New This Week: 3 Stylishly Decorated Living Rooms
Stuck on a direction to go in your home? Try one of these put-together looks
2. Midcentury Eclectic
Designer: Elizabeth Aurandt of mercer Interior
Location: Ridgewood, New Jersey
Size: 261 square feet (24 square meters); 14½ by 18 feet
Homeowners’ request. The homeowner is an art director and graphic designer, and she assigned a “mood” to each room during the renovation. For the living room, she chose “adult Zen.”
Style. Midcentury-inspired but eclectic and modern, says designer Elizabeth Aurandt. “It was important to the client to have a space for grown-ups,” Aurandt says.
Special features. Dusty-rose grasscloth wallcovering. Cement coffee table. Textured pillows. Graphic metal fire screen. Brushed brass light fixture. Midcentury chairs with graphic pattern. Midcentury-inspired tweed sofa.
Designer secret. “We used a skilled carpenter to modify the existing bookshelves and replaced the doors as well as the existing glass shelves with wooden ones,” Aurandt says.
“Uh-oh” moment. “The stone in the fireplace had to stay for budgeting reasons, and the client really didn’t like the color,” Aurandt says. “The challenge was to pull together a room that neither highlighted that nor fought it.”
Wallcovering: Twenty2; sofa and pillows: West Elm; fire screen and cement table: Crate & Barrel
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Designer: Elizabeth Aurandt of mercer Interior
Location: Ridgewood, New Jersey
Size: 261 square feet (24 square meters); 14½ by 18 feet
Homeowners’ request. The homeowner is an art director and graphic designer, and she assigned a “mood” to each room during the renovation. For the living room, she chose “adult Zen.”
Style. Midcentury-inspired but eclectic and modern, says designer Elizabeth Aurandt. “It was important to the client to have a space for grown-ups,” Aurandt says.
Special features. Dusty-rose grasscloth wallcovering. Cement coffee table. Textured pillows. Graphic metal fire screen. Brushed brass light fixture. Midcentury chairs with graphic pattern. Midcentury-inspired tweed sofa.
Designer secret. “We used a skilled carpenter to modify the existing bookshelves and replaced the doors as well as the existing glass shelves with wooden ones,” Aurandt says.
“Uh-oh” moment. “The stone in the fireplace had to stay for budgeting reasons, and the client really didn’t like the color,” Aurandt says. “The challenge was to pull together a room that neither highlighted that nor fought it.”
Wallcovering: Twenty2; sofa and pillows: West Elm; fire screen and cement table: Crate & Barrel
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3. ‘Modern Traditional’
Designer: Patti Ryan of Patti Ryan Interior Design
Location: Richmond, Virginia
Size: 252 square feet (23 square meters); 14 by 18 feet
Homeowner’s request. A modern, fresh living room with a lot of white elements and a hit of gray tones. Painting the original dark brown paneling on the fireplace wall was also a top priority.
Style. “I would say the style of this room is ‘modern traditional,’” says designer Patti Ryan. “The pair of pale pink tufted linen armchairs have a modern edge to them. The cream-and-gold French chest adds a bit of warmth and tradition. I love the black lacquered twisted horn sconces that create a refined and sophisticated atmosphere. My favorite detail is the smooth white gesso coffee table. It is a piece of art in and of itself. The unexpected purple ceiling blends in without overwhelming the space. The black-and-white Moroccan rug gives off a hit of a boho vibe. Black-and-white art echoes that mood. Details such as the square-on-square mirror mimic the wall paneling.”
Special features. Fuchsia sofa. Pale pink chairs. Horn-shaped black sconces. Original artwork.
Designer secret. “The most dramatic element in this room is the painted fireplace paneling,” Ryan says. “Tudor architecture is all about dark wood trims and moldings, and this client was not afraid to paint over all of it in creamy white paint.”
Sofa: Lee Industries; coffee table: Mr. Brown; pale pink linen chairs: Cisco Brothers; Masinissa wool rug: Dash & Albert; horn sconces: Windsor Smith; mirror: Uttermost; French chest: Aidan Gray; Slipper Satin wall paint and Brassica ceiling paint: Farrow & Ball
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More
Key Measurements for Designing the Perfect Living Room
9 Fashionably Cool Living Room Color Palettes
Other Resources on Houzz
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Designer: Patti Ryan of Patti Ryan Interior Design
Location: Richmond, Virginia
Size: 252 square feet (23 square meters); 14 by 18 feet
Homeowner’s request. A modern, fresh living room with a lot of white elements and a hit of gray tones. Painting the original dark brown paneling on the fireplace wall was also a top priority.
Style. “I would say the style of this room is ‘modern traditional,’” says designer Patti Ryan. “The pair of pale pink tufted linen armchairs have a modern edge to them. The cream-and-gold French chest adds a bit of warmth and tradition. I love the black lacquered twisted horn sconces that create a refined and sophisticated atmosphere. My favorite detail is the smooth white gesso coffee table. It is a piece of art in and of itself. The unexpected purple ceiling blends in without overwhelming the space. The black-and-white Moroccan rug gives off a hit of a boho vibe. Black-and-white art echoes that mood. Details such as the square-on-square mirror mimic the wall paneling.”
Special features. Fuchsia sofa. Pale pink chairs. Horn-shaped black sconces. Original artwork.
Designer secret. “The most dramatic element in this room is the painted fireplace paneling,” Ryan says. “Tudor architecture is all about dark wood trims and moldings, and this client was not afraid to paint over all of it in creamy white paint.”
Sofa: Lee Industries; coffee table: Mr. Brown; pale pink linen chairs: Cisco Brothers; Masinissa wool rug: Dash & Albert; horn sconces: Windsor Smith; mirror: Uttermost; French chest: Aidan Gray; Slipper Satin wall paint and Brassica ceiling paint: Farrow & Ball
See more of this home
More
Key Measurements for Designing the Perfect Living Room
9 Fashionably Cool Living Room Color Palettes
Other Resources on Houzz
Find a designer
Browse living room furniture and decor
Designer: Michael Ostrow of Grace Home Furnishings
Location: Palm Springs, California
Size: 528 square feet (49 square meters); 22 by 24 feet
Homeowners’ request. Bright, dramatic and clean with light furnishings to play off the dark carved wood ceiling.
Style. “We decided to do the whole house in a clean Montecito style,” says designer Michael Ostrow, referring to a California community known for its Spanish-style architecture. “Lots of ivory and brown with color added to give the spaces interest. The pink was unusual and fun. The room is not overcrowded. Everything has its place. The end result is crisp and clean while still being warm, colorful and dramatic.”
Designer secret. “The vintage pieces — torchieres, wall clock and table lamps — all add a texture and distinctiveness to the room that new items would not,” Ostrow says. “The custom shield shades on the torchieres that coordinate with the pillow fabric are a nice detail.”
“Uh-oh” moment. “The large blanc de Chine [white Chinese porcelain] vintage table lamps with custom shades were really big for the room and at first seemed to block the view when we first installed them,” Ostrow says. “I took them in and out of the setting many times. Ultimately, the homeowners really loved the lamps and wanted them in the room, so the question was answered.”
Albion sofa and Cordova cocktail table: Bernhardt Furniture Co.; Quatrefoil tables: Uttermost; jute woven rug: Surya; Dianne chair: Vanguard Furniture Co.
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