Mixing vintage and new furniture with warm woods, ethnic textiles and paper lights adds a casual softness in this urban Victorian neighborhood. Using the ceiling height to create gallery walls makes the room an inviting place to gather.
This mid-century home featured original wood-paneled walls that inspired a palette of color and bold geometric shapes to playfully contrast the warm, tactile textures. The family house is lively and welcoming, regularly hosting festive gatherings with many children happily running through the rooms.
A busy family breathed new life into their mid-century modern home, honoring its clean lines, functional layout, and strong connection to the outdoors while updating it for everyday modern living.
Design goals
Improve daily functionality for a family of four: streamline circulation, add storage, and create durable surfaces that withstand high traffic.
Maximize the home’s panoramic views with minimal visual interruption. Bring in comfortable and inviting furnishings that complement the open floor plan.
Material choices and finishes: A neutral palette of warm wood, soft greys, bright pops of color and crisp white maintain mid-century warmth while feeling fresh. Durable, family-friendly finishes— stain-resistant upholstery.
Outcome: The renovation delivers an elegant balance of past and present. The family now enjoys an efficient, low-maintenance home that supports their busy lives while preserving the architecture’s defining features. Clean sightlines, expanded glazing, and carefully considered materials allow the home to feel both calm and purposeful, with the surrounding views remaining.
The best way to maximize a small space in Gramercy Park is to build up. Integrating a kitchen with an elevated loft allowed for plenty of storage under and sleeping area above. The space under the bed was used for refrigerator and bicycle closet and a full kitchen.
"We have worked with Claudia Mahecha Design over a period of three years...her brief was to transform this empty, neglected house into a warm, cosy, uncluttered space. Using existing furniture and artwork brought with us from England, finding, planning, ordering and arranging furniture we had seen in Switzerland and Germany, she has created for us a living space we could not have imagined for ourselves.
Claudia's practical training was with furniture- this enables her to attach an engineer's knowledge of materials to an artist's sensibility. This very unusual combination has made her a gifted designer.
Listening is her instinct: imagining spaces is her gift: enabling clients to find an aesthetic they did not know they possessed is her special talent.
Claudia is a relentless researcher. Somehow she found objects for us that we loved so much it was as if we had chosen them ourselves...she wove the strands of our former life so this house we sit in is still ours, not hers. Wherever we look we see the life we had before blended with the life we have now.
Nothing was imposed, nothing wasted."
Colonial home in Hartsdale, NY needed a functional kitchen for holidays and entertaining. Keeping with the spirit of the home we used shaker style cabinets in a light finish to brighten the enclosed space. Moving the sink near the window and creating an island allows for guests to sit and visit while cooking. Using open shelves as display for a copper collection also made the room appear larger and more spacious.
“Claudia displays passion, creativeness and professionalism. I have worked with her on two projects, both of which had brilliant results and were enjoyable to work on as well.”
Managing Partner at One Wealth Partners.
A collaboration with Todd Davis Architecture.
A converted sugar factory building made into lofts in SF. Reclaimed wood, brick walls and open space allowed for an industrial approach. Large blocked seating groups were used for entertaining, reclaimed railroad lumber was used to build bookshelves for a library area with a steel base round table.
Fashion couple moves from the city to suburbia to raise a family. This was about making a home work for family, entertaining, and integrating past treasures to reflect their combined styles.
Working with shapes, texture and color brings elements together to create a mood and tells a story about our clients and our projects.
In honor of The Steins Collect opening at SFMOMA, we were invited to create a poetry lounge for readings and gatherings. The Steins were American expatriates in Bohemian Paris in the early 20th century that became collectors of the most modern art of their time. The lounge was a place to bring people together, to share ideas and to be inspired to create.
