A New Living Room Blends Midcentury and Traditional Design
See how a designer has mixed timeless elements and midcentury finds in a layout ideal for family and friends
In the search for that “forever home,” sometimes a family gets lucky and stumbles upon that real estate unicorn: a newly renovated house on a beautiful property in the right location. Designer Kelly Martin’s clients were just that fortunate when they chose this Cape Cod-style house in Los Angeles as their family home. With two young kids and a dog, they were glad to dodge a major renovation and to focus their energies on furnishing a family-friendly living room with all the style and function their lifestyle demands.
The husband and his friends gather to watch football on the weekends, so the couple wanted a lot of seating without resorting to a sectional. Martin found the ideal balance of capacity and style with a 10-foot-long sofa from A. Rudin. It’s covered in a hotel-grade polyester-blend fabric from Romo Group, so it holds up well to sports fans, kids and the family dog.
The Eames chair and hoop chair add more seating, and the two cocktail ottomans in a printed Peter Dunham linen can be used by the adults or by kids coloring at the custom coffee table.
The Eames chair and hoop chair add more seating, and the two cocktail ottomans in a printed Peter Dunham linen can be used by the adults or by kids coloring at the custom coffee table.
The house is sited at the end of a private cul-de-sac with a backyard full of large trees. Since privacy wasn’t a concern on this secluded property, Martin chose not to dress the windows, leaving a clear path for sunlight and views.
Find midcentury chairs and ottomans
Find midcentury chairs and ottomans
In developing the color scheme, Martin saw that her clients gravitated toward blues and neutrals, but they also wanted to inject some striking color in a way that wouldn’t feel overpowering.
She imported a vintage rug from Pakistan to add some drama and color. The 10-by-14 rug is “even more vibrant in person,” Martin says.
She imported a vintage rug from Pakistan to add some drama and color. The 10-by-14 rug is “even more vibrant in person,” Martin says.
Art is sprinkled throughout the room in the form of pottery by local ceramist Jon Prescott and the limited-edition piece above the bar by Laura Berman, purchased through Uprise Art in the Soho neighborhood of New York.
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Living Room at a Glance
Who lives here: A young couple with a toddler, a newborn and a dog
Location: Studio City area of Los Angeles
Size: 484 square feet (45 square meters)
Designer: Kelly Martin Interiors
Since this young couple purchased the home already remodeled, all they needed to do was bring in a designer to add kid-friendly finishes and ample seating. The Cape Cod-style architecture called for different furnishings than what they had used in their previous, midcentury home, but Martin kept a few of their more timeless pieces: a black leather Eames chair, which grounds the blue-and-neutral color scheme; the Roche Bobois cabinet behind the sofa; and the stylish bar cabinet from Design Within Reach.
Martin had the back of the built-in bookshelves, which were all white, painted a charcoal gray with blue undertones.