“It’s a multifunctional room now,” Kuwasaki says of the main living room. “Whether I’m relaxing with my kids or by myself, I want to do everything in this room because it’s so nice to be in.”

Interior designer Jancy Kuwasaki has a simple mantra. “In order to utilize your space, use every square foot,” she says. “If there’s a dead space in your home, have a designer come in and help you find a function for it.”

With her firm Design Dimensions, Kuwasaki helps homeowners do just that. So when it came time to redesign the living and dining areas of her own home, the mantra was in full force. Her goals? Make the spaces as comfortable and beautiful as possible and allow every inch to be lived in by her and her three kids.

Located just off the kitchen, the main dining room works both as a formal gathering place and as a hub for after-school snacking.

To address comfort, Kuwasaki first opened up the large main living room. She moved a sizeable sectional to the smaller adjoining family room alcove. Believe it or not, the big piece worked better in the smaller space (it feels cozier now)—and left the larger space more open to foot traffic. Then, she expanded the main living room floor plan even more with well-placed furniture, perfect for lounging, TV watching and the occasional light saber duel (courtesy of her youngest, when he can rope his sisters into the mix).

For all that functionality, the living room also looks great. Using her designer’s eye, Kuwasaki combined several furniture styles to achieve her own eclectic result. “There’s the contemporary look [since] the sofa and daybed have more clean lines,” she says. “And then the case goods on the side are Japanese antiques.” To contrast with the hard edges, a modern glass Herman Miller Isamu Noguchi table, wistful side chairs with rounded edges, and yet another soft daybed accented with pillows complete the pulled-together plan.
Kuwasaki also tackled the expansive rear window by adding floor-length curtains and retractable solar shades where heavy, shuttered doors once stood. Ask her if she ever closes those new shades, and she’ll tell you she rarely does. The new window treatment effect complements the panoramic view of Honolulu too perfectly.

Kuwasaki’s large family room now provides the perfect backdrop for reading and relaxing.

To highlight the brightness provided by the open windows, Kuwasaki washed the once bare-white walls in soft, crisp green, buttery yellow and deep wheat-gold hues. “There’s so much you can do with color,” she explains. “It mutates depending on what happens with the light. So whether it’s art or fabric on your pillow, or even a vase sitting next to the wall, color play is fun.”

She also loves the color inspiration our natural surroundings provide. “The fun thing about Hawaii is that you can take any color from nature and bring it inside to your interior. We have so many colors to choose from in the landscaping, the flowers here.”

To that end, Kuwasaki brought in accent colors of deep indigo for the pillows, coffee bean brown-trimmed furniture, and even more green, thanks to several potted plants.
Finally, in the adjoining dining room, wall-to-wall carpet gave way to the updated look of bamboo laminate flooring. Over the table, a too-precious chandelier was replaced by a more linear and cylindrical drop-down light fixture. Since this room provides the gateway to the family and living rooms beyond, these two simple changes proved to be great choices for visual continuity, keeping the scene modern, accessible and casual all at once.

Overall, Kuwasaki believes her design changes yielded the right results. “I’m not in a child’s
playroom,” she says. “But at the same time, I enjoy the space as much as my children. We do everything from playing to doing homework to reading here. It’s a very well-lived-in space.”

Kuwasaki describes her personal style as eclectic and loves to mix objects from different eras. “Along with the straight lines, you have to have some organic shapes and free, circular forms,” she says.

Designer Dos and Don’ts

Planning a redesign? Here are Kuwasaki’s suggestions for a smooth transition.

Do: Tell the designer exactly how you want the space to be used. “Let us help you enjoy the space,” says Kuwasaki.
Don’t: Get overwhelmed. In the beginning you’ll have so many ideas about what you want the space to look like. But resist the urge to buy everything. “Lots of people end up with too much furniture or too many colors running together,” she says.
Do: Ask for help. A designer can help you refine your tastes and pick a few inspirational elements to draw your room together.
Don’t: Be afraid to mix styles and genres. “If you want trends, throw them in here or there using small pieces,” says Kuwasaki. “I like an eclectic mix, with some classic lines and a few trendy pieces thrown in.”
Do: Hire a designer who listens. “Not too long ago, designers had a specific style,” says Kuwasaki. “You hired a designer and they would create their look in your home. But designers’ work is all personal now. They have to really think about what the client wants.