Redesigning your home doesn’t need to cost a great deal. In fact, it doesn’t have to cost anything at all. Sometimes, the best interior designs are a product of creative reinvention of what you already have. Carole Marcotte, the lead designer and creative force behind Form & Function, a full-service interior design firm and storefront in Raleigh, North Carolina, specializes in just this.
Though Marcotte notes that her personal style is more maximalist than bare, her ideal world is this: “People will stop buying crap, refurbish and highlight their existing treasures, and if they absolutely need more ‘stuff,’ buy only resale items (vintage, antique, flea market or the like). And if it must be new ‘stuff,’ it would provide significant function, environmental sustainability, or support our artists and thereby feed our soul.” Marcotte practices interior redesigning. That is, interior design by way of salvaging, reimagining, and reinventing what you already have.
Photos by Catherine Nguyen, styling by Carole Marcotte
Marcotte recommends first taking an inventory of what you already have.
When it comes to working with clients, she says, “We always start with an initial consultation in the home because I have to be in the space to assess how or what I can approach,” says Marcotte. It helps to have a fresh set of eyes looking at your stuff and imagining where existing furniture could go and how it can be used.
If you’re not working with an interior designer, take a critical eye to everything you have: Is a piece of furniture not being used? Could it be put to better use elsewhere? Could it be given new life with a new coat of paint or a stain? Are you missing any pieces you need? If so, can you buy vintage rather than new?
When working with clients, Marcotte provides a in-home consultation in which the homeowners show her around the house and discuss the immediate goals of the redesign. These goals could be anything from turning current pieces into multifunctional items or enlisting Marcotte’s help in a full redesign.
If you’re going at the redesign process alone, your goals might be to make better use of the space in your home, clear out or repurpose items that aren’t being used, or to inject freshness into a room. All of which can be achieved with a little creative thinking—no new purchases necessary.
Marcotte and her team salvage more than most design firms. “I want to be a designer who can help people save buildings, help people save houses,” says Marcotte. “In that respect, I also want to use as much existing décor as possible, given that a lot of stuff can be reupholstered, painted, stained, or looked at with a fresh set of eyes.”
Take a console table, for instance. “Most people are going to have a narrow mind about a console table. They’re going to think that it just goes in a hallway or behind a couch,” says the redesigner. But Marcotte also sees it as a great piece to have behind your desk to put a printer and file rack on. “I’m going to try to see [the client’s] existing furniture and use it in a different way.”
A recent client of Marcotte’s had no use for a drop-leaf table and was going to give it away. But she saw the potential in the piece and repurposed it as a console table behind a sofa. “With two lamps on it, it becomes a very serviceable piece that keeps the couch floating more toward the center of the room instead of being backed up against the wall,” says Marcotte. “And it was just a drop leaf table that had no use. It would’ve been given away or given to one of their children, but we were able to find a use for it.”
With as strong as Marcotte’s convictions are when it comes to saving and salvaging, it’s no surprise that she practices redesign in her own home all the time. “I’m always tearing my house apart,” says Marcotte. The interior designer recently created a little reading nook with a simple rearrangement. “I had these two Spanish étagères and they were on opposite sides of the room but they still had a sense of symmetry within the space. I brought them closer together and put a daybed between them and it’s created this little alcove. And I love it!”
Marcotte still reminds her clients to be intentional with what they put in their homes. “Let’s make sure we have the best and the brightest, the family heirlooms, the things that mean the most to you. Because the other stuff can be given away. Refining and clearing your homes is, at the end of the day, what our whole redesign process is about.”
Carole Marcotte is the lead designer and creative force behind Form & Function, a full-service interior design firm and storefront in Raleigh, NC. She uses a fresh, modern spin when approaching the interior design process and makes her clients’ homes come to life through her unique and meaningful method of working primarily with what people own.
Photo by Andrew Marcotte
Our favorite places to buy original art online, plus expert tips from art advisors and artists on how you can score beautiful pieces for your home at a great price.
We sat down with Adrienne Hubbard of Crafty Little Gnome for her take on how to spruce up and even increase the resale value of your home for less than $300.
Too often, wall art is an afterthought when decorating our homes. But when chosen carefully, the right wall art can provide character for an entire room. We interviewed Katharine Earnhardt, founder of Mason Lane Art Advisory, a Brooklyn-based wall styling firm, and learned the best practices for styling walls.
An interview with Jess with Less. She talks to us about what a low-waste, minimalist lifestyle means to her and the simple swaps we can make in our own homes that can get us closer to responsible consumption.
Maximalism: when more is actually more. Here’s our take on maximalism and how you can apply this decorating style to your home.
From refreshing, floral prints to simple, classic designs, here are 8 best uses of wallpaper from our collection of house tours.
Bookshelf ideas for your home library, chosen by our resident bibliophiles, from upscale wabi-sabi to devil-may-care European chic.
Kealia is a staff writer and social media coordinator for House Method. She writes for a variety of beats, including home inspiration (her favorite), real estate, and home wellness.
We used Morrison Hotel Gallery's fine art music photography to illustrate five fresh ways to incorporate portraits around the home.
See the before and after photos of Décor Aid's transformation of a Greenwich Colonial, and learn the importance of balance in design.
Design newcomer Inside Weather brings the custom furniture industry to a friendly place—design process, customization options, price point, and all.
Interior designer Jess Cooney has made a business of understanding the second home, and making sense of function and beauty is what she calls her secret superpower.
Picture windows, rooftop decks, and panoramic views of the famous Los Angeles landscape.
Impeccably dressed, tastefully luxurious, see inside this four-story sliver of a brownstone in Stuyvesant Heights.
By continuing to browse or by clicking “OK” you agree to the storing of first- and third-party cookies on your device to enhance site navigation, analyze site usage, and assist in our marketing efforts. Privacy Policy.
OK
What Did You Think?
Join the Conversation