J. Peterson Design Chicago · Atlanta · Southwest Michigan

Southwest Michigan · Services

Living Space in Southwest Michigan

Our Living Space service designs and documents the interior architecture of your home's main living areas. We provide the detailed plans and specifications for your contractor to build, ensuring your living spaces are considered and comfortable.

What we do

Our process begins with a Design consultation to understand your project. We then provide a Presentation of your design, showing how your living spaces will come together. We develop Construction documents, including detailed drawings for your contractor. Material selections specify all finishes and fixtures for these areas. We conduct Jobsite inspections during construction and add Finishing touches to complete your living spaces.

Who it suits

This service suits homes in Chicago, Southwest Michigan, and Atlanta. It is for homeowners with existing single-family homes, townhouses, or lofts who want to redesign their living rooms, family rooms, or dining rooms. This service is for clients who do not need a full-home design.

Questions

What is included in the Living Space service?

The Living Space service includes a design consultation, presentation of your design, construction documents, material selections, jobsite inspections, and finishing touches for your main living areas.

What do I receive as a client for my Living Space project?

You receive detailed drawings and specifications as part of our Construction documents and Material selections. These documents guide your contractor in building out your redesigned living spaces.

How does this service work with my contractor?

We provide the design and documentation, including detailed drawings and material specifications, for your contractor. We also conduct Jobsite inspections to ensure the design is implemented as intended.

How is Living Space different from Full-Home Design?

Living Space focuses on specific main living areas like living rooms or dining rooms. Full-Home Design addresses the entire home, including kitchens, baths, and all other spaces.

Is Living Space the same as Furnishing & Styling?

No, Living Space designs the interior architecture and fixed elements of your living areas. Furnishing & Styling focuses on selecting and arranging furniture, art, and accessories within existing spaces.

In Southwest Michigan

Homes in Southwest Michigan

In Southwest Michigan, we often work with 1970s and 1980s ranch homes, which often feature smaller, enclosed kitchens that homeowners want to open up for a more connected Living Space. Many 1990s and 2000s two-story colonials in subdivisions near Lake Michigan Drive present opportunities for Full-Home Design, especially when updating primary bathrooms with outdated finishes or inefficient layouts. We also see many charming 1920s and 1930s cottages, where our Bath Design expertise helps modernize compact spaces while preserving their original character. Our Color Consultation service frequently addresses the unpainted oak trim common in homes built in the 1980s and 1990s.

What homeowners in Southwest Michigan ask for

Homeowners in Southwest Michigan often seek Kitchen Design to update 1970s and 1980s galley kitchens, opening them to adjacent living areas. Bath Design projects frequently involve modernizing primary bathrooms in 1990s and 2000s homes, replacing original fixtures and finishes. We also provide Furnishing & Styling for lakefront properties, ensuring comfort and durability. Many clients request Full-Home Design for properties purchased as vacation homes, aiming to refresh the entire interior.

Living Space work from the studio

Led by Jennifer Peterson

Jennifer Peterson and Jill Kearns, the sisters behind J. Peterson Design

About the studio

Two sisters, one studio

Jennifer Peterson founded J. Peterson Design in 2008 and leads our work in Chicago and Southwest Michigan. Her sister, Jill Kearns, leads the Atlanta studio. Together, we design homes that feel considered and beautiful, but also comfortable, functional, and personal to the people who live in them.

Although we work in different cities, we operate as one studio. We talk through plans, share ideas, question each other, and bring another experienced set of eyes to the decisions that matter. Being sisters makes that collaboration especially natural — there is a shorthand, an honesty, and a shared standard that has been there long before the studio.

More about the studio

Other services

Contact

Ready to talk about Living Space in Southwest Michigan?

Tell us about the space and what is not working in it.

Jennifer Peterson and Jill Kearns — the designers you'll be talking to

Southwest Michigan

Led by Jennifer Peterson