7 min readOur homes are constantly evolving. As technology advances and cultural shifts shape the way we live, the design world is always looking ahead—finding smarter ways to declutter, rearrange our floor plans, and, above all, create homes that are as beautiful as they are functional.
That’s always been the mission of our annual Whole Home projects. For the past nine years, we’ve built a show house from the ground up—in locations like Atlanta, Denver, and Nashville—and enlisted top design talent to decorate each room. Ahead, we're diving into the archives of every House Beautiful Whole Home to revisit the most underrated design ideas of the past decade. These are innovations that have quietly transformed the way we live for the better.
Multipurpose Rooms
Our homes are no longer simply lodgings. They’ve transformed into places where we gather. If you want to earn the title of everyone’s favorite spot, you’ll want your home to feel as fun as it is functional.
This bright, joy-filled Nashville dining room graced the cover of our 2019 Whole Home issue, adding a new level of versatility to traditional purpose. Designed by the team at Chenault James, a single multifunctional piece brings an unexpected element of entertainment to the definitive hosting space, with a height-adjustable table that easily flips from serving plates to ping-pong balls.
Hidden Entertainment
For homes with a more minimalist aesthetic, entertainment features tend to stay out of sight. In this ultramodern lounge from our 2024 Whole Home in Asheville, North Carolina, designer Rajni Alex refused to sacrifice sleek style for the visual clutter of a TV. Instead, she created a solution that works for every member of the family: a custom console by Walker Woodworking with a built-in TV lift that conceals the screen when it's not in use.
Alex framed the piece with rich brown drapery and illuminated built-ins, ensuring the room feels just as dramatic during an intense game of chess as it does for the final moments of the Super Bowl. The result is a space that seamlessly balances everyday function with elevated design.
A Banquette Built Around a Column
The rise of open-concept homes reinvented columns, changing their reputation from a conscious design choice to an integral structural element. In this paprika-hued sitting room from our 2023 Whole Home in Hinsdale, Illinois, designer Emma Beryl embraced visions of grandeur amid towering seven-foot ceilings and faux marble to transform this circular column from an eyesore into a bespoke sitting area with braid fringe and posh Pomegranate Velvet upholstery by Zoffany.
Fabric Room Dividers
Another obstacle of the open floor plan is its lack of distinction. High ceilings, rolling hardwoods, and the absence of walls make it almost impossible to give spaces true purpose and definition. When designer Dane Austin took on this “cavernous” home featured in our 2024 spread, he knew he wanted to channel warmth and personality into what could read as a cold and unwelcoming space—the perfect vehicle? Fabric. Austin created division through drapery, defining borders without having to put up a single panel of sheetrock.
En Suite Cafés
Enjoying a coffee or nightcap in bed just got a whole lot easier. Designer Isabel Ladd, featured in our Whole Home in 2023, and Kathy Kuo, a 2024 alum, both built bespoke drinks bars in the master bedrooms, elevating their designs and adding an air of modern luxury.
A Cocoon Room
For designer Anita Yokota, relaxation isn’t just a vacation home perk. It’s also a necessity in your forever home. For Whole Home 2024, she shared her “cocoon room,” an in-house haven for de-stressing. Draped in blue tones, the room also features plush furniture with soft edges in stormy grays and creamy whites to channel levity and mimic her muse, the vast sky.
The English Snug
As it turns out, the English have nailed great literature and great reading room designs. In this “English snug” featured in our 2024 Whole Home issue, designer Anne McDonald used inspiration from the traditional British home to balance expansive windows and vast mountain views. Using mohair club chairs, mossy paint, and delicate drapery, she designed a cozy inlet for settling and solitude.
Reflective Accents
No windows? No problem. When designer Arianne Bellizaire began working on this bold blue entryway for our Whole Home 2023, she noted one glaring issue: a lack of both natural and artificial light. Not wanting to deviate from the historic roots, she opted to line the ceiling with reflective vinyl to help light flow through the space.
Secret Liquor Cabinets
Books and booze both find a home in this 2023 Whole Home library designed by Kate Marker. Working with the original shelves and millwork of this historic home, Marker ultimately decided to flank the functional fireplace with paneled-door cabinets so well-designed they are nearly undetectable to the naked eye. Inside, she installed shelving to stash spirits, mixers, and shakers, creating an in-house speakeasy.
Indoor Trellises
Trellises line the walls of this radiant sunroom, originally featured in our 2022 Atlanta, Georgia Whole Home. Designed by Claire Staszak of Centered by Design, the transitional space marries the indoors to the patio, using the garden structure as a bridge between the two.
Dreamy Draped Walls
Drapery is the star of this 2023 Whole Home bedroom, designed by Mark Williams and Niki Papadopoulos. Embroidered with leaves and acorns, the panels set the tone for the entire room’s palette and connect the home’s interior design with the Georgia landscape just outside.
“Tented” Ceiling Wallpaper
When designer Zoë Feldman first toured her 2022, Atlanta-based Whole Home project, the pitched ceilings became more than an architectural feature. They became her focus. Working to brighten the dated Gothic design scheme, she deployed creamy white paint to coat exposed beams and rolled out bold variegated black-and-white-striped wallpaper to cover the walls, tent the ceilings, and add a wealth of character to the space.
Nightstands That Serve a Purpose
Designers Mark Williams and Niki Papadopoulos don’t believe in compromising good design for great storage solutions. In their 2022 Whole Home bedroom design, the pair swapped traditional nightstands for a customized desk and a custom storage unit to maximize function and storage potential without infringing on the room’s airy, nature-inspired aesthetic.
Party Plazas
Los Angeles designer Linda Hayslett of LH. Designs believes every area of the home deserves a purpose, and she brought that ideology to her 2021 Whole Home project in Fredericksburg, Texas. Taking what would traditionally be an unspecified green space, Hayslett peppered the ground with dice, a ring toss set, and a cornhole board to transform this pool deck into an enviable “party plaza.”
Hybrid Home Office
For our 2021 Whole Home, Baltimore-based designer Laura Hodges of Laura Hodges Studio designed a dual-purpose workout and office space to ensure that, no matter your schedule, this space has purpose. She took her wellness-minded scheme a step further by embracing biophilic design, tucking pots and plants into every corner and opting for natural finishes to ground the room with earthy energy. The custom desk is the room’s crowning jewel. Engineered by Grothouse, it easily comes apart to function as a set of aerobic steps. Jane Fonda would swoon.
The Return of the Trundle Bed
The husband-and-wife team at French & French are no strangers to a bold palette. Their emerald-hued media room, featured in our 2021 Whole Home issue, is proof. Bathed in lush green and covered in patterns, the space is a watering hole for the client’s family, doubling as a guest bedroom for when their grandchildren visit. With its dual purpose in mind, the pair placed a canopied daybed against the window and stashed a hidden trundle underneath it for additional storage space.
Retractable Outdoor Screens
For our 2021 Whole Home, Dallas-based designer Jean Liu saw potential in a space that could have served as a traditional breezeway. At the meeting point between the main house, secondary wing, and garage, Liu transformed what could have been “dead space” into a rustic outdoor dining area, complete with motorized retractable screens to keep buzzing bugs out of dishes and hallways.
The Modern Conversation Pit
Soft edges and storied design schemes define the “hangout” zones designed by Noz Nozawa for the 2020 Whole Home Concept House in Denver, Colorado. Drawing on midcentury silhouettes, 1970s trends, and the importance of face-to-face conversation, Nozawa sourced this custom table and chair set.
The Backyard Getaway
For our 2020 Whole Home concept house, husband-and-wife team Brett and Kara Phillips designed a 440-square-foot back house lovingly coined “The WeShed.” Complete with vast windows, a shaded patio, and a cozy lounge space, the build was meant to provide an escape from the stresses and humdrum of daily life, just steps away from your actual home.
Alternative Seating Setups
For our 2023 Whole Home, designer Jenna Gross of Colordrunk Designs combined her love of vibrant palettes with Victorian flair to dream up this circular, four-seater tête-à-tête arrangement. The storied seating concept offers an opportunity for intimate in-house dining.
Piano-Shaped Kitchen Island
It’s often said the kitchen is the heart of the home, so for Whole Home 2025 in Austin, Texas, designer Sara Malek Barney of BANDD/DESIGN gave our concept home an island worth gathering around. Taking the shape of a grand piano, the island is topped with quartzite and sits on a reeded base. The piece easily seats six along its gentle curve, which also encourages eye contact.
Leveled-Up Home Bars
For Whole Home 2020, Brooklyn-based duo Cristina Casañas-Judd and General Judd practically wove amusement into this bespoke, eccentric home bar design. Channeling a modern take on the classic Old West aesthetic, the pair installed bold electric-blue cabinetry, basket weave wallcoverings, and a surfboard-shaped sound system. A beer tap and in-counter wine chiller round off the slightly kooky design scheme.
The Multipurpose Media Room
In 2019, the Nashville-based trio behind Modern Remains designed a media room for the Whole Home concept house. They selected a dark, neutral palette for the space, with sand, charcoal, and deep greens setting the tone. Grained wood paneling lined the walls and housed seating, while luxe floor-to-ceiling drapery panels flanked windows for optimal movie-viewing conditions.
