Small Space, Big Style: How Fox Valley Homeowners Are Reinventing Their Interiors

In a split-level in St. Charles, a dining room that saw use three times a year is now a reading nook, a homework station, and the most-used room in the house. Its owner, Carla Wentz, made the transformation with $400 and a weekend.

"We stopped decorating for the life we thought we were supposed to have," Wentz said. "Now the house actually reflects how we live."

Across the Fox Valley, a quiet shift is underway in how suburban homeowners think about their interiors. Driven partly by the continued influence of remote work and partly by a broader cultural backlash to excess, many residents are scaling back furniture, rethinking room assignments, and investing in quality over quantity.

Interior designer Rachel Koonce, who operates out of Geneva and serves clients across Kane County, says the shift has been consistent in her practice for about two years. "The brief used to be 'make it look like a magazine.' Now it's 'make it work for us.' That's actually more interesting to design for."

Common moves she sees: converting formal dining rooms into dual-purpose offices, replacing oversized sectionals with two smaller sofas arranged for conversation, and committing to a tighter color palette — usually two neutrals and one accent — that makes even modest square footage feel intentional.

For homeowners considering their own refresh, Koonce recommends starting with subtraction. "Remove half of what's on every surface. Live with that for two weeks. You'll know exactly what deserves to come back."