Interior designer Sandy Schuster of Rooms by Sandy proves a lobby doesn't need a full renovation to feel transformed — just the right eye for what to keep, what to soften, and where to spend.
The lobby Sandy Schuster inherited was classic downtown Denver: soaring ceilings, granite walls, sharp edges, and a security desk built like a fortress. Impressive, but not welcoming. "I wanted to create more visual balance along with physical comfort," says Schuster, founder of Rooms by Sandy. Rather than fight the architecture, she softened it — curved commercial-grade furniture, warm wood, and biophilia pulled the space toward something human.
That resourcefulness carried through the whole project. The original security desk and kiosks were structurally sound but dated, with an "X" motif the client disliked. Full replacement would have cost upwards of $50,000, plus the disruption of shutting down a busy checkpoint. Instead, Schuster resurfaced them in stone-like laminate and tiled over the unwanted detailing — custom-millwork looks at a fraction of the price, built to last fifteen to twenty years.
The trickiest fix was a glass panel behind the desk that left staff feeling exposed. Carved wood alone didn't work — you could still see through it. Schuster's answer: a decorative film patterned after Colorado's native grasses, layered with wood panels for a 3-D effect that blocks sightlines without blocking light.
Scale did the rest. Schuster tested oversized, nature-inspired artwork — sticks and stone patterns — at true scale to draw the eye upward, pairing it with new carpet and the curved furniture already in place.
Her advice to building owners planning a refresh: treat every element as one coordinated story, not an afterthought, and bring the outdoors in. "We have a lot of natural beauty here in Colorado," Schuster says. "Why not incorporate it into your commercial spaces too?"
Learn more at roomsbysandy.decoratingden.com
"We have a lot of natural beauty here in Colorado. Why not incorporate it into your commercial spaces too?