[ Image credit: Apartment Therapy ]
A few years ago, I was showing clients a particular apartment, where you are faced with a big column as soon as you enter the front door. Since it’s a load-bearing column, it can’t be removed.
Around 80% of the people commented on that and even considered it the main factor for turning down the apartment. Actually, nobody bought that apartment for two years, until it was furnished.
From my experience, most people find it very hard to overcome minor (or major, according to them) problems like this. It’s totally understandable, as everyone is looking for the perfect house. People usually hesitate to be elastic and accept a challenge, which doesn’t let their imagination work to solve the problem.
Just to be clear, I wouldn’t choose that placement for the column if I were the architect of the building. But it was there and it was messing with an overall great apartment. I am sure there are endless cases like that, where something small makes the whole place loose value.
Next time you have to deal with an awkwardly placed column or a row of them right in the middle of the house, don’t turn away immediately. If the rest of the space ticks all the boxes, think of the columns as the surprise factor of the house. They can be transformed into something amazing.
Here are three main approaches and a few of the ways you can work with columns. You can come up with unique ideas, as soon as you shift your mindset from problem to opportunity and allow yourself to have fun!
