New This Week: 3 Beautiful and Calm Transitional Living Rooms
Bright and airy set the stage for laid-back and lazy
Designer secret. “Avoid matchy-matchy sets,” designer Elizabeth Korogod says. “We used a collection of materials, including linen, wood, leather, blue stone, printed fabrics, layered rugs and greenery, to bring the space to life. Nothing ‘matches,’ but it all flows effortlessly together.”
“Uh-oh” moment. “We used a color called Edgecomb Gray by Benjamin Moore and ordered the color 50 percent lighter than the normal formula,” Korogod says. “We were on a tight schedule and going against everything we normally do. We didn’t sample the color in the space first, and the paint turned out pale pink. Luckily it was contained to the hallway, the painter noticed, called, and we got it back on track. But the mistake was ours, and we had to pay to correct it. Lesson learned.”
Media console and brown leather chairs: West Elm; curtains: Pottery Barn; rugs: Jaipur Living
See more of this home | Things you need to know about buying a sofa
“Uh-oh” moment. “We used a color called Edgecomb Gray by Benjamin Moore and ordered the color 50 percent lighter than the normal formula,” Korogod says. “We were on a tight schedule and going against everything we normally do. We didn’t sample the color in the space first, and the paint turned out pale pink. Luckily it was contained to the hallway, the painter noticed, called, and we got it back on track. But the mistake was ours, and we had to pay to correct it. Lesson learned.”
Media console and brown leather chairs: West Elm; curtains: Pottery Barn; rugs: Jaipur Living
See more of this home | Things you need to know about buying a sofa
2. Built-In Beauty
Designers: Berkeley Minkhorst and Kelley Lentini of House of Nomad
Location: Charlotte, North Carolina
Size: 320 square feet (30 square meters); 16 by 20 feet
Homeowners’ request. For this new-construction home, the owners wanted a relaxing living room that would be open to the kitchen but still feel like its own space.
Special features. Custom leather sofa. Oversize concrete side tables. Cerused-oak coffee table. Vintage blue glass accessories.
Designers: Berkeley Minkhorst and Kelley Lentini of House of Nomad
Location: Charlotte, North Carolina
Size: 320 square feet (30 square meters); 16 by 20 feet
Homeowners’ request. For this new-construction home, the owners wanted a relaxing living room that would be open to the kitchen but still feel like its own space.
Special features. Custom leather sofa. Oversize concrete side tables. Cerused-oak coffee table. Vintage blue glass accessories.
Designer secret. “When in doubt, always go with a larger rug,” designer Kelley Lentini says. “It truly makes the space and adds so much warmth to this house. When you have wood floors and built-ins and intricate moldings, it’s important to add softness, and a large area rug will do that.”
“Uh-oh” moment. “We have styled many bookshelves, but in this case the size of the shelves and the fact that they grab your attention the moment you walk in meant a lot more time and energy than we anticipated to finish this space,” Lentini says. “We wanted it to feel collected and curated, so finding the right items to go into these shelves took several days. But once we had the right pieces, styling them was super fun.”
Sofa and chairs: Restoration Hardware; coffee table and side tables: Gabby; rug: Loloi; pillows: Lacefield Designs; vintage glass pieces: Darnell & Co.; brass trays and small decor on shelves: West Elm; art: Windy O’Connor; plants: Blackhawk Hardware; Hale Navy dining room wall paint: Benjamin Moore
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“Uh-oh” moment. “We have styled many bookshelves, but in this case the size of the shelves and the fact that they grab your attention the moment you walk in meant a lot more time and energy than we anticipated to finish this space,” Lentini says. “We wanted it to feel collected and curated, so finding the right items to go into these shelves took several days. But once we had the right pieces, styling them was super fun.”
Sofa and chairs: Restoration Hardware; coffee table and side tables: Gabby; rug: Loloi; pillows: Lacefield Designs; vintage glass pieces: Darnell & Co.; brass trays and small decor on shelves: West Elm; art: Windy O’Connor; plants: Blackhawk Hardware; Hale Navy dining room wall paint: Benjamin Moore
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3. Gray Matters
Designers: Irene Lovett and Shelby Grayeli of designstiles
Location: Los Angeles
Size: 360 square feet (33 square meters)
Homeowners’ request. A casual California vibe inspired by travels to Ojai, California.
Special features. Textured gray linen sofas. White paint with a hint of cool gray (Intense White by Benjamin Moore). “Even though the room has a lot of blues in it, the mix of textures and patterns gives the room a layered look, which keeps the room from feeling flat,” designer Irene Lovett says. “An antique rug layered over a natural sisal rug always makes a room feel more collected.”
Designer secret. “The modern, upholstered side chair offsets the more traditional furniture in the room and helps create an eclectic feel,” Lovett says. “Mixing furniture styles always helps create a unique design.”
“Uh-oh” moment. “Space planning can get tricky sometimes,” Lovett says. “It’s a long room, so initially we had both sofas facing each other to create more of a conversational seating arrangement and keep the room from feeling longer. [That meant] when entering the room, you walked into the back of a sofa. This made the room feel closed off and uninviting. After several months of living with this plan, the clients realized it wasn’t working for their lifestyle, so we rearranged. Moving one of the sofas in front of the window on the right created a much more open and airy flow.”
English roll-arm sofa in Perennials fabric, Fog color: Restoration Hardware; Martens round coffee table in aged elm finish: Restoration Hardware; bookcase: HD Buttercup; braided abaca rug: Serena & Lily; side chair: Jayson Home; 1960s Liseuse brass task floor lamp (no longer available): Restoration Hardware; art: Ed Ruscha; blue pillows: Susan Connor; coral pillows: Kelly Wearstler for Lee Jofa; shades: The Shade Store
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More
Divide and Conquer: How to Furnish a Long, Narrow Room
Key Measurements for Designing the Perfect Living Room
Other resources on Houzz
Find a designer
Get living room ideas
Browse living room products
Designers: Irene Lovett and Shelby Grayeli of designstiles
Location: Los Angeles
Size: 360 square feet (33 square meters)
Homeowners’ request. A casual California vibe inspired by travels to Ojai, California.
Special features. Textured gray linen sofas. White paint with a hint of cool gray (Intense White by Benjamin Moore). “Even though the room has a lot of blues in it, the mix of textures and patterns gives the room a layered look, which keeps the room from feeling flat,” designer Irene Lovett says. “An antique rug layered over a natural sisal rug always makes a room feel more collected.”
Designer secret. “The modern, upholstered side chair offsets the more traditional furniture in the room and helps create an eclectic feel,” Lovett says. “Mixing furniture styles always helps create a unique design.”
“Uh-oh” moment. “Space planning can get tricky sometimes,” Lovett says. “It’s a long room, so initially we had both sofas facing each other to create more of a conversational seating arrangement and keep the room from feeling longer. [That meant] when entering the room, you walked into the back of a sofa. This made the room feel closed off and uninviting. After several months of living with this plan, the clients realized it wasn’t working for their lifestyle, so we rearranged. Moving one of the sofas in front of the window on the right created a much more open and airy flow.”
English roll-arm sofa in Perennials fabric, Fog color: Restoration Hardware; Martens round coffee table in aged elm finish: Restoration Hardware; bookcase: HD Buttercup; braided abaca rug: Serena & Lily; side chair: Jayson Home; 1960s Liseuse brass task floor lamp (no longer available): Restoration Hardware; art: Ed Ruscha; blue pillows: Susan Connor; coral pillows: Kelly Wearstler for Lee Jofa; shades: The Shade Store
See more of this home
More
Divide and Conquer: How to Furnish a Long, Narrow Room
Key Measurements for Designing the Perfect Living Room
Other resources on Houzz
Find a designer
Get living room ideas
Browse living room products
Designer: Elizabeth Korogod of Design Shop Interiors
Location: Rocklin, California
Homeowners’ request. A comfortable but sophisticated family room for a couple and their two teenage daughters.
Special features. Linen sofa. Coffee table of reclaimed pine and blue stone. Vintage rug layered over a bleached jute one. Gray walls (Edgecomb Gray by Benjamin Moore).
Browse white linen sofas