indoors
family
spaces
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t would be easy for Kendra
1
Lewis to rattle off reasons
she can’t do this or doesn’t
have room for that in her
1,600-square-foot
Minneapolis bungalow. But excuses
aren’t her thing. She loves the
challenge: how to make cramped
rooms feel right for her 6-foot-4
husband, Alfred, and 5-year-old son,
Gabriel? “Living in a small home
really fosters my creativity,” Kendra
says. “I’m always looking for ways to
rearrange and find more space.”
That explains why the enclosed
porch is now a playroom and three
chairs, not four, are pulled up to the
dining table. “It gives us a little more
room to move,” says Kendra, who
designs children’s clothing and
accessories. “Every inch counts.”
Small-scale furniture is another of
her tricks. While the pieces don’t
crowd rooms, they’re still generous
enough for Alfred to stretch out.
Learning to purge has helped the
couple avoid clutter—and enjoy their
home more. “It keeps our lives
simple and easy,” Kendra says. When
spring rolls around, she lightens the
mood by simply changing pillows, a
table runner, or a piece of pottery.
FAMILY TIES A Japanese dining table
doubles as a coffee table and Gabriel’s
snacking spot. Kendra Lewis moves the
rattan floor cushion—one of three—
around the house to wherever the family
needs more seating. She and her husband,
Alfred Bangoura, love all things vintage,
including their restored
19 6 6
Volvo.
