Here’s what we were dealing with: a very underwhelming entry and living room that had been thoroughly HGTV-ed with white paint EVERYWHERE…even on the fireplace brick…and an adjacent shaker kitchen.
This 1955 split level was built in a development of about 60 houses, each a minor variation on the same basic design. It was originally dripping with cool, before the unfortunate redo. The owner’s love to host (especially game nights) and are looking to create a space that’s “one part atomic era design catalogue, one part ’60s Vegas speakeasy, and one part Bond villain lair.”
Our goal was to up the drama and function of the entry and living room by adding an eye-catching hearth and, possibly, introducing a sunken seating area. We also planned a transformation in the adjacent kitchen to make it a social hub and remove it’s unfortunate farmhouse flavor.
Our Swanky Living Room Solutions
We designed three schemes to add atomic era cool by improving the eye catching factor of the hearth and, possibly, introducing a sunken seating area. We preserved the circulation pattern of entering straight from the front door or stepping off to the side to rest in the sitting area. The crawl space below would make it possible to “sink” the living area by as little as one step or as deeply as three.
SCHEME 1 – Swank Without the Sink
SCHEME 2 – High Drama, Low Seating
SCHEME 3 – Super Villain Inspired Sunken Seating
Looking for more living room inspiration?
- Checkout our podcast episode on how to place a TV in a mid-century living room.
- Use our room upgrade recipe in your living room…or any room in your home!
- Learn how to get ready to remodel by watching my FREE Masterclass, “How to Plan an MCM Remodel to Fit Your Life(…and Budget)”, ON DEMAND.