Mid Century Modern Design…Meet the Family
Hi friend, thanks so much for stopping by! If you are new here, I’m Kristin: I’m an Interior Designer and owner of Postbox Designs, Interior E-Design, working my way around life with three crazy kids, a couple of pets, and living life one Amazon Prime order at a time! So when this Mom of two boys (and a handful of pets as well) reached out to me for help in their home, I instantly felt a connection. She and her husband loved the Mid Century Modern look, and wanted a global design infused into their space. But it had to hold up to kids, dog hair, and the busy life of a working Mom.
We paired up to work on her Living Room, Dining Room, and Master Bedroom (I’ll share that makeover in a future post with you all!). She told me that had worked with an Interior Designer before who blew their budget by thousands of dollars. So she was more than a little hesitant to try again. I always say finding the right Interior Designer is kind of like dating-your personalities and communication need to match. Not only did I not blow their budget, but came in well under budget for these spaces. Want a tour of the design we came up with?
Mid Century Modern Design #1: The Living Room
I know when some people hear the word “modern” they think cold, sterile and uncomfortable. Well I’m here to introduce you to “Modern With Kids”-a cozy, comfy room with durable materials, plenty of storage, and a good dose of this family’s personality infused in.
My client already owned this beautiful sofa (#1) and we added in a pair of matching leather modern armchairs (#7) and this green velvet armchair (#16) to complete the seating group. I love using leather with kids-you can simply wipe them down if a juice box spills. Then we layered in some Mid Century Modern pieces with straight open legs (#6, 15, and 17). If you are working with a smaller Living Room size, having these light and airy pieces of furniture will make your room seem larger. We added some pops of graphic punch and color with some West Elm pillows (#13 and #14). Because this family has young boys, I tried to find study, durable pieces that won’t break if toppled over in a game of catch. I used pieces like these metal side tables (#17), floor lamps (#2o), brass coffee table tray (#9) and potted faux plants (#8). Instead of using fragile pieces like glass or ceramic, try metal or plastic/acrylic pieces when you have young kids.
Making Mid Century Modern Design Feel Like Home
One of my favorite parts of working on this project was bringing in this family’s story. This family adopted their sons from China and Ethiopia, so it was important to them to bring in global elements from those countries. Over their storage buffet (#15), I found this authentic Ethiopian basket (#5) but I suggested they hang it on their wall. Under it we hung this special print the family got from a trip to Ethiopia (#10). The best room designs are always the ones that reflect YOU. I’m always more concerned about incorporating special pieces to the family, then whatever is trending on Pinterest.
Likewise, the family asked that I incorporate some beautiful Chinese floral prints in the Dining Room. Some more of their children’s heritage is found in photos in the Dining Room Gallery Wall (scroll down to check out the Dining Room space) and some beautiful coffee table books like #30.
Let’s Party: Styling a Mid Century Modern Bar
Their Living Room had the perfect nook for a small, but mighty piece of furniture that could double up as a home bar. I started with this inspirational photo from Pinterest (#22) to create their bar area:
This unique cabinet (#26) was a great focal point, then we kept it very simple. An acrylic tray (#23) can corral bottles and jars. Have you ever noticed how beautiful the labels are on wine bottles and liquor bottles? You can let those stand as their own artwork! I gave my clients two options of over sized modern art to hang over the bar (#27 and #28). Then I suggested a simple vignette with Items #25, 29, and #31. Adding a modern Target table lamp (#24) gave them some extra color and light to the space. I suggested using their yellow bowl (#25) to corral items like wine corks or bottle tops to save trips to the kitchen.
Mid Century Modern Design #2: The Dining Room
My client already a Dining Room set-but it was too small for the space, so the scale just didn’t feel right in their Dining Room. She had just purchased the pieces, so she didn’t want to start over. So the only thing we replaced was her table to get her a larger version (#4). We kept her beautiful wood Mid Century modern dining chairs (#6) and added a pop of color and texture with new head chairs (#5 and #10). Head chairs are a great way to give a more layered look AND we needed more chairs with her new longer table. We also kept her existing buffet and I suggested she paint it to work with her new space.
Their Dining Room desperately needed more light so I found two modern Dining Room chandelier options (#2 and #3). P.S. They ended up going with option #2! But the biggest impact of their entire Dining Room makeover was their focal wall. While all of her walls are white, I suggested this deep charcoal color (Benjamin Moore’s “Wrought Iron”) for her back wall, then we created a head-turning Wall Gallery to finish off their Dining Room!
Creating a Modern Wall Gallery
Photographs and art are very important to this family. And in fact, Dad is an amazing photographer. So we used a mix of his personal photos and Mid Century Modern art from Minted to create this bold, colorful Gallery Wall:
Using a Gallery Wall Template
Hanging art is one of the TRICKIEST problems most of my clients have. There are so many questions that make it confusing and overwhelming:
What size frames?
What size artwork?
Do I use mattes or no mattes?
How high to hang it?
How many frames do I need?
How do I find artwork that will all coordinate?
I created this Wall Gallery Template for my clients showing the exact frame sizes (and the print sizes and specifications were listed on their Shopping List). For a cohesive look, the frames are all from West Elm, using their metal frame collection. If you have a blank space of wall to fill…you can use this template to know exactly how to hang it all perfectly!
Getting a Sneak Peek of Their Finished Room Makeovers
I offer several different Room Packages & Pricing, but my client purchased my “Full Design Room Package” that came with a 3D rendering. I was able to show them exactly how their space looked before they purchased a single item! Plus when they start to pull their room together, they have an exact layout to work from (a Floor Plan and Shopping List are always included as well, but not shown here).
Want to See Other Mid Century Modern Designs?
Not done soaking up design ideas? Here are a few more Postbox Designs projects with a Mid Century flair to them!
California Cool Modern Basement Makeover
This project was a basement makeover mostly for my client’s teen children and their friends. We went with a mix of Mid Century Modern, California Cool, and just fun teen design. I also designed a Kitchenette for their space. Plus I share the #1 item you should always have in your basement!
Mid Century Modern Foyer Makeover
And in this project, we took an empty, unused space and turned it into a colorful Mid Century Modern foyer. This space now sets the tone for the rest of the home!
Keep In Touch!
Have questions about what you saw today or working with me via Online Interior Design? You can always drop me an email at kristin@postboxdesigns.com
I hope you enjoyed today’s Makeover, I’ll see you back here same time same place next week!
Cheers,
Kristin
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