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Gunnar Larson is a New York-based interior designer and Refinery29 contributor.
My wife, Sara, and I (and our 21-month-old daughter, Ihlen) are no strangers to (tricky) quirky-small-space dilemmas. For the past four years, we've lived in a 400-square-foot, loft-style treehouse in the East Village — and loved it. But, it was time for a new adventure. So, last June, we migrated across the East River and into Brooklyn, to the most beautiful one-bedroom, garden-level apartment we had ever laid eyes upon — and more space than we knew what to do with.
But, while we finally had enough room for a full-size sofa (a dream come true for someone like myself, with a 6’ 4” frame), there was still an immediate spatial challenge to tackle — our awkwardly sized front entryway of 66 square feet. It was almost too big for an entry, but too small for an office. As a designer, I have a penchant for small-space challenges, and this mystery space with a six-foot-wide-by-two-foot-deep vestibule was the perfect riddle to solve. The ultimate solution? I created a functional room with a dual purpose: an entryway and an office. Formerly a mundane white hall, it became a dynamic space that warmly welcomes guests, allows Sara and me to secretly store all our outerwear, and gives me an office in which to work on client projects and mood boards.
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