would visually and physically take up a lot of space, she opted for small nesting tables that can be moved around. This is especially helpful when Sheetal and Shakti want to entertain now since they now have multiple surfaces for people to use for food and drinks. At the same time, these transportable side tables help keep the room feeling airy and open.
Also, when there's an awesome view like the one here in Sheetal and Shakti's living room, it's easy to just ignore blank walls, but Ondine knew better. Art hung salon-style now occupies the empty wall behind the sectional, serving as perfect complements to the awesome view outside the windows.
Finally, Ondine brings in colorful pillows and accessories as finishing touches. Artfully arranged objects dot the tables and sit along the windows, which pull together the overall look. For easy ways to create captivating vignettes and stylish displays, check out these simple arranging tips.
Click on items in the image below and scroll through the product rail to find some of the pieces used in the makeover.