Room of the Day: Midcentury Modern Style for a Bright New Living Room
An open floor plan and clean-lined furniture create an upbeat vibe
For a young couple building their first home, their priorities for the new living room were clear: an open and cheery modern aesthetic and a layout incorporating both a fireplace and an inconspicuous TV. Midcentury modern-inspired furniture provides the uncluttered, airy feel, while bright colors deliver the upbeat atmosphere they’d hoped for.
Mattson also designed the windows and sliding door to best frame the views to the rear terrace and yard, while also screening views to and from the neighboring homes. “This allows the clients to maximize their access to daylight while not sacrificing privacy,” he says.
Instead of being flush with the surrounding walls, the rear windows push out into a shallow bay to give more space to the living room without adding square footage to the upper or lower levels of the home. The inset here also allows for a less conspicuous valance installation.
The couple splurged on white oak floors installed in a herringbone pattern. The hand-knotted orange Turkish ikat rug is a bright, bold statement that is needed to counterbalance all the neutrals. Interior designer Lucy Penfield of Lucy Interior Design says the gray sectional and crisp white walls served as the springboard for adding more color, like the vivid yellow and orange accessories.
Family-friendly fabrics, like the ultrasuede on the sectional and felt on the two ottomans, combine durability with easy-to-maintain softness. Penfield says she kept the sight lines low by selecting low-slung furnishings, to preserve the powerful view framed by the architecture. For example, the iconic Platner side table, with its glass top and base made of plated metal rods, allows for a degree of permeability in comparison to a solid piece.
Sectional: Martin Patrick 3, Mitchell Gold + Bob Williams; sofa pillows: Trina Turk; yellow and black ottomans: Roam Interiors; side table: Warren Platner, Knoll; rug: Aubrey Angelo
Instead of being flush with the surrounding walls, the rear windows push out into a shallow bay to give more space to the living room without adding square footage to the upper or lower levels of the home. The inset here also allows for a less conspicuous valance installation.
The couple splurged on white oak floors installed in a herringbone pattern. The hand-knotted orange Turkish ikat rug is a bright, bold statement that is needed to counterbalance all the neutrals. Interior designer Lucy Penfield of Lucy Interior Design says the gray sectional and crisp white walls served as the springboard for adding more color, like the vivid yellow and orange accessories.
Family-friendly fabrics, like the ultrasuede on the sectional and felt on the two ottomans, combine durability with easy-to-maintain softness. Penfield says she kept the sight lines low by selecting low-slung furnishings, to preserve the powerful view framed by the architecture. For example, the iconic Platner side table, with its glass top and base made of plated metal rods, allows for a degree of permeability in comparison to a solid piece.
Sectional: Martin Patrick 3, Mitchell Gold + Bob Williams; sofa pillows: Trina Turk; yellow and black ottomans: Roam Interiors; side table: Warren Platner, Knoll; rug: Aubrey Angelo
The homeowners wanted both a TV and a gas fireplace in the living room, but didn’t want the TV to be the focus of the room. Mattson says the relationship of the fireplace and television is often something that clients struggle with. For the fireplace design, Mattson says, “we used midcentury modern architecture as an inspiration, with the asymmetrical layout and the perception that it was a corner fireplace.” A painted thin brick veneer applied to an L-shaped plane supports the look.
Locating the TV next to the fireplace on an extending, articulating arm allows it to be manipulated for better viewing. When not in use, it can be pushed back against the wall so it’s not always front and center. A vented white oak built-in cabinet below the TV holds audiovisual components, keeping them neat and out of sight.
Armchair: Fuse; armchair pillow: Jonathan Adler; coffee table: One Kings Lane; floor lamp: Contemporary Furnishings by Granby; sculptures: Karim Rashid; painting above fireplace: Celine Ziang Art, Etsy
Builder: Elevation Homes
More
How to Plan a Just-Right Living Room Layout
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Locating the TV next to the fireplace on an extending, articulating arm allows it to be manipulated for better viewing. When not in use, it can be pushed back against the wall so it’s not always front and center. A vented white oak built-in cabinet below the TV holds audiovisual components, keeping them neat and out of sight.
Armchair: Fuse; armchair pillow: Jonathan Adler; coffee table: One Kings Lane; floor lamp: Contemporary Furnishings by Granby; sculptures: Karim Rashid; painting above fireplace: Celine Ziang Art, Etsy
Builder: Elevation Homes
More
How to Plan a Just-Right Living Room Layout
See more Rooms of the Day
Living Room at a Glance
Who lives here: A young professional couple with two young twins and a baby on the way
Location: Edina, Minnesota
Size: 285 square feet (26.4 square meters); 19 by 15 feet (5.7 by 4.5 meters)
Designers: Colby Mattson of Charlie & Co. Design (architectural design); Lucy Penfield and Stephanie Lalley of Lucy Interior Design
With two small children and a baby on the way, the couple felt an open-plan concept would best fit their needs. Kids playing in the living room could be in view and within earshot from the adjacent kitchen and dining area.
The home is built on a somewhat narrow lot, so the linearity of the shotgun layout also worked out functionally.
The homeowners like the clean lines and no-fuss look of contemporary style, but not the cold, sterile feel that can sometimes accompany it. So Colby Mattson, principal of Charlie & Co., steered them toward the warmer, more natural finishes and casual appeal of midcentury modern style.
Mattson says because of the home’s narrow configuration, controlling light and views was also an important component of the project. Ten-foot ceilings allowed for an additional transom window above the rear windows for extra sunlight.