Addition Gives Michigan Couple a Midcentury-Style Retreat
A designer adds 600 square feet to her family’s home, creating a dream master bedroom and a second living room
Before. She enlisted the help of her stepbrother and brother-in-law, who are builders in Indiana, to help them construct the addition in the span of five days.
After getting the needed permits, the familial crew started by pouring the concrete base and the dividing wall. The addition takes up a 20-by-30-foot area of the backyard.
To connect the addition to the rest of the 1958 home, they enlarged the back doorway and created a hallway.
After getting the needed permits, the familial crew started by pouring the concrete base and the dividing wall. The addition takes up a 20-by-30-foot area of the backyard.
To connect the addition to the rest of the 1958 home, they enlarged the back doorway and created a hallway.
Master bedroom. Walk past the concrete dividing wall, and you’ll find the couple’s new bedroom. Walters intentionally tucked the queen-size bed behind the wall to give the couple more privacy without having doors in the space. “Every little inch counts,” she says. “We were very intentional and don’t have doors in here. The concrete wall floats between the space to make it feel larger than it really is.”
Decor. Walters wanted the bedroom to feel fun and whimsical, so she displays only items that give her that vibe. That includes these handmade record jewelry racks created by her stepdad.
Dresser: Ikea
Browse midcentury bedroom decor
Dresser: Ikea
Browse midcentury bedroom decor
Cohesive design. Walters painted the entire back wall of the addition the same color. This makes the bedroom and the living room feel connected even though they’re divided by a wall.
The wall color continues onto the bed in the form of a blanket and pillows. These help create a calm and cohesive look in the space.
Over the bed, Walters installed a flowing light fixture to add a little more whimsy to the space.
Bed: Modway; duvet cover: West Elm; pillows: HomeGoods
Over the bed, Walters installed a flowing light fixture to add a little more whimsy to the space.
Bed: Modway; duvet cover: West Elm; pillows: HomeGoods
Vintage finds. The addition — as well as the rest of the house — is filled with vintage pieces that Walters has collected over time. “One day I was in an antiques mall and came around the corner and just went crazy,” she says. “I just had to have these vintage Ikea lamps from 1975.”
Concrete wall. On the other side of the wall from the headboard is a vintage fireplace in the addition’s living room.
Living room. This space has become the “adult” living room, leaving the living room in the main house for the kids. It works great when they have friends over. The kids can hang out in one space, and the adults have their own area.
In the winter, Walters says the kids trot down to the space with a book or their homework and curl up by the fireplace. Besides the fireplace, the addition has heated floors to keep the space warm enough all year.
Rug: J.C. Penney Co.; chairs and floor lamp: Ikea; browse midcentury floor lamps
In the winter, Walters says the kids trot down to the space with a book or their homework and curl up by the fireplace. Besides the fireplace, the addition has heated floors to keep the space warm enough all year.
Rug: J.C. Penney Co.; chairs and floor lamp: Ikea; browse midcentury floor lamps
Workspace. Walters’ husband, who is a real estate agent, frequently works from home at this fold-down desk.
Couch: Dot & Bo; vintage sideboard:Thaden-Jordan Furniture Co.; art: Ruth Gilmore Langs
Couch: Dot & Bo; vintage sideboard:Thaden-Jordan Furniture Co.; art: Ruth Gilmore Langs
This style of desk allows him to quickly clean up his work area to make space for guests or keep work out of mind.
The whole desk and bookcase are also on wheels and can be pulled out to access the water heater and furnace.
Hallway. Past the edge of the wall, you can see the hallway that leads back up to the main house.
Desk lamp: Ikea
The whole desk and bookcase are also on wheels and can be pulled out to access the water heater and furnace.
Hallway. Past the edge of the wall, you can see the hallway that leads back up to the main house.
Desk lamp: Ikea
Outdoor area. Past the blue-and-white sofa, sliding glass doors bring in light and give the couple easy access to their new patio.
The outdoor space has multiple seating areas, a fire pit and hanging lights for a festive feel in the evening.
Contractor: Jack Rathburn Concrete
Architect: Goshen Architect
Electrician: Hopp Electric
Heating services: MI Heating and Cooling
Concrete work: A2Z Concrete
Lumber and drywall: Chelsea Lumber
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Contractor: Jack Rathburn Concrete
Architect: Goshen Architect
Electrician: Hopp Electric
Heating services: MI Heating and Cooling
Concrete work: A2Z Concrete
Lumber and drywall: Chelsea Lumber
More
Read other stories about home additions
Find an interior designer to help with your next project
Browse midcentury bedroom products
Addition at a Glance
Who lives here: Elin Walters, principal designer at Exactly Designs, her husband and their five children
Location: Ann Arbor, Michigan
Size: 600 square feet (56 square meters)
Designer Elin Walters, her husband and their five kids needed more space. They specifically needed another bedroom, but the 1,300-square-foot home in Ann Arbor, Michigan, was already maxed out. This led Walters to draw up plans for an addition that would give the couple their dream bedroom and another living room.
Although the 600-square-foot addition takes up most of the family’s backyard, Walters says it’s a much better use of the space. “We lost the lawn, but that’s OK,” she says. “We weren’t using the space much before, and now we use the space for living and use the new outdoor space all the time.”