"The living room walls, cloaked in black, evoke a sense of a speakeasy from another age - rich, intimate, as though time itself has slowed," describes renter Javier Riostello. "When I first laid eyes ...

Before picking out furniture and decor, though, you should start with a proper boho color palette to anchor your vision.

From awkward angles to competing focal points, designers reveal their smartest strategies for transforming difficult spaces ...