(The Process: Continued)

Turning our attention to the windowless dining room (hardly more than a niche), we plan for maximum impact with a minimal number of pieces. Sparkle and drama are the key words here. While a wooden table of this size would have overwhelmed the space, a hefty square of thick beveled glass virtually disappears atop an antiqued mirrored base. Pristine white leather Parsons chairs, silhouettes outlined in silver studs, balance on tapered black legs. More black is featured in the lampshades crowning an elaborate crystal chandelier. And a full-length mirror reflects it all.

The bedroom is blessed with two closets, allowing us to keep furniture here to a minimum as well. A pair of clean-lined contemporary walnut dressers stand in for the usual night tables, making the most of the long, narrow room while offering generous storage. The colour scheme here is drawn from a lovely embroidered silk pillow, featuring pink and muted gold. Keeping longevity in mind, we upholster a custom headboard in gold silk and use gold and cream bedding, with touches of the pink the client requested. The same pink trims beautiful cream silk drapery, installed hotel-style with black-out drapes behind. In order to make custom draperies a worthwhile investment for our client's temporary home, the treatments in both the bedroom and living room are designed to be easily adaptable to fit almost any window. As a final touch, boldly patterned area rugs on either side of the bed provide black accents -- tying the bedroom in with the other principal rooms.