...because home doesn't happen overnight.

Erin’s dining area and media room are adjacent to her long, narrow living room.  The living room is visually separated from the rest of the open space by small half walls accented with columns.

BEFORE

On the living room side of the half walls, there are built-ins.  At the opposite {far} end of the living room is a small bump out encased in windows.  And in case you missed it, the focal point of the room is a large fireplace with a high mantel flanked on either side by built-ins.  The living room is already painted Benjamin Moore’s Puritan Gray and Erin likes it as-is.  Here is the mid-modern mood board I created for Erin’s living room…

Erin's Mid-Modern Living Room

1 – With the walls a medium gray, I’d add a light neutral sofa placed along the wall opposite the large mantel and fireplace.  Flanking the sofa with 2 of these rolling walnut modern cube-like end tables will balance out the sofa.  I love these somewhat dressy steel table lamps to top off each end table.  Placing this woven coffee table in front of the sofa would add texture and curves.  The one shown in the mood board is pricey, but IKEA sells woven ottomans that could easily be diy’d into tables just by adding some furniture legs to the bottom…for waaaaay cheaper.  OR just stack 2 of them on top of each other to get a ‘table!’ On the wall behind the sofa, I like the idea of an eclectic photo/art collage similar to this.  This round seagrass mirror would be a great centerpiece for the collage.  Toss a few Etsy pillows on the sofa to keep the color scheme flowing into the living room: hereherehere and here.

2 – In the small bump out where 2 red side chairs now reside, I think a pair of these modern eames-like chairs would look darling.  {They’re sold as a pair!}  They mimic the shape, style and color of the curvy white chairs in the dining area.  Angled in towards each other with a yellow garden stool in between, these retro-classic chairs would provide extra seating for entertaining. Also, I would remove the paper pendant light hanging in that area.  Instead, I’d open the bamboo shades so that they only cover 1/3 of the height of the windows and add more of these printed West Elm curtain panels…hung high and wide to let in as much natural light as possible.

3 – Erin mentioned she’d like a place to read, so I chose this chaise in medium gray to place in front of the window to the right of the mantel/built-ins.  I’d suggest angling it slightly out towards the coffee table.  It shouldn’t be parallel to the mantel wall, but it shouldn’t stick so far out into the room that it impedes traffic either.  Pair it with a simple floor light to invite reading.  Once again, to keep things cohesive, I’d add the same curtains to the window in this reading corner.  Erin already owns a light gray area rug that I think would work well to define the sofa seating area.

A few words on the mantel and built-ins:  Erin mentioned her fiance’s aunt is an artist, so I purposefully left the space above the fireplace blank where said aunt’s artwork will go.  I can also picture a wood or metal monogram letter hanging on the tiled surround of the fireplace just above the firebox.  To avoid damage to the tile, the monogram could be hung with an adhesive 3M hook. As for all the built-in shelves, I recommend that Erin edit, edit, edit.  Less is more.  Incorporating objects that tie into the gray, white, yellow, and teal color scheme will keep it feeling cohesive.  I’d encourage Erin to find images of inspiring, arranged shelves and to mimic them.  Layering {for instance, overlapping a stack of books with a propped picture frame}, repetition, varying object height/texture, and empty space are all good characteristics of a well arranged bookcase.

So, that concludes the mood boards for Erin’s vintage condo.  Are you able to see how the open space could work as separate zones and/or one larger multifunctional space?  A cohesive color scheme, sensible layout, area rugs, and lots of light help to make an open space feel inviting. Many people are drawn to open floor plans nowadays but find them challenging to decorate.  For more tips on how to approach wide open spaces click here.  Thanks to Erin for allowing me to virtually tweak her place!  And for allowing me to share her before images which, she would like everyone to know, were taken shortly after she and her fiance moved in.  Can’t wait to see the afters!

Just in case you missed the rest of Erin’s mood boards, here are all three…

Erin's Mid-Modern Dining Area

Erin's Mid-Modern Media Room


Erin's Mid-Modern Living Room

images:  1 & 2) courtesy of Erin  3-6) Polyvore collages created by Dana Miller for House*Tweaking

 

11 Comments

27.April.2011

Looks great! I can’t wait to see after pics!

27.April.2011

Hey Dana, great ideas you’ve got here! Maybe I would add a nice rug in the living room as well, with maybe a plaid over the chaise-longue so Erin can curl up with a good book. Oh well, that’s what I would do! ;-) I’m anxious to see how the make over will look like! :-)

27.April.2011

Inge – I did mention that Erin already owns a light gray rug that I think would work well in her living room. That’s why you don’t see a rug in the mood board, but I still think she should use one. Hope that makes sense!

27.April.2011

Was there any mention of Erin’s budget for this?

27.April.2011

Will you reuse any of Erin’s existing furniture? I like some of her pieces and I think they could be incorporated into the design…

27.April.2011

Ooops! That’s right, you did mention it. :-) Anyway, I think it’s absolutely gorgeous. Can’t wait for the after pictures…

27.April.2011

Lori – As mentioned in the first post on Erin’s dining room, Erin said she wasn’t attached to any pieces that she currently had. From what I could tell, she was wanting advice for everything…with the freedom to interpret it all to her liking. Erin could certainly keep some pieces {sofas, TV console, dining set, etc} as she gradually works to decorate, gather furniture, and come up with a cohesive plan. Nothing in design can/should happen overnight! And Erin could certainly sell her current pieces on craigslist and put that $$ towards items that better suit her mid-century style.

27.April.2011

Jules – Erin wanted upgrade options for everything. Not that she has to or will be able to buy everything all at once…nor should she. All of Erin’s current pieces were ‘gathered’ as a quick college pieces. Now that Erin and her fiance have this condo, she was wanting ideas on investment pieces that would feel more grown up and suit her love of midcentury modern design. Erin did not set a budget, so I tried to choose pieces based on Erin’s desire to invest in quality pieces that will last a long time. As Erin and her fiance furnish and decorate, I would definitely encourage them to set a budget and to sell current pieces and use that $$ for future purchases. The mood boards I created {at no cost to Erin} are meant to inspire Erin, give her some ideas on decor and furniture placement, and provide a vision for what the space could look like. Hope that clears things up!

27.April.2011

I love the end tables and the fact that the sofa and chaise don’t have arms (or have small arms) – somehow it makes the room more expansive and accessible to me. I like the textures mixed in too!!

28.April.2011

Great job, Dana!

10.January.2012

All right, this post convinces me that I clearly need a designer! I was so inspired by your open floor plan articles that last night my husband and I started moving around furniture. I love where I moved my dining table but now I realize that we need another eating area closer to the kitchen. And I need to decide on a cohesive accent color.