Designer tip. “The light fixtures really added depth and character to the space,” Mathieson says. “Without them, it would look a bit bare. I think it’s nice to think about adding lighting or light fixtures in unconventional spaces.” “Uh-oh” moment. “The lights are handblown glass and one was very crooked initially,” Mathieson says. “With the symmetry of the space, it caused an issue. The company was great though, and we exchanged it.”
Well Planned This lovely living space in Orange County, California, by Three Salt Design is open to the kitchen, but the furniture arrangement, rug and lamps behind the sofa set the area off as its own zone. A furnishings palette of neutrals with hits of blue creates a relaxing, inviting atmosphere.
Lots of Light This living room from Cabana Rehab Interiors in San Jose, California, is designed to take in the light. Floor-to-ceiling windows bring and the all-white vaulted ceiling, walls and cabinetry amplify the brightness. Black window frames and mullions offer a pleasing contrast. Neutral furnishings and soft accent colors keep the focus on the room’s architectural elements.
Well-Situated Sofa “People tend to want to place their sofas right against the wall,” Irene Lovett of designstiles says. “I always try to float the sofa a bit and give the sofa some breathing room.” In the Santa Monica, California, living room seen here, she also placed a console behind the sofa and brought in large-scale lamps to fill the negative space between the sofa and the high windows.
Finding the right balance of classic and contemporary decor was the objective for the design of this Dallas living room by Urbanology Designs. Layers of leather, wood and upholstered furniture create an easygoing, elegant look. The bench beneath the round mirror has a simple wood base that feels contemporary, while plush velvet cushions in the homeowner’s favorite color give it a timeless look.
9. Large-Scale Solutions Haven Design and Construction brought the vastness of this living room in Austin, Texas, down to a more comfortable scale by adding a large black iron chandelier and large marble slabs on the fireplace. Woven furnishings and a sofa with thick cushions bring warmth and softness.
In Washington, D.C., Amy Bannecker Design created a formal living room setup in a relatively compact room. Clean-lined furniture with exposed legs, a translucent coffee table and woven side chairs help the space feel light and airy. White molding, walls and wall sconces blur the room’s boundaries and allow the dark throw pillows and framed textile above the fireplace to pop.
Custom home builder and remodeler Cornelius Homes took a balanced, sophisticated approach to this Kansas City living room designed for a horse enthusiast. Ceiling beams draw the eye up. Matching built-in cabinets flank a limestone fireplace, and round mirrors above the cabinets bounce light around and add to the feeling of spaciousness in the room. Pops of black and brass contrast with the creams and beiges in the decor.
Amy D Morris Interiors mixed scale, texture and color to create multiple seating areas in this expansive Atlanta living room. A long, narrow coffee table offers anyone sitting on the nearby sofa a place to rest a drink without blocking foot traffic. A tufted leather ottoman with a tray on top doubles as a coffee table and extra seating. A palette of rich browns and beiges, with striped pillows and tufted details, creates cohesion between the two seating areas. Bordered curtains help draw the eye up and accentuate the height of the room
Main feature. “The client wanted a space for her boys to be able to do homework as well as their gaming but not have it take over the room,” Bolick says. “Working from the best location for the gaming counter, the rest of the room evolved around it.” Other special features. Luxury vinyl flooring that can hold up to wet feet coming in from the backyard pool. Modular sofa in performance fabric. Work desk behind the sofa. Custom cabinetry. Designer tip. “For this room, all of the main furniture floats in the middle of the room,” Bolick says. “With doors and doorways leading to multiple locations inside and outside of the house, it allowed for maximum flow of traffic and at the same time anchored the room.” “Uh-oh” moment. “When demolition of the space started, it was discovered that the space had been a much earlier addition to the original house and was not attached to the foundations,” Bolick says. “So the only choice was to tear the whole thing down. Not in the plans. On the upside, it allowed for changes to the original layout that the client was going to previously ‘reluctantly’ live with. In the end, the client got exactly what they had hoped for.”
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