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Michaelis Boyd partner Christina Gregoriou advises making awkward areas an early focus in a renovation rather than leaving them until the end. She points to a structural column at the Miiro Paris hotel, which the design team incorporated into a custom seat for a speakeasy niche. The source does not provide a publication date or details of a new project announcement.
Christina Gregoriou, a partner at architecture and design practice Michaelis Boyd, says homeowners and design teams should tackle awkward corners, narrow corridors and structural obstacles early in a project. In an interview with Livingetc, she described how a column uncovered during the Miiro Paris hotel renovation helped inspire a custom seat in a small niche, turning a difficult part of the floor plan into a feature of the space.
Gregoriou’s advice is to give hard-to-use areas primary consideration from day one, rather than leaving them until the rest of a renovation is designed. She says those spaces can include unused corners, long corridors and rooms that feel less workable after walls are removed and structural elements are exposed. If they remain unresolved, she warns, they may look like an afterthought rather than blending into the design.
At Miiro Paris, the studio worked on a hotel created by renovating two heritage Haussmann-era buildings connected from different streets. Gregoriou said the secondary entrance had been dark and narrow, with limited natural light, and was used for back-of-house functions, offices and windowless meeting rooms. The team reconsidered the flow of the space and saw its enclosed proportions as a fit for a moody, intimate speakeasy.
During the building strip-out, the designers found a structural column that made the floor plan more challenging and left a small pocket with no obvious use. Rather than conceal or ignore it, they designed a custom love seat to fit into the niche. Gregoriou presented the result as an example of a constraint becoming a defining design feature. Her interview also mentions a bathroom designed for WOW!house with House of Rohl, where the team selected a round statement bathtub as the room’s focal point; the supplied source excerpt ends before her full explanation of that project.
Why Early Design Decisions Matter
Gregoriou’s recommendation addresses a common renovation problem: decisions about layout, structure and use can become harder to change once the rest of a project has taken shape. Her point is not that every awkward corner should become a showpiece, but that designers should decide deliberately what role it will play instead of allowing it to remain an unresolved leftover.
The Miiro Paris example shows how that approach can connect a practical constraint with a room’s intended character. The secondary entrance’s limited light and narrow proportions were part of the reason the team saw it as suitable for an intimate bar, while the column-created niche gave them a specific place to build seating. For homeowners, the broader takeaway is to ask early whether a difficult area can support storage, seating, circulation or a focal feature—and to assess that idea against the building’s structure and everyday needs.
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From Hotel Renovation to Home
Michaelis Boyd is a London-founded architecture and design practice established in 1995 by architects Tim Boyd and Alex Michaelis. The Livingetc report describes work across hospitality, residential and commercial projects, including hotels, restaurants and private homes. Gregoriou’s interview draws on that range to discuss design principles that may apply beyond large-scale commissions.
The article references hospitality projects associated with the studio, including Soho Farmhouse, the Groucho Club and The Williamsburg Hotel, alongside the Paris hotel renovation. These examples provide context for the practice’s work, but the specific development in the report is Gregoriou’s design advice and account of Miiro Paris, not an announcement of a new commission, opening or renovation milestone.
Project Details Still Missing
The source material does not give the publication date of the Livingetc interview, the project’s completion date, or measurements and cost for the Miiro Paris work. It also does not identify the precise location of the speakeasy within the hotel or provide operational details about the venue.
The supplied excerpt cuts off during Gregoriou’s discussion of the WOW!house bathroom, so her full reasoning about that design cannot be reported here. The source presents the Miiro Paris account and the design advice through Gregoriou’s interview; it does not include separate comment from the hotel, a client, a structural engineer or other project participants. The article therefore does not independently establish how guests have responded to the space or whether the design has had measurable commercial effects.
Applying the Advice in Renovations
The report identifies no upcoming announcement, construction milestone or follow-up interview. For readers planning a renovation, Gregoriou’s advice points to an early practical step: map out awkward areas alongside the main rooms, then decide how each will function before fixing the overall layout and finishes.
Any proposal involving a structural column or changes to a building’s structure must be assessed by appropriately qualified professionals. The interview’s example describes a design response to an existing column; it is not guidance to remove, alter or build around structural elements without expert review. The source provides no further schedule for the Miiro Paris project or additional details about the WOW!house bathroom.
Key Questions
What is Christina Gregoriou’s main advice for a renovation?
She advises addressing awkward areas early in the design process, rather than leaving them until the main rooms and layout have been decided.
How did Michaelis Boyd use the column at Miiro Paris?
Gregoriou said the team designed a custom seat in the small niche created by the column and the challenging floor plan, making the space a feature of the hotel’s speakeasy.
What was difficult about the Miiro Paris entrance?
According to Gregoriou, the secondary entrance was dark, narrow and short on natural light. It had previously been used for back-of-house operations, offices and windowless meeting rooms.
Does the interview announce a new Michaelis Boyd project?
No. The supplied report is an interview about design advice and existing work, including the Miiro Paris renovation. It does not announce a new commission or opening.
What is known about the WOW!house bathroom?
The excerpt says Michaelis Boyd worked with House of Rohl on the bathroom and chose a grand, round bathtub as its focal point. The source text ends before Gregoriou’s full explanation is provided.
Source: livingetc.com
