Houzz Tour: Splashy, Colorful Fun for a Family of 5
Brilliant mixes of color and a creative hand make for a highly personal midcentury home in Michigan
Houzz
December 12, 2012
Interior designer Mindi Freng fell in love with this property at a time when she and her husband weren't even looking for a house. But although the home's size and its midcentury bones were big draws, "we knew that for us to be happy in the house, we had to work hard at making it our own and having it represent the way we live," she says.
Freng got to work and transformed the home's 1980s interiors into splashy, functional and fun spaces that reflect her love of color and salvaged materials. "Sometimes when you walk into someone's home, there's a real disconnect between the house and those living in it," she says. "I'm happy to say that every room in this house has our stamp on it. It's not perfect, but it's ours."
Houzz at a Glance
Who lives here: Mindi Freng and her family of 5
Location: Grand Rapids, Michigan
Size: 3,500 square feet
That's interesting: The dining table is made from a reclaimed bowling lane.
Freng got to work and transformed the home's 1980s interiors into splashy, functional and fun spaces that reflect her love of color and salvaged materials. "Sometimes when you walk into someone's home, there's a real disconnect between the house and those living in it," she says. "I'm happy to say that every room in this house has our stamp on it. It's not perfect, but it's ours."
Houzz at a Glance
Who lives here: Mindi Freng and her family of 5
Location: Grand Rapids, Michigan
Size: 3,500 square feet
That's interesting: The dining table is made from a reclaimed bowling lane.
A 12-foot artificial tree — a Craigslist find — is just the right scale for the living room. Sheer curtains and windows along an entire wall let in plenty of natural light. Hopper windows let in fresh air. Accent walls in a chocolate brown and bright blue celebrate Freng's love of color. "It's a cheerful room, and the colors are pretty atypical for Michigan," says Freng. "But I don't really care. I'm not one to play by the rules."
Brown paint: Craft Paper, Sherwin-Williams; blue paint: Caribbean Blue Water, Benjamin Moore; floors: oak, original to the house
Brown paint: Craft Paper, Sherwin-Williams; blue paint: Caribbean Blue Water, Benjamin Moore; floors: oak, original to the house
The star of Freng's eclectic dining room is also a Craigslist buy: a hefty bowling alley lane the designer found for $50 and repurposed into a table. "It's 9 1/2 feet long, so it's massive, but it's just the right scale for the space. I didn't want to get a table with a bunch of leaves, so it was definitely a good buy," she says.
Freng learned a lot about how bowling alleys were made in the process of converting the piece into a dining table. "It weighs a ton, so as my husband always says, it's never leaving this house," she says. Plumbing pipes make up the table legs, throwing an industrial touch to the piece. Mismatched chairs surround the table, all picked up from vintage shops and flea markets in the area.
An accent wall in Benjamin Moore's Peacock Blue enlivens the space and makes a warm, happy background to the organic wood chunks.
Freng learned a lot about how bowling alleys were made in the process of converting the piece into a dining table. "It weighs a ton, so as my husband always says, it's never leaving this house," she says. Plumbing pipes make up the table legs, throwing an industrial touch to the piece. Mismatched chairs surround the table, all picked up from vintage shops and flea markets in the area.
An accent wall in Benjamin Moore's Peacock Blue enlivens the space and makes a warm, happy background to the organic wood chunks.
The designer glams up the dining area's chandelier for the holidays with glass ornaments and feathers.
"I painted my grandma's buffet a bold orange and filled the buffet top with pillars, branches and other holiday accessories," Freng says.
The family room has wall-to-wall carpeting. "We have young kids, and they spend quite a bit of time there. It just made sense to have something soft underfoot," says Freng.
Built-in shelves separate the dining room from the family room and let light in from the back of the house.
Built-in shelves separate the dining room from the family room and let light in from the back of the house.
The family used oversize paper ornaments, framed pictures and typography for the kids' tree-shape gallery wall.
The kitchen shows Freng's love of walnut. She had her construction team wrap the structural beams in reclaimed walnut (previously used as flooring), giving the space movement and interest.
"In case you can't tell, I love walnut. I also feel like it works with the midcentury architecture of the house," she says. A skylight bathes the space with light.
"In case you can't tell, I love walnut. I also feel like it works with the midcentury architecture of the house," she says. A skylight bathes the space with light.
Before Photo
BEFORE: Dark cabinetry made the kitchen feel small and gloomy. "I always knew that for us to live in this house the way we wanted to, we really needed the kitchen to feel more open, light and bright," says Freng.
AFTER: She matched the back concrete countertops with the shelving unit's Branchport Brown stain. The island countertop is also concrete but looks a lot like Ceasarstone or Cambria. Off-white cabinet doors, plus layered lighting from the skylight and recessed fixtures, keep the space feeling expansive and bright.
For the holidays, vintage finds and ornaments share the space with bottles and glasses on the bar's upper shelves. The more accessible level of the bar showcases more family-friendly fare, like sweets and holiday candy.
Before Photo
BEFORE: The old space was stuck in the 1980s.
AFTER: The half bath is the only room in the house that was remodeled just by Freng and her husband. They turned an old desk into a vanity that fits the kids' footstool perfectly.
"We quickly realized how much work actually went into just a small remodeling project, so we hired a team for the rest of the house — and we're so happy we did," she says.
"We quickly realized how much work actually went into just a small remodeling project, so we hired a team for the rest of the house — and we're so happy we did," she says.
Their toddler's room pays homage to all things locomotive. Old traffic signs cover the walls, preloved rims support the bed frame and two repurposed filing cabinets with desktops make up a train table with storage underneath. Freng displays her son's cars on 2-by-4 wood strips that she cut in half, painted and mounted on the wall.
"This playroom was a last-minute project that I revealed on Christmas Day. I needed a space for my kids to be able to do whatever their imaginations dreamt up for them," says Freng.
The designer bought the siding and shingles from a Habitat for Humanity ReStore for a mere $11. She salvaged the carpet squares from a school project's toss pile. "We did the murals on the wall and left the ones on the white wall unfinished so that the kids could color, paint and fill in the work over time," she says.
The designer bought the siding and shingles from a Habitat for Humanity ReStore for a mere $11. She salvaged the carpet squares from a school project's toss pile. "We did the murals on the wall and left the ones on the white wall unfinished so that the kids could color, paint and fill in the work over time," she says.
An adjoining area houses a reading perch, a play kitchen and dollhouses.
One of Freng's favorite custom pieces is her daughter's window box, which Freng filled with playground balls and constructed with medium-density fiberboard and Plexiglas. "The balls can be changed out to whatever my daughter is into at the moment, so it will change with her tastes," says Freng.
A whiteboard from an office supply outlet gets lots of use when the kids are playing school. "It keeps them occupied for long stretches of time," she says.
A whiteboard from an office supply outlet gets lots of use when the kids are playing school. "It keeps them occupied for long stretches of time," she says.
Freng updated the kids' bathroom by refacing the cabinet doors and drawers. She painted the cabinet doors in Sherwin-Williams' Argyle, an on-trend green. "I'm really happy with how it turned out. We replaced the toilet and sink but kept the Formica countertops, which are low maintenance," she says.
It's taken years for her husband to trust her design and color choices, she says. "Part of overcoming fear, especially a fear of color, is the importance of actually moving forward and seeing something work. A successful project gives you — and anyone else involved — the confidence to move ahead," she says.
The entrance hints at the colorful fun inside the home by making an opening statement in Sherwin-Williams' Jalapeño.
More:
Gloriously Untamed Color in a Manhattan Home
An Antique Cape Cod House Explodes With Color
The entrance hints at the colorful fun inside the home by making an opening statement in Sherwin-Williams' Jalapeño.
More:
Gloriously Untamed Color in a Manhattan Home
An Antique Cape Cod House Explodes With Color
We design, build and renovate in the most exquisite of fashions. Our team of revolutionaries is dedicated to... Read More
What are you working on?
Related Products
Ferguson showrooms are where your plans of a dream home turn into a reality. Ferguson showrooms are the place to... Read More
Related Stories
Homes Around the World
Houzz Tour: Period Home Gains Color and Character
By Kate Burt
Before-and-after photos show how a bold palette and restored features bring warmth and personality to this English house
Full Story
New This Week
8 Colorful New Living Rooms
See how design pros, including one found on Houzz, mix vibrant hues to fill living spaces with pops of personality
Full Story
Houzz TV
Tour a Lovely London Victorian Updated With Color and Pattern
Watch and read how a designer found on Houzz helped a couple add bold paint and personality to their home
Full Story
Eclectic Homes
Houzz Tour: Spanish Colonial Home Gets a Colorful Makeover
A designer found on Houzz gives a Los Angeles home a cottage feel with lots of colorful patterns and decor
Full Story
Color
Tired of White Walls? How to Add Color With Confidence
Five experts share design ideas for transitioning from all-white walls to rooms infused with color
Full Story
Houzz TV Live
Step Inside a Designer’s Colorful Home Full of Fun Surprises
In this video, Lindsey Jamison discusses bold patterns, a pingpong dining table and other energetic details in her home
Full Story
Homes Around the World
Houzz Tour: Vibrant Color With a Retro Touch
A designer found on Houzz fills a Moscow apartment with delicious color
Full Story
Houzz Tours
Colorful Milan Apartment Inspired by Le Corbusier
An architect uses a palette from the French designer’s 1931 manifesto on color to bring a sense of balance to this home
Full Story
Houzz Tours
Chic Family-Friendly Ideas for a Pro Ballplayer’s Florida Home
By Becky Harris
Abstract art, sunny colors and baseball themes brighten this Tampa-area home
Full Story
Houzz Tours
Art Deco Condo Infused With Color, Art and Whimsical Decor
A painted floor, a wallpapered ceiling and colorful chandeliers are among the eclectic touches in this Chicago home
Full Story
In one word I would define it as a: HOME. very beautiful!
Too bad not everyone can see or experience the joy of another's home. If you don't like color, well, just paint everything tan. We have lived in our home for almost 49 years. It has been redone from front curb to back alley at least 45 times. Take out a wall, close up a wall, We have redone the flooring at least 5 times....lots harder than moving as all the furniture has to be shoved somewhere. The tiling was the worst. Had to dry over night at least 3 times during the procedure. Tore out and rearranged both bathrooms. Now that was really fun. I have splashes of color everywhere and not necessarily in the order some people would like, but we Love it. Expect to live here till we are carried out in a box....hummm, may have my box preordered and paint all the surfaces inside and out with a different bright color. Of course, it doesn't matter my soul will already be heaven before I take residence in "My Box of Many Colors".
Love it! I'm from Grand Rapids (area) too and I think it's a great representation of us West Michiganders! A great show of color and creativity!