I love that colors are making a resurgence in condo interiors nowadays. For years, I’ve had clients asking me to create condo interior designs for them that are “light and bright,” which for them often meant “white and neutral.”
While there is nothing bad with white and neutral or light and bright per se, it was hard for me to convince clients that color is what would help them bring out the personality in their spaces. In fact, I distinctly remember a client once tell me, after hemming and hawing about choosing white cabinet fronts for her kitchen, that she was afraid she would eventually get bored with all that white.
If you’re about to renovate your condo and the same thought has crossed your mind, I hope you find inspiration in the photos below of one of our latest condo projects, where we were able to infuse so much personality and sophistication through the use of colors that add so much visual interest to the space.
This family condo’s interiors gave us so many reasons to geek out over the details, from smart space planning to personality-packed corners. Here’s a quick tour of the rooms and the little things we loved doing in each one.
Entryway
Our client’s condo is incredibly spacious in comparison to today’s condo unit size standards. Their entryway alone bests other newer condo models’ entire kitchens or bedrooms. That said, it had a few things going against it that made our client want to give it a deep upgrade.
BEFORE
One of the problems in this entryway is that while it was spacious and wide, it severely lacked storage space that this family desperately needed. It also had a faux stone wall that took up precious space—space that client knew could be turned into a built-in cabinet.
AFTER
So we designed exactly that: A built-in closet that could store a myriad of things! Shoes, electronics, bags, toys, equipment, even four big golf club bags.
We also put back the minimalist console counter, which our clients use as a catchall for keys and loose change.
Living area
The entryway naturally led into a big living space that was divided into two sitting areas. However, clutter was still a problem because there was a weird mix of loose furniture and built-ins that didn’t really maximize the space well enough to secure all the family’s varied belongings.
BEFORE
We noticed that most of the furniture was pushed back against walls, creating this awkward space right between the casegoods and the seating.
The sitting area nearest the entryway was also being used as a workspace, as it was one of the areas in the condo unit where the WiFi signal was strongest.
AFTER
We rearranged the furniture layout a bit to ensure that all the functions were covered—sitting area, workspace, lounge space.
We designed a dedicated work desk with shelves, which is actually a roll-away desk. This is because a pipe chase door is on this wall, and building code requires us to keep the door accessible at all times.
Below is a view of the roll-away desk partially revealing the pipe chase door behind it. Check out the reel on Instagram too, to see how it works IRL!
We also created several sitting areas, that could be used particularly when they are entertaining. As our clients have quite an extended family, they often have a lot of guests over, which means there is often a sitting accommodation problem.
Apart from adding slipper chairs in one of the sitting areas, we also designed a built-in bench with an upholstered seat, and storage drawers underneath it.
Perhaps the piece de resistance in the living area is this massive storage piece, which has a mix of covered and glass-fronted cabinet doors.
The closet farthest from the view below is actually an extension of the entryway’s shoe storage. With its solihiya-fronted cabinet doors, it provides partially closed storage, but still allows the enclosed space to “breathe.”
The glass-fronted cabinet doors help lessen the heft of the storage piece, and create an opportunity to display our clients’ framed photos and decor.
Dining area
The dining area is right behind the living area. On a regular day, it accommodates 3 to 4 people eating meals together, but on weekends, holidays or during parties, there are as much as 10 to 15 people gathered in the common spaces.
BEFORE
As such the table for six was too small for this extended family. And again, there was a dearth of storage space, with all their dining implements scattered all over the place.
AFTER
While we couldn’t fit a larger table fit for 10 to 14 persons, we were able to provide a custom oval-shaped table for eight. We replaced the inadequate light fixture with a bigger and more impressive chandelier, as well as two table lamps on one of the buffet sideboards.
The quartz tabletop had to be brought in separately from the base, and almost didn’t fit the service elevator!
Kitchen
As with many homes and condos, the kitchen is the most hardworking space of all the rooms.
BEFORE
There was actually a lot of wasted space in the existing cabinetry, including a faux wall that closed up a corner next to the kitchen sink.
A lot of things were also scattered over all the available surfaces, making cooking and preps a very messy affair.
AFTER
We tore down all the cabinets, faux walls and flooring. We picked a two-tone palette to make the kitchen feel more vibrant and dynamic, down to the classic diamond-patterned Machuca tiles.
We then designed cabinets that had integrated appliances—like a French-door refrigerator, a wine cooler, a microwave oven, oven, and induction cooktop—and made almost every square inch usable.
Main bedroom
The primary bedroom in our client’s condo had a lot of space but also a lot of functions it needed to accommodate. It needed to address various activities: as sleeping space, lounging space, kids’ space and exercise space.
Like with other rooms in this condo, there was a lot of clutter that needed housing. Plus it didn’t command the presence that a primary bedroom would normally have (at least in many hotels or multi-room housing).
AFTER
We had our go-to cabinet maker build these blue-gray, glass-fronted cabinets with contemporary brass hardware, to store our clients’ shoes, designer bags, and other personal effects.
We also designed a kind of “bay window” setup underneath one of the windows, even if we couldn’t jut it out of the walls.
A wall mirror on that part of the room allowed our client to do yoga or other exercises while being able to check their form.
Bedding and artwork reflected the cabinetry colors, helping ensure the palette is consistently repeated in the room. This enables the eye to move around the space visually and makes it feel bigger.
Girls' bedroom
The girls’ bedroom was actually a room we had worked on some years back, when our client was still on a very tight budget. Occupied by girls of different ages, this was the smallest bedroom in the condo, but one that also required a variety of functions to be accommodated.
BEFORE
Each of the room’s occupants had quite different hobbies and interests that ran the gamut of fashion, arts and crafts, literature, and music. Again, storage was quite lacking in the space, particularly with the wardrobes of three differently aged females.
AFTER
One thing going for this bedroom is its ceiling, which was higher than standard ceiling height. This allowed us to accommodate a loft bed that extended all the way to the ceiling, with a desk and storage underneath for a college-aged girl who loved to read, listen to records, and create fashionable clothes and accessories.
Luckily, one of the girls already uses the workspace in the living area, so we only needed one more desk for the third (and youngest) girl in the condo.
We also had a daybed custom-made that came with its own built-in shelves and a trundle bed underneath. Wall shelves with a mix of open and closed storage was mounted up on the wall. We picked a very soft blush pink palette for this space, so that it could be feminine, but not too young or juvenile for girls of all ages.
We were able to fit these massive wardrobes with linen-textured cabinet doors and brass hardware, giving them a contemporary and elegant touch.
Girls' T&B
The bathrooms in this condo were all quite dilapidated and needed so much TLC. So we had all the tiles, fixtures, and old fittings removed and completely replaced.
There was practically no cabinet storage in the bathroom, making it not just dilapidated, but messy as well.
Our cabinets were in the same blush pink and linen-textured finish, with brass and crystal pink knobs. For a little more texture, we used pink mosaic tiles for the flooring, and bevelled subway tiles on the walls. All the fittings were placed with brass faucets, shower fixtures, and even the handheld bidet.
Boys' bedroom
While there were only two boys in the family, this was a bigger bedroom and often used as a guest bedroom. Which is why we needed to accommodate beds for four persons, and desks for two.
BEFORE
AFTER
The daybeds with trundle and shelves in the boys’ bedroom are actually the same design as the one in the girls’ room, but in the same soft blue hue as the primary bedroom’s cabinets.
We also made sure to have posters printed that reflected the boys’ interests—in this case, Formula 1 race cars and their favorite basketball heroes.
Instead of gold hardware, we used cabinet handles in a more contemporary shape and black finish.
Boys' T&B
Just like the girls’ bathroom, the boys’ bathroom was lacking both storage space and aesthetic value.
BEFORE
Apart from having no space at all to neatly store toiletries and supplies, it had an inadequate, pink-flower lamp as its only source of light.
We recommended to our clients to have all cabinets, fixtures, fittings, and tiles removed and completely replaced.
AFTER
We stuck with a clean but more masculine palette of blue, white and black for the boys’ bathroom. We used the same beveled subway tiles for the walls, but for the flooring, we used a textured, concrete-look tile.
Designing condo interiors with colors that pop
One thing we loved about this project was how open the family was to using color, not just as an accent, but as a way to define how each space should feel. Condo interior design doesn’t have to mean sticking to greys and beiges to “play it safe.” In fact, a well-placed cabinet in dusty mauve or a soft blue can be the thing that brings a room to life. It adds personality, energy, and just the right amount of unexpected.
But colour alone doesn’t make a space work. For this home, storage solutions were just as important. And not the obvious kind either; we’re talking full-height cabinets that double as display space, pull-out drawers tucked into bedframes, and built-ins that blend seamlessly with the rest of the interiors. The kind of smart storage that lets you tuck things away without sacrificing the visual flow of a room.
That’s the sweet spot we always aim for with condo interior design: a space that reflects your taste, supports your lifestyle, and still feels easy to live in. And this home? Definitely one for the books.
If you’re planning a similar project or still figuring out your own condo design ideas, we hope this gave you a bit of inspiration — and permission — to make your home work for you, in all the ways that matter.
All AFTER photos by Toto Labrador. All BEFORE photos from the library of Gal at Home Design Studio.
In writing this article, we used AI assistance for clarity, accuracy, and to align with our editorial guidelines and our commitment to providing valuable home design insights. You can view our full AI Use disclosure here.