The challenge: Update and improve a lower-level home office.

The designer: Carol Kornak, Crystal Kitchen Center, 763-544-5950 (www.crystalkitchen.com)

Miles of files: Minneapolis homeowner Anne Jones had lived in her 1930s Colonial for more than two decades. "Over the years, I accumulated so much stuff," she said. A lot of that stuff ended up in her lower-level home office. Her file cabinets and bookshelves were overflowing, and electric cables snaked across the floor. "I spend a lot of time in that room, and I wanted it to be pleasant," she said.

Pluses and minuses: The lower level had plenty of amenities, including a stone fireplace, original knotty-pine paneling and ample space. But it was dark and gloomy, lit only by two small fluorescent ceiling fixtures. Adding light was a priority for Jones. "I wanted it to feel like a room, not a basement," she said.

Bright ideas: To brighten up the space, Kornak's design/build team lowered the ceiling to accommodate new wiring and additional light fixtures, then added an egress window to let in daylight, including a stone window-well that echoes the stonework of the fireplace. "The window really transforms the room," Jones said. "It looks bigger, and I feel more connected to the outside. Before, I always felt I was missing something."

Clutter control: The lowered ceiling also accommodated the rerouting of electric cables, so that 21st-century office technology wasn't clashing with the room's cozy, vintage vibe. Kornak also helped Jones with office planning, weeding out old files and documents, and measuring to determine how much filing space was really needed. Jones' old rolltop desk, which wasn't computer-friendly, was replaced with a built-in desk and shelving, stained to match the existing woodwork. A seldom-used half-bath was converted into a storage area with built-in shelves. "Now my files are under control," Jones said. "I have more space, and it's not as full."

Star Tribune, Star Tribune
Before remodel shown here.

The impact: Jones loves her new office/entertainment area. She enjoys spending time there herself, knitting by the hearth when she's not working at her desk. (A gas insert was added, so she can have a fire at the flick of a switch.) And for the first time, she enjoys having guests in her lower level. "It's a pleasant room now, instead of a place I couldn't even let my nieces and nephews go," she said. "I'm not afraid to let people down here anymore. It's a beautiful space."

Kim Palmer • 612-673-4784