Clients arrive with a lot of preconceived notions—some based on solid design principles, others based on trends or outdated knowledge. “My job is to give clients enough context to make the important decisions confidently and to take the rest off their plate, even when that means steering them away from something they came in with their heart set on,” says architect Anand Sheth of AD PRO Directory Studio Anand Sheth in San Francisco. Drawing on current preferences and projected trajectories, AD PRO Directory members share the home renovation ideas they believe deserve the wrecking ball.
While open floor plans aren’t entirely going away (see AD PRO’s latest report on the debate), the COVID-19 pandemic was a stark reminder of the need for purposeful separation. “I often talk clients out of removing walls simply for the sake of openness,” says Baltimore-based designer Pascale de Fouchier. “Thoughtful boundaries create architectural rhythm, intentional circulation, and rooms that feel distinct while still connected,” like in this living room in a Baltimore home, where she narrowed a doorway to the adjacent study with built-in storage.
Not all homes are meant to be “loft-like.” And demo-ing a ceiling to the rafters isn’t always the right move, say designers Elizabeth Bennett and Mallory Robins of Kobel + Co in Kansas City, Missouri. “Having the space doesn’t mean you need to expose it. A vaulted ceiling in the wrong room can throw off the scale entirely.” To create more appropriate spaces, the duo often lowers ceiling heights or adds a decorative treatment “more in step with the home’s age and architectural provenance.”
Few design gestures are as dramatic as a sweeping staircase. But as more clients prioritize quality time remaining in their home renovation ideas, Los Angeles–based architect Tim Barber lowers risers and widens treads for improved safety and accessibility. “A gently rising, comfortable staircase encourages homeowners to use the stairs—supporting everyday movement, strength, and mobility over time,” he says. At a recent remodel in Santa Monica, California, he replaced a steeper, curving set of steps with a right-angled, gradual ascension.
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Designer Kaitlyn Wolfe encourages her clients to embrace the beauty of natural imperfections. “I want the materials themselves to help shape the feeling of a space,” says the Scottsdale, Arizona–based talent. “Plaster, lime wash, concrete, stone, wood, and other hand-applied finishes bring movement and variation that make a home feel more connected to its architecture, surroundings, and the person living there.”
To avoid visual clutter in the kitchen, Anand Sheth takes a page from hospitality design’s back-of-house book. “In kitchens small and large, I’m increasingly eliminating upper cabinets and consolidating storage into full-height pantry walls,” says the Studio Anand Sheth founder. “When storage, appliances, and everyday clutter are concentrated into one efficient zone, the rest of the room can become much more open, architectural, and connected to the spaces around it,” like in this sunlit kitchen he designed for a two-bedroom accessory dwelling unit (ADU) in Pacifica, California.
Because our screens can stream anywhere, anytime, media rooms are on the decline. Clients are opting to unwind with a different type of sensory experience, and architect Margie Lavender is keen to comply. “Escape is no longer found in a windowless room with overstuffed recliners,” says the architect, a partner at Kligerman Architecture & Design in New York. “It’s now in a destination that requires a dose of sun and fresh air: a wellness suite, cold plunge, or sauna.”
“Clients often arrive with a spectacular property and a strong desire to orient the home around one defining view,” says Todd Beyerlein, a partner at design firm Hoedemaker Pfeiffer in Seattle. While the instinct is right, he urges homeowners to think more holistically. “An existing tree can offer privacy, or a chance for framing along an axis. A darker, more enclosed corner can make the brighter, more open rooms feel that much more dramatic,” he says. “I try to draw on everything a site gives us, not just the money shot.”
Designer Dafna Kikuchi of Daf & Co in Dallas is well-versed in that essential yet oft-overlooked design industry skill: managing expectations. “Clients often come to me with a long wish list for their home and a firm budget that simply can’t accomplish everything at once,” she explains. Rather than spread several spaces too thin, “I encourage them to concentrate on completing one room from start to finish. They get to experience the full vision: a space that feels layered, resolved, and intentional, in line with the work and imagery that drew them to me in the first place.”
