boyd.condo.JPG

The Boyds relax in their 818-square-foot condo, redesigned to accommodate the kids.

(PHOTO BY DOUG BEGHTEL/THE OREGONIAN)

The redesign of William and Zeljka Boyd's Pearl District condo didn't take place without angst. When the tapes first were laid down on the floor to demarcate the rooms, Zeljka was skeptical. "Oh my goodness, we're going to be living in a closet!" she protested.

She kept asking her architect husband to recheck his measurements. Could it possibly work? Would the furniture even fit?

The couple had bought the one-bedroom, one-bath condo in The Pinnacle back in 2005, when they were just a couple. The 818-square-foot space was plenty then. They figured that when they started a family, they'd move on.

But the Boyds, who came from the car-centered lifestyle of Long Beach in Southern California, had a penchant for the urban life. The Pearl District appealed to them at first sight. "Once we saw the Pearl, we stopped looking around," William says.

By the time Helena and then Luke were born, the couple had grown deeply attached to the area. "We've fallen in love with being in the Pearl," William says simply.

And the Pearl had changed along with the Boyds. Their building, when they'd moved in, held mainly downsizing retirees and young, childless professionals. Then those young couples started having babies. And family-friendly amenities -- parks, indoor gyms and playgrounds (the nonprofit

is a family favorite) -- sprang up to serve them.

The problem with staying in the Pearl, though, was money. William, 40, and Zeljka, 38, had bought their one-bedroom, one-bath condo on two incomes, but once they became parents, Zeljka devoted herself full time to motherhood, wanting to give her offspring the same kind of childhood she'd experienced growing up in Croatia.

Large, family-size condos in the Pearl, they found, were financially out of their range. The solution: Remodel their small condo to fit a family of four.

Even a remodel was problematic, however, because of their tight budget. They hoped to hire a general contractor, but the bid was too high. After some frustration, though, William realized he could do much of the work himself, and the project began to move ahead.

The design took some time to bring to fruition. William would come up with a plan and discuss it with Zeljka. "Then he would massage it again," she says.

In the end, they carved out a bedroom for Helena, 3, and a nursery for Luke, 9 months. "Everyone has their own little space where they can get away," Zeljka says.

The design also provided plenty of storage for all the accouterments of a family: toys, books, stroller, bikes, office and cooking supplies, you name it. Theirs is an orderly but by no means a minimalist home. It also doesn't rely on expensive "transformer" furniture. Instead, they handled the redesign "in a really traditional way," William says, avoiding the use of a Murphy bed or anything "like what a college student would do."

Windows were a key driver for the design. The condo has windows only on its east side, with a view of the Willamette River. And although Luke's windowless nursery in the former walk-in closet suits a baby, with darkness and quietness conducive to sleep, a room for Helena would need windows in order to feel like a bedroom rather than a closet. So in subdividing the original bedroom to create Helena's room, he positioned the walls so that each room has windows -- while also carving out space for a media wall/cabinet in the living room for the flat-screen TV and storage.

To get the most functionality out of the condo's space, William also crafted furniture and built-ins, much of it by repurposing materials he found at

. "Thinking out of the box," he says.

The result of the redesign is a warm, sophisticated home with room for everyone. "The space doesn't feel smaller; it actually feels larger," Zeljka says.

Making room for two 14 Gallery: Making room for two

The cost -- $12,000 total, not including the kitchen, which they'd previously expanded -- was about a quarter of what a contractor would have charged for the entire project, William estimates.

The best thing for the Boyds is that they were able to stay in the Pearl and continue their satisfying urban lifestyle as a family. To them, the city is an extension of their home -- Zeljka says Helena asks her each day, "What are we going to do today? Where are we going?"

And play dates can be arranged on a whim, by text message. "Just a minute's notice and we're all on the deck," says Zeljka, referring to the seventh-floor outdoor area for socializing. "You don't have to leave the building."

Zeljka surveys her small home with obvious pride. To her, it proves one other fact about the Pearl: "You don't have to be rich to live here."

HOW THEY DID IT, ROOM BY ROOM



MASTER BEDROOM:

In the couple's 110-square-foot bedroom, William designed and built the queen-size headboard, using Ikea bookshelves and fabric. He also used bookshelves to make built-in nightstands, which float above the floor because "it's nice to be able to have your eye travel as far as you can." The bed lifts up to access storage; to save space, it has no footboard.

William also created the lighting by suspending six corded light fixtures in a pattern from the ceiling. Retro-style incandescent bulbs complete the look.

The couple's clothes closet is tucked into the end of the hallway outside the bedroom, but with access from inside the room.

HELENA'S ROOM:

William built a platform bed on top of Ikea bookshelves, with a hatch that opens to reveal storage. He used Ikea kitchen cabinets for shelving above the bed. When baby Luke outgrows his room, the plan is to replace that shelving with a bunk bed for Luke. Then Luke's former room may become a home office.

William also built in a closet with a mirrored door to expand the sense of space in the 70-square-foot room.

The turquoise wall color and red carpet were chosen to fit Helena's vibrant personality. Playful vinyl wall decals unify the color scheme, as do the colorful quilt and pillows -- the products of a quilting party that non-quilter Zeljka threw for friends. (She cooked, they quilted.)

BABY'S ROOM:

A walk-in closet just across the hall from the couple's bedroom was converted to the baby's room. At first, the whole floor was covered with foam pads to serve as Luke's bed; later, they took up the foam and put in a rolling crib. William built a frame to turn the door into a mirrored one, and used Ikea kitchen cabinets for storage.

BATH:

The condo has only one bathroom, "so it has to serve the needs of everybody," Zeljka says. They replaced the walk-in shower with glass surround to a tub for bathing the kids. They also upgraded the counter to Caesarstone and added wood to warm up the original all-white finishes.

For a changing table, they found a dresser online, and William built a platform on top to make it the right height. For storage, he mounted a sleek, long unit (a repurposed CD cabinet) on the wall.

CRAFT AREA:

Helena's little craft area is tucked into the living/dining area, up against vinyl wallpaper that stands up to splashes of paint.

KITCHEN:

This was an earlier renovation project, with storage a major focus. Zeljka, who likes to cook, describes the original space as a "starter or bachelor kitchen." They added upper cabinets that matched the maple of the other ones, and pantry units with pullout drawers.

They also added a bi-level island -- one level for prep work, the other for eating -- topped with a polished aggregate concrete that resists stains.

They upgraded to a stainless steel farmhouse-style sink big enough to wash a baby. The backsplash consists of large, custom-made glass tiles that William painted white on the backs.

On the outer edge of the kitchen, they turned open shelving into a cabinet that holds housewares and Helena's art supplies.

COLOR AND STYLE:

For the redesign, the Boyds came up with a new color scheme that blends sophistication with fun. Gray walls are brightened by pops of color, especially lime-green, in the art and accessories. An early addition was one wall of gray vinyl wallpaper, with a texture that picks up the light.

The overall clean-lined modern style was warmed up with some traditional pieces. "Modern can be too sleek," William says. A midcentury modern theme of circles weaves through the spaces, showing up in the round pedestal dining table, dining chairs and chandelier, the bar stools and the kitchen's globe lights and sunburst clock.

The Boyds' tips for making the most of a small home:



1. Use every inch.

"There's really no wasted space," Zeljka Boyd says of their 818-square-foot condo.

2. Give everything

multiple uses.

3. Choose your possessions

carefully. "You really have to think what you bring in your house," Zeljka says.

4. Find and designate

a place for each thing "so it feels like it belongs," William Boyd says.

5. High ceilings

-- the Boyds' are 10 feet 4 inches -- make a small area seem more spacious. "You still feel the volume," he says.

RESOURCE

William J. Boyd, architect

BoydConcept:Architecture

, 562-481-1636,