Divide and Conquer
When one New Yorker opted for upgrades over a return to a complicated real-estate market, form and function came together.
![Jane's new wall Jane's new wall](/g/image-resizer?width=670&link=https://static.oprah.com/images/presents/oathome/200608/tours/tours_301_350x263.jpg)
Credits: Photograph by Poul Ober, styling by Heather Chontos
When Jane entertains, personal items, such as her bed and closet, are no
longer on view. The wall is also a budget-sensitive solution: By partly
assembling it off-site, architectural designer Tom Pritchard cut weeks out of
the renovation; since its built-in cabinets replace furniture, Jane didn't need
to refurnish her apartment. What was once a studio is now a one-bedroom
apartment—for a fraction of what it would have cost to move to a larger
space.
![Jane's full, separate living room Jane's full, separate living room](/g/image-resizer?width=670&link=https://static.oprah.com/images/presents/oathome/200608/tours/tours_302_350x263.jpg)
Credits: Photograph by Poul Ober, styling by Heather Chontos
The living area now is a full, separate living room rather than an
extension of the bedroom. Jane's favorite possession, a 19th-century Chinese
commemorative portrait found in an antiques shop, hangs above the Carlyle
sofa.
![Jane's bedroom is tucked behind the diving wall Jane's bedroom is tucked behind the diving wall](/g/image-resizer?width=670&link=https://static.oprah.com/images/presents/oathome/200608/tours/tours_303_350x263.jpg)
Credits: Photograph by Poul Ober, styling by Heather Chontos
Tucked behind the dividing wall and raised a few steps is the alcove
bedroom, decorated with a rich, idiosyncratic orange-and-green palette. The
designer soothes the senses with soft lighting and pretty fabrics, like the one
used in place of doors to cover the surprisingly generous closet.
![Glossy tiles keep this windowless bathroom bright. Glossy tiles keep this windowless bathroom bright.](/g/image-resizer?width=670&link=https://static.oprah.com/images/presents/oathome/200608/tours/tours_304_350x263.jpg)
Credits: Photograph by Poul Ober, styling by Heather Chontos
The room may lack windows, but walls of delicate, glossy green Ann Sacks
tile keep it bright. Pritchard swapped a space-hogging tub for a large, open
shower that would pass muster in any spa.
![Reading Nook Reading Nook](/g/image-resizer?width=670&link=https://static.oprah.com/images/presents/oathome/200608/tours/tours_305_350x263.jpg)
Credits: Photograph by Poul Ober, styling by Heather Chontos
Neither the wall nor the bedroom platform behind it runs the length of the
apartment, leaving a secluded corner between the windows and the bedroom. A
leather club chair makes this Jane's perfect reading spot.
![Designer Tom Pritchard and client Jane Gullong Designer Tom Pritchard and client Jane Gullong](/g/image-resizer?width=670&link=https://static.oprah.com/images/presents/oathome/200608/tours/tours_306_350x263.jpg)
Credits: Photograph by Poul Ober, styling by Heather Chontos
Jane was happy to upgrade rather than deal with New York's complicated real-estate market. "Now I can have 10 people over for dinner, or 30 people over for a party," she says.
Pritchard believed that the usual space-expanding tricks—paint color, fabric texture—would have made only a modest difference. "It seems like the last thing you'd want to do to a hopelessly small space is insert a great big object into it," he says. "An architectural solution can revolutionize even a small space."
More Small Space Solutions
17 big design ideas, 1 little loft
How to make out a small studio
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Pritchard believed that the usual space-expanding tricks—paint color, fabric texture—would have made only a modest difference. "It seems like the last thing you'd want to do to a hopelessly small space is insert a great big object into it," he says. "An architectural solution can revolutionize even a small space."
More Small Space Solutions
17 big design ideas, 1 little loft
How to make out a small studio
6 ways to make the most of your small space
From the Fall 2006 issue of O, The Oprah Magazine