Oprah Magazine

Oprah’s O at Home Magazine, Spring 2008

Written by Katy McColl

Photography: Jonn Cooldige

One Small Space, 15 Big Ideas

How Gregory De Peña and Kelly O’Neil made a modern marvel out of a standard-issue, sterile square.

"This place is a shoe Box,” says Gregory De Peña of the 650-square-foot San Diego condo he shares with his wife, Kelly O’Neil. “But it doesn’t feel like a shoe box anymore.” An architectural designer, De Peña trotted out a number of unconventional—yet brilliant— ideas that transformed what was a cramped, cookie-cutter apartment into a spacious home that accommodates New Year’s parties and overnight guests. It also offers enough storage to hide the family secret: “I’m not a neat person,” De Peña admits. His maverick techniques included laying floor tiles on the diagonal and turning shower components into doors with a high-end look. O’Neil, a CPA, “watched every penny” and delights in the results. “Ours is the best place in the building,” she says.