In the bedroom, McDonagh painted the walls beige, still light for the small space, but a little cozier for sleeping. There’s a nook containing the laundry room and closet right off the room, with no door.

She wanted to block out the distractions, so she attached rods to the 8-foot-ceilings and hung sheer white curtains from them. “The faux canopy creates a room within a room,” McDonagh says. “It defines her sanctuary.”