Weather House is a bespoke home for a young, nature-loving family on a quintessentially compact Northcote block. Our clients Claire and Brent cherished the character of their century-old worker's cottage but required more considered space and flexibility in their home. Claire and Brent are camping enthusiasts, and in response their house is a love letter to the outdoors: a rich, durable environment infused with the grounded ambience of being in nature. From the street, the dark cladding of the sensitive rear extension echoes the existing cottage!s roofline, becoming a subtle shadow of the original house in both form and tone. As you move through the home, the double-height extension invites the climate and native landscaping inside at every turn. The light-bathed lounge, dining room and kitchen are anchored around, and seamlessly connected to, a versatile outdoor living area. A double-sided fireplace embedded into the house’s rear wall brings warmth and ambience to the lounge, and inspires a campfire atmosphere in the back yard. Championing tactility and durability, the material palette features polished concrete floors, blackbutt timber joinery and concrete brick walls. Peach and sage tones are employed as accents throughout the lower level, and amplified upstairs where sage forms the tonal base for the moody main bedroom. An adjacent private deck creates an additional tether to the outdoors, and houses planters and trellises that will decorate the home’s exterior with greenery. From the tactile and textured finishes of the interior to the surrounding Australian native garden that you just want to touch, the house encapsulates the feeling of being part of the outdoors; like Claire and Brent are camping at home. It is a tribute to Mother Nature, Weather House’s muse.

Oxford Street

Koch Architects

Mid-century modern living room with open plan and floor to ceiling windows for indoor-outdoor ambiance, redwood paneled walls, exposed wood beam ceiling, wood flooring and mid-century modern style furniture, in Berkeley, California. - Photo by Bruce Damonte.

Braeside

Lush Interiors Inc.

Photo of a small midcentury enclosed living room in Calgary with a standard fireplace, a wood fireplace surround, wallpaper, white walls, dark hardwood floors, no tv and brown floor.

Interior Design with a Mid-Century Modern Mix - Troy, MI.

Dan Davis Design

By using the open-arm lounge chairs, we fit seating for 5 in a small space without it looking crowded. Small touches of wood on the end table, lamp, and picture frames add warmth to the overall grey color scheme. Fabrica Carpet gives overall pattern in the space. Interior design by Dan Davis Design

Midcentury Living Room

Small midcentury open concept living room in Portland with white walls, concrete floors, a standard fireplace, a brick fireplace surround and grey floor.

Mid Century Apartment in the City of London

Black and Milk | Interior Design | London

This apartment is designed by Black and Milk Interior Design. They specialise in Modern Interiors for Modern London Homes. https://blackandmilk.co.uk

Beatty Street Loft

Falken Reynolds Interiors

Photo: Ema Peter This 1,110 square foot loft in Vancouver’s Crosstown neighbourhood was completely renovated for a young professional couple splitting their time between Vancouver and New York.

Charming Bungalow

Adams + Beasley Associates

Eric Roth Photography
Photo of a small midcentury open concept living room in Boston with green walls, medium hardwood floors, a standard fireplace and a stone fireplace surround.

B House NW PDX

AlisonBVer

Cozy living room with Malm gas fireplace, original windows/treatments, new shiplap, exposed doug fir beams
Design ideas for a small midcentury open concept living room in Portland with white walls, cork floors, a hanging fireplace, white floor, exposed beam and planked wall panelling.

Midcentury Influenced Contemporary Condo

Degnan Design-Build-Remodel

Moving the TV to the ideal viewing location from the furniture placed it off-center in the space. A creative design solution was required to solve this problem.

1950s Cottage

Burr Salvatore Architects

Photo of a small midcentury loft-style living room in New York with medium hardwood floors and brown floor.

Miller Park Condominium

WoodHart Interiors & Design, LLC

Design ideas for a small midcentury formal open concept living room in Other with light hardwood floors, white walls, no fireplace and white floor.

Long Beach Bungalow Vibes

The Home Spotlight

Michael J King
Small midcentury open concept living room in Los Angeles with brown walls, dark hardwood floors, a standard fireplace, a tile fireplace surround, a wall-mounted tv and brown floor.

Mid Century Modern Renovation

Kimberly Demmy Design

Mid Century Modern Renovation - nestled in the heart of Arapahoe Acres. This home was purchased as a foreclosure and needed a complete renovation. To complete the renovation - new floors, walls, ceiling, windows, doors, electrical, plumbing and heating system were redone or replaced. The kitchen and bathroom also underwent a complete renovation - as well as the home exterior and landscaping. Many of the original details of the home had not been preserved so Kimberly Demmy Design worked to restore what was intact and carefully selected other details that would honor the mid century roots of the home. Published in Atomic Ranch - Fall 2015 - Keeping It Small. Daniel O'Connor Photography

Midcentury Living room

Sofa.com

The Peggy chair in Dusty Rose cotton matt velvet from £460
This is an example of a small midcentury open concept living room in London with blue walls, medium hardwood floors, no fireplace and no tv.

Mid-century Modern Tweed Sofa Couch (Charles) - The Sofa Company

The Sofa Company

From mid-century into a new century. An elegant element that never goes out of style. Check out http://thesofaco.com for more information on our draper sofa. Available in any sectional option you can think of.

Portland Mid-Century Modern

Jessica Helgerson Interior Design

Antiques, including a pair of Portuguese eel traps hanging over the fireplace mantel, Chinese garden stools, a rustic mirrored cabinet, and French blown-glass demijohn bottles, add a patina of age.

Living room

Anushka Contractor

An 8 ft. simple teak wood finish main door gives way to a cozy living room doused in natural light streaming from a large window and a cute-as-a-button balconette. The wall between this room and the kitchen has been demolished and the open kitchen now effectively makes this living space appear larger. We laid wooden look tiles on the floor, pre-cut into 4 pieces and organized in the herringbone pattern. This is not only spread across the studio but also seeps up the living room main wall. Upon this wall, hangs an artwork specially commissioned to a young artist to be evocative yet flaunt the yellow and blue that ties the otherwise somber colours together. Below this is a long chesterfield sofa in electric blue, an armchair upholstered in hounds-tooth with a gold, black and wooden frame. A wood and black glass center table set and a yellow and wooden side table set complete the seating set up. A custom rug in colours of our choice brings a touch of elegance to the room. Beside this is a white and wood console table with a round gold and wood finish mirror. A black skirting flows throughout the walls with a wood detailing as an added design detail.

Midcentury Modern Living Room

exactly.

CJ South
Photo of a small midcentury open concept living room in Detroit with blue walls, concrete floors, a standard fireplace, a metal fireplace surround and no tv.

Classical

Advanced Architectural Design, Ltd. 847 392 5309

Design ideas for a small midcentury formal enclosed living room in Chicago with brown walls, carpet and no fireplace.

Small Midcentury Living Room Design Photos

A living room, often referred to as a lounge room in Australia and New Zealand, is the hub of the home. If you only have one living room in the house, it’s likely to serve multiple purposes: be it a place to watch TV, play games, spend quality time with family or hang out with friends. If you have the luxury of two living areas, one is usually a formal living room or lounge room, reserved for reading, relaxing and entertaining. A successful midcentury living room design is inviting, has enough seating for the whole clan – a comfortable couch is a must – and encourages conversation. Browse photos on Houzz for living room layouts, furniture and decor, and strike up a conversation with the interior designers or architects of your favourite picks. For even more midcentury living room ideas, check out the Stories section on Houzz.

Which midcentury living room layouts will work best for you?

Every living area will have design challenges. A long, narrow lounge room, for example, risks looking like a hallway if furniture is lined up against the walls. Instead, opt for small furniture items, like a cosy two-seater couch, and create various focal points throughout the space. In square living rooms, a symmetrical layout encourages a formal setting. Place seating on either side of the room, with a focal point in the middle to pull the room together. For a truly intimate vibe, replace your couch with some occasional chairs positioned around a coffee table or ottoman. This will make the main focus conversation. An open-plan home – one where the lines are blurred between kitchen, dining and living – may require a layout that focuses on definition. You’ll want to make sure furniture doesn’t block the flow between spaces, and instead use something like an area rug to create zones.

How can you decorate your living room?

The living room can be a place in which to show off your personality, but if you want a timeless living room scheme, stick to neutral walls, couches and ottomans. Colour can be added through accessories, and is a lot more interchangeable! Rugs, cushions and throws are great for adding colour, while mirrors, lamps and ceiling lights will set the mood. Make your midcentury living room unique by including family heirlooms and photos. For a polished look, try creating a coffee table vignette – you could use books as pedestals or group items together on a tray. Try adding a vase, a mixture of round and rectangular objects and some books.

What are some small living room ideas?

Small living room designs can be tricky to work with, but aren’t doomed to fail. Often, you just have to get creative with furniture. An open-back chaise can create a sense of spaciousness, while small side tables paired together can substitute a coffee table. Even better, an ottoman can be used as a footrest, coffee table or extra seating. Big furniture items like the couch are best kept in light colours, and if there’s room for a coffee table, a glass-top one is best. If you have two spaces in one – perhaps your midcentury living room sits in front of a single-wall kitchen – make sure they are connected by decor, colour and style. For definition, just add area rugs, or use your couch as a dividing wall. It’s worth having a few furniture pieces, whether a bookshelf, couch or entertainment unit, in the same colour as the walls, too, so they blend into the room and visually expand the space.

Is open-plan living for you?

Today’s homes often embrace open-plan living, whereby the living room runs off the kitchen and/or dining areas. Open-plan living allows greater functionality, but can risk creating a vast, soulless space if not done right. To avoid a cavernous feel in an open-plan design, define areas with furniture, rugs and lighting, or consider using a wall divider. Also be sure to keep flooring, lighting and materials consistent throughout, for cohesiveness. Noise may be an issue – someone banging pots and pans while you’re watching TV, for example – so include lots of soft midcentury furnishings, such as rugs, curtains and couches to help absorb the noise. You will also need to factor in plenty of storage, so mess is kept at bay.