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Michaelis Boyd partner Christina Gregoriou advises giving awkward corners, corridors and structural features attention early in a design project rather than leaving them until the end. She points to the Miiro Paris hotel renovation, where a newly exposed column helped shape a custom seat in a small niche. The advice comes from an interiors interview, not an announcement of a new project or design standard.
Christina Gregoriou, a partner at London design studio Michaelis Boyd, says renovation teams should address awkward spaces early instead of treating them as leftover problems. In an interview with Livingetc, she described how a structural column found during work at Miiro Paris helped prompt a custom seat in a small, otherwise difficult niche—an example of her broader advice to turn a project’s constraints into deliberate design features.
Gregoriou’s advice applies to small corners, long corridors, unusual niches and structural elements that complicate a floor plan. She says these areas are often postponed while designers focus on the rest of a project. Left until later, they may look unresolved rather than blending into the finished scheme. Her recommendation is to identify such spaces from the outset and decide what role they might play.
At Miiro Paris, the studio was renovating a hotel formed from two heritage Haussmann-era buildings connected from different streets. Gregoriou said the secondary entrance had historically been treated as the less appealing side: it was dark and narrow, with limited natural light, and had been used for back-of-house operations, offices and windowless meeting rooms. The design team recast the constrained area as a setting for a moody, intimate speakeasy.
During the strip-out, the team uncovered a structural column that further complicated the layout and left a small pocket with no obvious use. Rather than trying to conceal it, Gregoriou said, the designers placed a custom, theatrical love seat in the niche. The account presents that feature as an outcome of the renovation; it does not give dimensions, costs, construction details or independent measures of the space’s performance.
Making Awkward Layouts Work
Gregoriou’s account offers homeowners and renovation teams a practical way to frame a common design decision: whether to hide an awkward architectural feature, work around it or make it part of the room’s purpose. Her point is not that every column or narrow passage can become a centerpiece, but that deciding its role early can help prevent it from reading as an afterthought.
The Miiro Paris example also shows how a constraint can influence more than a single piece of furniture. The team’s response to a dark secondary entrance helped shape its use as a more intimate hospitality space, while the exposed column informed the design of a seat within it. For readers planning a renovation, the lesson is to discuss difficult areas with the architect or designer during early planning, when the overall layout and intended uses are still being considered.
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From Hotel Renovation to Home Design
Michaelis Boyd was founded in Notting Hill, London, in 1995 by architects Tim Boyd and Alex Michaelis. According to the supplied Livingetc report, the studio’s work includes hospitality, residential and commercial projects. Gregoriou’s interview draws on that range to discuss a principle she says can apply at different scales: consider the building’s existing character and limitations rather than assuming that a difficult feature must simply be removed or hidden.
The interview also describes a separate bathroom project for WOW!house, undertaken in collaboration with House of Rohl. Gregoriou said the team selected a grand round bathtub as the room’s focal point rather than allowing the functional layout alone to dictate its atmosphere. The source material cuts off before her full explanation of that project, so it does not support further detail about the design or the completed room.
What the Interview Leaves Open
The supplied report does not state when the interview was published, provide a full account of the WOW!house bathroom, or give technical details about the Miiro Paris column and seat. It also does not say whether the column was newly installed or part of the existing structure; Gregoriou’s account says the team uncovered it during strip-out.
The design lesson is Gregoriou’s professional perspective, not a universal rule that every awkward space should become a focal point. The source provides no project budget, before-and-after measurements, guest feedback or other evidence to assess how the Miiro Paris changes affected use of the hotel.
Applying the Advice Early
The source reports no scheduled follow-up, new project announcement or upcoming milestone. For people planning a renovation, the immediate next step suggested by Gregoriou’s advice is to identify difficult areas during early design discussions and ask the project team to consider their possible function, lighting and relationship to the wider layout.
Whether a particular obstacle can safely be altered or incorporated depends on the building and the relevant structural and planning requirements. The interview does not give project-specific technical guidance; any changes involving structure would need assessment by appropriately qualified professionals.
Key Questions
What is Christina Gregoriou’s main design advice?
She recommends identifying awkward spaces early rather than leaving them until the end of a project. The team can then decide whether a constraint could serve a useful or defining role.
What happened to the column at Miiro Paris?
Gregoriou said the team uncovered a structural column during strip-out. It left a small niche in a challenging floor plan, where the designers placed a custom love seat.
How did the designers use the hotel’s secondary entrance?
According to Gregoriou, the team rethought a dark, narrow entrance area that had been used for back-of-house functions and made it the setting for a moody, intimate speakeasy.
Does the interview offer detailed renovation instructions?
No. It gives design advice and project examples, but does not provide engineering specifications, costs or instructions for altering a structural feature.
Source: livingetc.com
