Grand Rapid's Historic Octagon House Gets A Facelift

It's been a little while since we've done a project update, so thought it was about time we did! If you follow along with our little blog, you know that we mainly tackle design for residential spaces.

As it turns out, our biggest project this year was for a small local business! How fun is that? And while the building will be used as offices, the location is "technically" a house, zoned for business.

If you're from the GR area, you may know of the The Octagon House, since it's a historic location, and once you've seen it, it sort of sticks in your mind! It's just what it sounds like...an octagon! Complete with a beautiful porch that wraps allllll the way around the house.

The project both is and isn't a major overhaul. While we're updating all the floors, fixtures, and finishes, we decided not to knock down any walls or move any major elements. T

his is great, because it allowed our clients to essentially GC the project themselves, working directly with many of my favorite local contractors. I don't always recommend this, but in the right scenario, like this one, this can save you a good chunk of change!

We selected finishes for all spaces in the house and furniture for the main floor (we'll give you a chance to shop the look at the end of this post as well!). Below you can see the main floor with our proposed furniture layout.

The bottom right shows where clients will enter, which moves into a lobby space with a nice sitting area and custom reception desk. The room on the loft will act as a conference room, and the back center room will be their employee lounge/kitchen area. Offices will be on the second level, but aren't a part of our scope of service.

Below you can see our selections for the lobby area. We wanted to make the space feel classy, but not over the top, with a nod to traditional and timeless styles. We're using a neutral base, and bringing in interest with layers of texture, pattern, and warm tones.

In the entryway, we'll have a large 72" console with a custom wall detail of the firms logo (thanks to our friends over at Fast Signs). You'll also see below the table and chairs we have selected for the employee kitchen area.

While not shown, we'll be painting the cabinets a warm white tone with a classic honed black granite countertop and stainless hardware.

Lastly, we have the conference room, where we'll use a beautiful warm wood dining table as their main conference table.

When I initially met with the owners of the firm, they told me how their clients always become friends, and they all feel like a family. Because of that, I wanted the space to feel more like a cozy home than like a stuffy office.

Construction is well underway on this project and all our furniture has been ordered, so now it's the hard part: the waiting game! I'm excited to show you the finished space come January when our clients move in.

Stay warm and stay safe!

XO, Lauren

Love this look? Shop these and similar pieces here!

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Work with Lauren Figueroa Interior Design

LFID is a full-service interior design firm serving West and Southeast Michigan known especially for our Designed in a Day service.

We work with clients from Detroit to Novi to Clarkston, and Grand Rapids to Holland to Traverse City—and anywhere in between! We pride ourselves on creating bespoke, people-centered spaces—because after all, people are what this life is all about!

If you have a project on the horizon, get started by telling us about your vision here, and you can view past projects here. Thanks for stopping by!