The oldest remaining mall in America is The Arcade in Providence, Rhode Island. It was built in 1828 and has three levels with a huge skylight. The mall was recently renovated with the top levels turned into tiny apartments, each one about 300 square feet. Although the apartments are cozy, they do present residents some interior decorating challenges.
Fortunately, one of these apartments got the attention of the Rachael Ray Show—and the team decided to give it a makeover.
To start things off, the show sent designer and television personality John Gidding down to the apartment to check it out.
Upon walking in, Gidding immediately appreciates the smallness of the space. The front door leads to a living area complete with a work desk and computer. Connected to that in the middle of the apartment is a kitchenette room and in the back is the bedroom. Although the space is livable, the apartment’s tenant, Carine, tells Gidding that it’s sometimes hard to have parties or host guests. Though Carine says she’s excited to renovate, the duo faces an added challenge.
Each of the apartments is a rental—which means that the show can’t do anything structural to change the rooms themselves.
Although the parameters are challenging, Gidding has some innovative ideas right off the bat.
First, he decides to invest in some removable wallpaper to spice up the interior decor. To make the bedroom more exciting, he decides to make a DIY headboard insulated with some fake snow padding. After that, he gets a bunch of throw rugs and is pleased to find that all of them fit the space almost perfectly. After some additional decorations in the bedroom, some sprucing up of the throw pillows in the front room, Gidding is ready for the big reveal.
Carine can’t believe how much her apartment has changed!
Despite the limitations of the challenge, Gidding completely reimagines Carine’s space.
The front room looks much more welcoming, her desk area is more appealing and there’s even seating available for guests! Finally, the back bedroom has all new curtains, a headboard and plenty of decorations. Gidding’s work in Carine’s micro-loft shows anyone staying in a small apartment just how much can be done with creative interior design! Renovation doesn’t always mean taking out walls and starting from scratch after all.
To see more of Gidding’s impressive redesign, check out the video below.
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