The 401
SPACES
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Flex Space
Soothing pinks, bespoke furniture and whimsical touches create a cozy healing space in a Providence Victorian.
ASON KASHDAN WANTED CLIENTS OF ALIMENTE, his nutritional counseling and consulting firm, to feel safe and supported during sessions, so finding and designing the perfect space was paramount.
But the offices he toured— mostly in refurbished mill buildings— were cold and clinical, devoid of any warmth.
Until Britt Machado of JohnnyCakes Design showed him a space inside her building on Providence’ s West End. It had soaring ceilings, plenty of natural light, wooden floors and all the other beautiful accoutrements that come with a pristinely preserved 1880s Victorian, along with an attribute that’ s a bit harder to measure: soul.
“ I showed some photos to friends who really felt the energy of this place,” Kashdan says.“‘ It would be exactly what you described,’ they said.‘ It would feel like home.’”
But first, they had to imagine a less aggressive color scheme— the walls were painted a deep shade of aubergine— and configure the two rooms into a multipurpose space where Kashdan could host meetings and workshops, have office space and meet privately with nutritional counseling clients.
“ We needed to take this 500-square-foot space and do a lot with it,” Machado says.
It had to be comforting and customizable for clients of all sensibilities, body types and cultural identities, but playful and approachable with a touch of sophistication. They settled on a calming palette of pink, green, cream, black and chrome accents to tie all the spaces together.
They decided to turn the first room into an office and meeting area, done in a soft
36 RHODE ISLAND MONTHLY I JULY 2026