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Michaelis Boyd partner Christina Gregoriou advises homeowners and designers to address awkward spaces at the start of a project rather than leaving them until the end. She describes how a structural column at the Miiro Paris hotel renovation led to a custom seat in a small niche, turning a floor-plan problem into a defining feature.
Michaelis Boyd partner Christina Gregoriou says designers should tackle awkward corners, narrow corridors and exposed structural features at the start of a project, rather than leave them until the rest of a room is planned. In an interview with Livingetc, she described how the studio used a column discovered during the renovation of Miiro Paris to shape a custom seat for a small niche, making a difficult area a focal point.
Gregoriou’s advice applies to residential, commercial and hospitality projects, according to the Livingetc interview. She identifies common problem areas such as unused corners, narrow passages and rooms that feel difficult to plan after walls are removed and structural features are revealed. Her point is that postponing these decisions can leave the spaces looking like afterthoughts, rather than integrated parts of the design.
The Miiro Paris project is her example of working with a constraint instead of trying to hide it. The hotel renovation joined two heritage Haussmann-era buildings connected by streets on different sides of the site. The team rethought a dark, narrow secondary entrance that had been used for back-of-house functions, administrative offices and windowless meeting rooms. Gregoriou said the proportions were suited to a moody, intimate speakeasy.
During the strip-out, the team found a structural column that created a small pocket with no obvious use. Rather than treat the column and niche as obstacles to remove from the plan, the designers placed a custom love seat in the space. The supplied account does not give technical details about the construction or the venue’s operating performance; it presents the seat as a design response to the newly exposed condition.
Why Awkward Areas Shape a Room
Gregoriou’s recommendation matters to homeowners planning renovations because difficult spaces can affect the layout of everything around them. If a corridor, column or unused nook is addressed only after the main rooms have been designed, it may be harder to incorporate it naturally. Her approach is to treat these features as part of the initial brief, allowing them to influence circulation, furniture choices and the room’s character.
The Miiro Paris story offers a concrete illustration, rather than a claim that every structural problem can become a feature. The column remained a constraint, but the studio designed around it with a seat fitted to the niche. For readers, the practical takeaway is to assess awkward areas early and ask what function or experience might suit them before deciding they should simply be concealed.
Gregoriou also describes choosing a room’s “protagonist” before letting its layout dictate its atmosphere. In a bathroom created for WOW!house with House of Rohl, she said the team selected a statement round bathtub as the central element. The example suggests a related design method: establish a focal point and plan the surrounding space around it.
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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 work across hospitality, residential and commercial settings, including hotels and restaurants. Gregoriou spoke as a partner at the firm about applying lessons from larger projects to homes of different sizes.
At Miiro Paris, the design challenge involved two historic buildings linked across separate streets and a secondary entrance that had previously served mainly operational functions. The account says the team reconsidered that entrance’s role before uncovering the column during strip-out. The resulting niche and seat illustrate the central advice in the interview: consider the project’s difficult areas early, because their constraints can affect both practical planning and the character of a finished space.
What the Interview Leaves Open
The supplied Livingetc material does not state the feature’s publication date, provide detailed project plans or explain the engineering decisions around the column. It also does not report costs, construction timelines, guest responses or whether the speakeasy and custom seat have produced measurable commercial results. Gregoriou’s account describes the design intent and outcome, but independent performance data are not included.
The source material ends partway through the section about the WOW!house bathroom. It identifies the round bathtub as the chosen focal point but does not include the remainder of Gregoriou’s explanation. No additional claims about that project’s layout or completed design can be confirmed from the supplied text.
Applying the Advice at Home
The interview does not announce a new project or identify a forthcoming design milestone. For readers planning a renovation, the next step implied by Gregoriou’s advice is to identify awkward spaces during early planning: mark narrow corridors, unused corners and structural elements before the broader layout is settled. Designers and homeowners can then consider whether those areas could support a useful function or become a visual focal point.
Structural changes require assessment by qualified professionals. The account does not suggest removing or altering columns; the Miiro Paris example instead shows the team designing a seat around an exposed structural feature. Any proposed work affecting a building’s structure should be reviewed by an appropriately licensed professional and handled in line with applicable safety and building requirements.
Key Questions
What is Christina Gregoriou’s main advice?
She advises designers and homeowners to identify awkward spaces early in a project rather than leaving them until the main rooms are planned.
How did Michaelis Boyd use the column at Miiro Paris?
After the column was exposed during strip-out, the team designed a custom love seat for the small niche it helped create.
What had the secondary entrance at Miiro Paris been used for?
Gregoriou said the dark, narrow entrance had been assigned to back-of-house operations, administrative offices and windowless meeting rooms before the team rethought its use.
Does the interview provide renovation costs or technical details?
No. The supplied account describes the design response but does not provide costs, engineering details, timelines or performance results.
What focal point did Gregoriou mention for the WOW!house bathroom?
She said the team chose a grand, statement round bathtub as the room’s central feature. The supplied source excerpt does not include further details about the design.
Source: livingetc.com
