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Interior designer Michelle Lisac shows us how to spruce up a utilitarian space.

An office nook is tucked behind sliding doors in the bedroom closet.

Built in the early twentieth century, it had been partitioned into small rooms that were connected by shadowy hallways. The impression of the architect, Carles Enrich, was that the apartment's potential had been "hidden behind the consequences of several interventions

In the primary bedroom, wood and Mediterranean aesthetics provide the common thread. The bedside lamps are from the Spanish decor chain Natura.

Nwankpa Gillespie added a skylight and brightened the palette with a marble shower and the same Cle zellige tiles featured in the kitchen.

Nwankpa Gillespie loves how the natural material palette came together—and the way the light now “dances across the surfaces.”

For the backsplash, Nwankpa Gillespie chose a cream zellige tile from Cle. The warm, textural flooring is a herringbone-pattern terra-cotta brick.

The kitchen features custom black wood cabinetry, Italian porcelain counters, and a black plaster hood above an Aga Mercury range.

High ceilings and a skylight make the updated kitchen bright and airy.

Nwankpa Gillespie built out the fireplace with dark bricks that add texture and contrast with the tongue-and-groove ceiling.

By removing the walls that made up the original bungalow’s small, cramped rooms, Nwakpa Gillespie created a spacious living room. She added windows and vaulted the ceiling, giving the space an airy and expansive feel.

Removing the sunporch added extra square footage to the home. The redesigned front entrance opens directly into the living space.

The living room felt cramped and dim.