Midcentury Living Room and Kitchen Get a Stylish, Comfy Update
A designer keeps the cedar-paneled walls and concrete floors but updates the kitchen and decor in a 1970s Texas home
Living Room Gets New Decor
Before: There wasn’t a design strategy for the living room before the redesign. “The furnishings were a mishmash of previous homes’ furnishings,” says Bridgman. This left the space feeling overcrowded and unfinished.
As the only living area in the house, this room would be used by the homeowners for many activities, including entertaining, socializing, relaxing and watching TV. The new decor needed to reflect that. As well as being stylish, “we wanted it to be comfortable,” Bridgman says.
The room also needed more lighting, with a couple of recessed can lights and an outdated ceiling fan as the only light sources. Limited outlets made it difficult to bring floor and table lamps to the center of the room, “which left the room dark and uninviting,” Bridgman says.
Many updates were planned for the home, but the homeowners insisted on keeping two elements: the original cedar walls and concrete floors.
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Before: There wasn’t a design strategy for the living room before the redesign. “The furnishings were a mishmash of previous homes’ furnishings,” says Bridgman. This left the space feeling overcrowded and unfinished.
As the only living area in the house, this room would be used by the homeowners for many activities, including entertaining, socializing, relaxing and watching TV. The new decor needed to reflect that. As well as being stylish, “we wanted it to be comfortable,” Bridgman says.
The room also needed more lighting, with a couple of recessed can lights and an outdated ceiling fan as the only light sources. Limited outlets made it difficult to bring floor and table lamps to the center of the room, “which left the room dark and uninviting,” Bridgman says.
Many updates were planned for the home, but the homeowners insisted on keeping two elements: the original cedar walls and concrete floors.
Ready to redecorate? Find an interior designer on Houzz
After: Bridgman transformed the room with new furniture and accessories. The original cedar paneling, repainted brick fireplace and restained concrete floors preserve the home’s character.
She stuck to a color palette of warm neutrals, relying on textures, layers and shapes for interest. Clean-lined pieces, many with midcentury-inspired details, keep the space from feeling overfilled and also complement the home’s architecture.
New overhead lighting, a ceiling fan update and a cordless tabletop lamp brighten the space at night. The designer opted for LED suspension lights, as the ceiling structure left no room to add any recessed lighting or other hardwired light fixtures.
See more midcentury-inspired living room furniture
She stuck to a color palette of warm neutrals, relying on textures, layers and shapes for interest. Clean-lined pieces, many with midcentury-inspired details, keep the space from feeling overfilled and also complement the home’s architecture.
New overhead lighting, a ceiling fan update and a cordless tabletop lamp brighten the space at night. The designer opted for LED suspension lights, as the ceiling structure left no room to add any recessed lighting or other hardwired light fixtures.
See more midcentury-inspired living room furniture
A new modular walnut bookcase displays the homeowners’ travel mementos, adding useful storage while also creating a visual anchor. “Many of their souvenirs from their travels were rustic in nature, so we selected some case goods to cooperate with the accessories they would hold,” Bridgman says. A rustic wood console table behind the sofa displays more travel keepsakes.
Cramped Kitchen Opens Up
Before: The kitchen sits through the doorway next to the wall-mounted TV in the living room.
The existing U-shape kitchen couldn’t comfortably accommodate three adults and lacked the open, expansive style the homeowners wanted for cooking and entertaining. The peninsula and hanging cabinets cut the kitchen off from the dining area and blocked much of the room’s natural light, Bridgman says.
Bridgman expanded and helped refine the homeowners’ vision for the kitchen. “Our initial discussions revolved around how to open up the space and increase the beauty and function,” she says. This included talks about layout, lighting, materials and appliances. “They had a sense of the style they wanted, but they could not figure out how to work it out,” Bridgman says.
Before: The kitchen sits through the doorway next to the wall-mounted TV in the living room.
The existing U-shape kitchen couldn’t comfortably accommodate three adults and lacked the open, expansive style the homeowners wanted for cooking and entertaining. The peninsula and hanging cabinets cut the kitchen off from the dining area and blocked much of the room’s natural light, Bridgman says.
Bridgman expanded and helped refine the homeowners’ vision for the kitchen. “Our initial discussions revolved around how to open up the space and increase the beauty and function,” she says. This included talks about layout, lighting, materials and appliances. “They had a sense of the style they wanted, but they could not figure out how to work it out,” Bridgman says.
After: Changing the kitchen layout is the most substantial update Bridgman convinced her clients to make — and it has had the biggest impact. Working with contractor Rich Stoller, they removed the peninsula and upper cabinets, opening up the space to more natural light and the adjacent eating area. She extended the kitchen cabinets along the wall and added a new kitchen island for increased storage and functionality.
While this meant that the dining area shrunk a little, it enhanced how the homeowners use the space. “The renovation has resulted in the kitchen becoming a central gathering space and has greatly increased their enjoyment of using their home,” Bridgman says.
Kitchen detail: Bridgman placed the kitchen island about 50 inches from the stove, leaving more room for people to gather and cook together in the kitchen.
While this meant that the dining area shrunk a little, it enhanced how the homeowners use the space. “The renovation has resulted in the kitchen becoming a central gathering space and has greatly increased their enjoyment of using their home,” Bridgman says.
Kitchen detail: Bridgman placed the kitchen island about 50 inches from the stove, leaving more room for people to gather and cook together in the kitchen.
White engineered quartz counters top custom oak cabinets with a teak stain. The cabinets came from an urban mill that uses fallen trees in the Dallas-Fort Worth area for its wood pieces. New stainless steel appliances, white subway tile and simple cabinet pulls round out the warm, streamlined kitchen. “The white of the counters and backsplash, the simplicity of the cabinet fronts and cabinet hardware all contribute to the clean, almost Scandinavian feel of the space,” Bridgman says.
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Shop for quartz counters on Houzz
An eating area surrounded by floor-to-ceiling windows connects to the kitchen, with a tiered LED chandelier anchoring the space. “The compromise was the ceiling fixture over the dining table,” Bridgman says. “[It’s] still streamlined but [also] an accent piece.”
The light fixture is balanced by the midcentury modern-style chairs and live-edge wood tabletop, which bring the refined rustic, bohemian quality the homeowners wanted.
The windows’ original folding wood shutters were kept to maintain more of the house’s original quality.
Pro tip: Remodels and redecorating projects require homeowners to make a lot of decisions — often expensive — in a short amount of time. Working with a designer you trust can reduce the stress of decision-making on your own and the costs that can arise from changing your mind. “The more decisive you can be, the more cost-effective it will be for you working with a designer,” Bridgman says.
Planning a renovation? Find your inspiration and choose a design professional on Houzz.
The light fixture is balanced by the midcentury modern-style chairs and live-edge wood tabletop, which bring the refined rustic, bohemian quality the homeowners wanted.
The windows’ original folding wood shutters were kept to maintain more of the house’s original quality.
Pro tip: Remodels and redecorating projects require homeowners to make a lot of decisions — often expensive — in a short amount of time. Working with a designer you trust can reduce the stress of decision-making on your own and the costs that can arise from changing your mind. “The more decisive you can be, the more cost-effective it will be for you working with a designer,” Bridgman says.
Planning a renovation? Find your inspiration and choose a design professional on Houzz.
Living Room and Kitchen at a Glance
Who lives here: Three women (a couple and a sister)
Location: Keller, Texas (in the Dallas-Fort Worth metroplex)
Size: 2,100 square feet (195 square meters) for the whole house
Designer: Ann Bridgman of Just the Thing Decorating, Staging, and Windows
Year built: 1974
This midcentury home in Texas had belonged to a family for 20 years. It had never really served as a primary residence and, as a result, hadn’t received the regular care and upkeep a full-time home might have. “The house had not been updated in many years, and the kitchen needed to be completely remodeled,” interior designer Ann Bridgman says.
After deciding to move in permanently, the homeowners hired Bridgman to refresh and renovate their home. They focused on the communal living areas, gutting the kitchen and redecorating the living and dining areas to better accommodate a household of three. “The taste of the homeowners leaned toward clean lines and midcentury styles, so we focused on finding furniture to reflect that aesthetic,” Bridgman says.