(CNN) -- When a client asked Marcia Harris to furnish his daughter's 500-square foot, one-bedroom apartment in New York, the interior designer met her match. She struggled to find furniture scaled for a small space that served multiple purposes. Most sofas were too large to fit through the front door, let alone inhabit a hybrid living room-kitchenette. Tables, beds and ottomans lacked the storage space needed by a college student with a lot of clothing, handbags and shoes. So Harris took matters into her own hands, designing banquettes that held pots and pans and turned into beds, a storage ottoman that doubled as a seat and coffee table and modular bedroom storage units that fit through the front door.
@highlight
Itsy Bitsy Ritzy Shop designs custom furniture for small spaces
@highlight
Furniture comes from a network of skilled craftspeople in Fairfield County, Connecticut
@highlight
"They all share my dedication to quality craftsmanship," founder says of manufacturing partners
"At that point, I said to my husband, 'I think there's a real opportunity and need here,'" said Harris, who has been working in interior design in @placeholder and Connecticut for more than 30 years.