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Michaelis Boyd partner Christina Gregoriou advises homeowners and designers to address awkward spaces early in a project instead of leaving them until the end. She points to a column and narrow entrance at Miiro Paris, which the firm incorporated into a speakeasy design, as an example of a constraint becoming a defining feature.
Michaelis Boyd partner Christina Gregoriou says designers should tackle difficult spaces at the start of a renovation rather than leave them until the end. In an interview with Livingetc, she used the studio’s work on Miiro Paris to explain how a dark entrance and an unexpected structural column were incorporated into the hotel’s design rather than treated as problems to conceal.
Gregoriou’s advice applies to spaces that can be hard to plan around: narrow corridors, unused corners, awkward niches and structural elements that emerge during construction. She says projects often leave these areas until the rest of the design is settled, but that can make them feel like afterthoughts. Her recommendation is to identify them early and give them a role in the plan from day one.
At Miiro Paris, the firm renovated a hotel formed from two heritage Haussmann-era buildings linked by entrances on different streets. Gregoriou described one secondary entrance as dark, narrow and short on natural light. It had previously been used for back-of-house functions, offices and windowless meeting rooms. The team instead used the constrained setting to create a moody, intimate speakeasy.
During the strip-out, the team also uncovered a structural column that left a small pocket with no obvious practical use. Rather than try to hide the feature, the designers fitted a custom love seat into the niche. Gregoriou said that response turned an architectural obstacle into a memorable feature of the space. The source presents this as the firm’s account of its design process, not as an independently measured outcome.
Why Early Planning Changes the Design
Gregoriou’s guidance is relevant to homeowners because awkward spaces can shape a renovation’s layout, cost and finished appearance. A corridor or structural feature left until late in the process may limit what can be done or require changes after other choices have been made. Her approach is to treat those conditions as part of the brief from the beginning, so they can inform how the rest of the home is organized.
The Miiro Paris example also shows the distinction between a constraint and a design solution. The column did not disappear; the team incorporated it into a custom seating area. That kind of response depends on the building, budget and intended use, so Gregoriou’s account is not a promise that every difficult corner can become a focal point. It is a case for assessing the space before deciding it has no useful role.
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The Miiro Paris Renovation
Michaelis Boyd is a London architecture and design practice founded in Notting Hill in 1995 by architects Tim Boyd and Alex Michaelis. The Livingetc report describes its work across hospitality, residential and commercial projects. Gregoriou is identified as a partner at the firm and discusses design principles through both hotel and residential examples.
At Miiro Paris, two heritage buildings presented different circulation and planning conditions. The secondary entrance’s limited light and narrow proportions had led to less public uses. The studio’s decision to make it a speakeasy reframed that part of the building, while the column discovered during strip-out created an additional design challenge. The source also mentions a separate bathroom project for WOW!house with House of Rohl, where Gregoriou says the team chose a statement round bathtub as the room’s central feature; the supplied report cuts off before providing further detail.
What the Interview Does Not Establish
The supplied Livingetc material does not give a publication date, project budget, construction timeline or details about the specific design decisions beyond those Gregoriou describes. It also does not provide independent feedback from hotel guests or information measuring the impact of the speakeasy or custom seating on the hotel’s use.
The source ends partway through its discussion of the WOW!house bathroom, so the rest of Gregoriou’s advice on renovation obstacles is not available here. Her examples are project-specific; the report does not establish that every structural feature can be repurposed or that the same approach will suit every home.
How Homeowners Can Apply the Advice
For readers planning a renovation, Gregoriou’s advice points to an early practical step: identify the spaces most likely to complicate the layout before settling the rest of the design. That means noting dark or narrow areas, unused corners and columns, then discussing their function with the design team while the plan is still being developed.
The Livingetc report does not announce a new project or a forthcoming milestone from Michaelis Boyd. The next steps for any homeowner will depend on the property and the renovation brief: a designer can assess whether an awkward area can support seating, storage, circulation or another use, while structural changes require appropriate professional review.
Key Questions
What does Christina Gregoriou advise homeowners to do first?
She advises identifying awkward spaces early in a renovation and giving them a role in the design from the outset, rather than leaving them until the end.
What did Michaelis Boyd do with the column at Miiro Paris?
According to Gregoriou, the team designed a custom love seat into the small niche created by the column, incorporating the feature instead of trying to conceal it.
Why did the team redesign the hotel’s secondary entrance?
Gregoriou said the entrance was dark, narrow and lacking natural light, and had been used for back-of-house functions and offices. The team turned it into a moody speakeasy.
Does the article say every awkward space can become a feature?
No. The interview gives examples and design advice, but does not claim that every constraint can be transformed in the same way. The right solution depends on the building and the project.
Source: livingetc.com
