Lifestyle

Round, Rectangular, or Ragged: Interior Architect Aly Hammoud and Choosing the Perfect Coffee Table

Published

3 years ago

March 30, 2023

Saying “yes” to the right coffee table never gets any easier. An essential element of any well-thought-out living room, the choice often comes down to finding the right balance between form and function. Regardless of the designer’s direction with their space, choosing the right coffee table is a critical step toward achieving a cohesive and visually appealing interior design.

Designers must consider several factors when choosing a coffee table. First, the table size should be proportional to the size of the living room. A small coffee table in a large room will look out of place, and a large table in a small room will overwhelm the space. The table’s height is just as important. The ideal height typically falls between 16 and 18 inches, the same as most sofas. A coffee table that is too high or too low will prove uncomfortable for everyday use.

Designers must also consider shape, style, color, material, and space awareness. The table should complement the architecture of the room.

For example, round coffee tables are ideal for square rooms because they create contrast. It’s also important to consider the shape of the furniture, specifically the edges. A round coffee table would be an ideal fit for a living room where the sofa’s edges are also rounded.

The contrast in shapes, however, must be paired with coherence in materials. For example, if the furniture is made from mahogany wood, the table should reflect similar materials and hues. Different materials can be incorporated if the furniture contains metallic elements while considering the room’s overall coherence.

Space awareness is also essential to consider when choosing your coffee table. For instance, rectangular tables fit better in longer and narrower rooms because they don’t take up as much space as round or ragged tables. Suppose your room is spacious and wide enough. In that case, especially if it were an open studio, you can easily fit in round or ragged coffee tables, which are typically more challenging to style and arrange in certain spaces.

Most of the time, the table should match the space’s overall aesthetic. However, mixing elements and styles can help achieve a more dynamic finished product. Consider incorporating a mid-century coffee table in a room with more contemporary pieces or vice versa.

Ragged tables, however, are more sophisticated art pieces. Such tables don’t have a conventional shape, size, color, or edges. They can also have different and unique color patterns that must be mixed and matched professionally with your room’s overall aesthetic.

Of course, you can pick any type of coffee table that suits your needs and preferences in style and aesthetic. You need to make sure, however, that it is the ideal fit for the chosen room, furniture, style, and design. One way to do that is by choosing the right person for the job.

Coffee tables are an essential part of interior architecture. Not only do they function as practical surfaces for drinks and snacks, but they also contribute to the space’s general mood. Interior architects like Aly Hammoud understand coffee tables as powerful tools for tying a room together. They can create a focal point or complement other furniture pieces in the space.

Whether professional or amateur, the right designer should choose the coffee table carefully to ensure it fits seamlessly into the room’s overall design.

Check out Aly Hammoud’s Instagram account for more information.

Lifestyle

Kat Marie Alvarez: Where Innovation Meets Regulation

Published

24 mins ago

January 23, 2026

Michelle Langton

Regulation is often thought of as a limitation, yet in healthcare, it also serves as a foundation for building models that endure. For Kat Marie Alvarez, Founder and CEO of KATALYST & CO, the framework of rules established by agencies like CMS (Centers for Medicare and Medicaid) and the OIG ( office of the Inspector General) create opportunities to design systems that are compliant, ethical, and transformative. Her approach demonstrates that regulation can be a platform for innovation when it is interpreted with both technical rigor and vision.

Kat’s 25-year career reflects this philosophy. A former nurse who advanced into executive leadership and strategy, she has led $2.7B+ P&L operations, advised on over $5B in healthcare transactions, and guided value based organizations including Innovacare, Cano Health, WellMed, Centene, and Humana through periods of exponential scaling. Her perspective combines clinical, financial, and regulatory experience, giving her a unique ability to design structures that support integrity and accountability while driving measurable outcomes.

Turning Statutes into Strategy

For Kat, regulation serves as a framework for building smarter and more ethical models. She interprets CMS guidance and OIG rules as levers for innovation, using them to advance integrity and accountability. With the CMS V28 risk adjustment model, Alvarez refined coding practices, strengthened clinical documentation, and structured risk frameworks that reward accuracy and elevate standards of care. In addressing RADV audits, she crafted strategies that protect stakeholders while keeping patient outcomes at the forefront. She aligns compliance, cost, and care in equal measure. Her current work as a contributor to the CMS IDea Challenge, an initiative focused on strengthening the foundation of trust in our system, further echoes her commitment to advancing regulations in ways that unlock innovation while safeguarding the integrity of care.

Her interpretive approach brings discipline and vision to every challenge. She engages stakeholders to redesign workflows that meet regulatory requirements and enhance the patient experience. Each policy becomes a mechanism to strengthen accountability and operational precision, shaping a system that is both compliant and humane.

Innovation Built Within Boundaries

At KATALYST & CO, this interpretive approach is carried into every project. Kat has integrated predictive analytics and AI-driven tools into care models, with safeguards that ensure interventions remain clinician-led and ethically sound. For example, AI flags in chronic disease management are connected to human-led actions that improve patient care. The result is a model that benefits from technology while preserving accountability and clinical integrity.

Staffing and infrastructure provide another example of her philosophy in action. By leveraging offshore BPO operations in Latin America, Asia, and Eastern Europe, KATALYST & CO extends capacity for health plans and providers. These expansions are carefully designed to meet data security, licensure, and jurisdictional requirements, ensuring that global reach is paired with local compliance. It is a system that balances scale with responsibility.

The Art of Influence Through Alignment

Kat often describes her role as translating complexity into clarity. Whether she is working with payers, providers, or investors, she builds consensus by grounding ambitious strategies in the language of statute. Value-based care models, utilization management programs, and clinical frameworks are designed to prove compliant ROI for stakeholders while maintaining patient focus.

Her approach begins with people. In integrations, partnerships, and platform builds, she respects legacy strengths, listens to frontline voices, and creates systems that are not only efficient but also trusted. This ensures that compliance does not feel like restriction, but like a structure that supports innovation and adoption.

Redefining the Future of Compliance and Care

KATALYST & CO is scaling with $10M in initial funding, expanded international operations, and a growing advisory portfolio. Under Kat’s leadership, the firm is showing how regulation can be a foundation for both innovation and durability. She demonstrates that lasting progress in healthcare is achieved by leaders who know how to design systems that are bold, ethical, and deeply human.

By approaching regulation as a guide rather than a limitation, Kat Alvarez is building models that prove compliance and innovation can move forward together. Her formula ensures that the future of healthcare is shaped not only by ambition, but also by trust and responsibility.