I have a fantastic makeover to share with you today sent in by the folks at Indiana-based Susan Yeley Interiors. Let me start right off the bat with some before photos. From totally boring…..
…to totally awesome with a midcentury vibe!! Here’s the scoop: This small midcentury home south of campus has great bones but lacked vibrancy—a je ne sais quoi that the clients were searching to savoir once and for all. SYI worked with them to nail down a design direction and furniture plan, and they decided to invest in the big-impact items first: built-ins and lighting and a fresh paint job that included a beautiful deep blue-green line around the windows. The vintage rug was an Etsy score at an awesome price, but only after the client spent months scouring options and sources online that matched the vision and dimensions of the plan. A good year later, the West Elm sofa went on sale, so the client took advantage; some time after that, they painted the kitchen, created the drop zone/bench area, and rounded out the room with occasional tables and accessories.
I can’t make up my mind what I like better about this apartment. The stellar midcentury furniture collection, the equally impressive art selection or the fact that it is alive with colour and light. I know I’d move in in a heart beat. They don’t call me Midcentury Jo for nothing. Fairview from the portfolio of Chris Nguyen of Analog Dialog.
Mid-century style homes have intrigued me for as long as I can remember. They are few and far between here in Ottawa. I used to have a landlord who lived in a gorgeous one (my husband told me he recently saw it listed for $1.2M) and I loved stopping by his house, even if it was to bring him rent cheques ;). This home in Eagle Rock, California was remodeled by architect William Howard and the result is mid-century marvelousness! We remodeled the interior and exterior of this 3 bedroom/2 bathroom house using mid-century modern colors and materials. We removed several walls at the top floor to create an open floor plan. When the project was spaced planned, we have five seating areas in the upper main space, each with its own connection to the spaces. We used a dark walnut for the flooring and cabinetry and we contrasted it with bright white for walls, counters and wall cabinets. We vaulted the ceiling through the entire main space and restored the existing fireplace. The gable glass below the roof beam allows for the exterior garden and light to illuminate the interior of the house.
A big thanks to Klopf Architecture for sending over photos of this beautiful home they recently completed. Mid-century AND to-die-for landscaping has me totally smitten. The owners, inspired by mid-century modern architecture (YES!!!!), hired Klopf Architecture to design an Eichler-inspired 21st-Century, energy efficient new home that would replace a dilapidated 1940s home for a family of three.The home follows the gentle slope of the hillside while the overarching post-and-beam roof provides an unchanging datum line. The changing moods of nature animate the house because of views through large glass walls at nearly every vantage point. Every square foot of the house remains close to the ground creating and adding to the sense of connection with nature. Enter through simple planes of stacked stone and white stucco below street level to reveal the roomy, open spaces that are progressively revealed as one flows through the Modern Atrium House. Progress through the spaces, stepping down with the sloping hillside until you arrive in the indoor/outdoor living room. The large, green, landscaped yard and Japanese garden-inspired atrium are visible through two large walls of glass. But with the house being on a large, wooded lot and down below the street, the owners are connected to nature all around but still afforded privacy from all sides. They are also protected from the elements: the super-insulated house with overhangs and heat-mirror glass requires no air-conditioning and exceeded California’s strict energy codes by almost 40%.
Texas-based interior designer Christen Ales wanted to share a couple of her projects with us. The one above is so fun – mid century modern with lots of colour accents in what is pretty much my dream home. Below is more contemporary but equally fabulous with shades of grey and blue. Soothing and classic, and OMG WILL YOU LOOK AT THOSE WINDOWS!