Forget color drenching—the Los Angeles designer uses a fresh approach to pattern to transform a long-ignored pair of rooms into a destination.

Peter Dunham hates rooms that don’t have a purpose. So when he took on the first floor of a Santa Monica new build for a young family, he was initially stymied by a pair of adjoining rooms that the family was passing by as they made their way through the house. When Dunham arrived on the scene, the formal living room, furnished with a lonely pool table, was mainly used for guitar lessons. The dining room was empty.

The Los Angeles–based designer opened his toolbox to find a fresh outcome for these underutilized spaces. In his new book, The World of Peter Dunham, he details how “pattern wrapping” was the first step toward creating a can’t-miss jewel box. Here, he explains his approach to rooms like these that defy easy decorating.