Bringing Mid Century Modern Style into Your Home

With the popularity of the Mid Century Modern many people want to add elements into their homes. I personally love taking elements from different styles and showing them off throughout designs.

Mid-century modern furniture is a style of furniture that originated in the mid-20th century, roughly between the 1930s and 1960s. This style of furniture is known for its clean lines, organic shapes, and sleek, minimalist design. Mid-century modern furniture was influenced by the Bauhaus and De Stijl art movements, which emphasized function and simplicity in design.

One of the most notable characteristics of mid-century modern furniture is its focus on form over function. This means that the design of the furniture is just as important, if not more important, than its practicality. Mid-century modern furniture often features bold, geometric shapes and bold, solid colors. An easy way to bring this into your home is through the use of wallpaper and tile.

The use of natural materials such as wood, leather, and wool is also common in mid-century modern furniture.

Mid-century modern furniture is highly sought after by collectors and design enthusiasts alike. Its clean lines and timeless aesthetic make it a versatile choice for any space. Whether you are looking to furnish your entire home with mid-century modern pieces or just add a few key pieces to your existing decor, this style of furniture is a great way to add a touch of sophistication and elegance to your space.

Some of the most iconic mid-century modern furniture pieces include the Eames Lounge Chair and Ottoman, designed by Charles and Ray Eames, and the Tulip Chair, designed by Eero Saarinen. These pieces are known for their elegant, sculptural forms and their use of innovative materials and manufacturing techniques.

In addition to its aesthetic appeal, mid-century modern furniture is also known for its durability and longevity. Many pieces of mid-century modern furniture are still in use today, decades after they were first designed. This is due in part to the high-quality materials and construction used in their manufacture, as well as the timelessness of their designs. My advise is to save for quality pieces that will stand the test of time rather than cheaper imitations that you will not get to enjoy very long.

If you are interested in incorporating mid-century modern furniture into your home, there are many ways to do so. You can find authentic mid-century modern pieces at vintage shops, online marketplaces, and auctions. Alternatively, you can purchase new furniture that is inspired by the mid-century modern style. No matter what approach you take, adding some mid-century modern pieces to your home is a great way to add a touch of sophistication and elegance to your space.

Spanish Contemporary Desert Home

My clients and I like to call this project “dirt-to-done". Everything in this home was a collaborative effort between the architect, client, and myself. The building process took about 18-months and was a labor of love. From the exterior in, this project has been one of the most wonderful experiences I have enjoyed. Nothing else makes me happier than being able to share this experience with everyone. I hope you enjoy the tour.

Exterior view of a Spanish style home featuring a stucco and stone exterior. Zeroscaping and drought resistant landscaping were used.

Stone pavers lead guests to the front gate of this Modern Spanish Hacienda.

As you walk through the custom designed iron gates, the front interior courtyard greets you warmly.

The front courtyard was designed to remind the homeowner of her family home while growing up in Mexico.

The flowing water transports you to a tranquil place as you enter the home.

As you enter this Portland, Oregon home, the interior design is a mix of traditional antique finds and modern touches.

This kitchen stays true to the Spanish feel of natural wood tones. We used architectural beams to give character to the home. The kitchen remains open to the rest of the home to foster entertainment.

A traditional herringbone laid floor in a concrete grey color balances perfectly with the large arched doors and clean lines of the dining room entertainment area.

Great craftsmanship was used in this interior design through proper scale and balance. Everywhere you look is a delicate dance of traditionally classic design and modern interiors.

A flame stitch pattern on the swivel chairs add interest through texture and color while warm neutral grey on other furnishings act as the perfect backdrop. The natural wood beams and coffee table are a nod to the nature seen all around Oregon.

The living room has a focal wall of Versailles laid natural stone and a curved stucco fireplace with a hand-crafted mantle. Original native art was introduced to give this interior design more authenticity.

Limestone is a traditional material to use for a fireplace surround. The basketweave pattern adds depth, texture, and dimension.

The primary bedroom has easy access to the backyard providing the homeowners with a true indoor-outdoor lifestyle. Hammer metal nightstands juxtapose with the soft tufted fabric of the headboard. Textual and colorful pillows were layered for a touch of fun.

Traditional lighting was chosen for the master bathroom providing directional light for better visibility. Clerestory windows provide fantastic natural light.

Vintage Spanish pendants are paired with a modern free standing bathtub in front of an arched shutter window.

Simple stone tiles are coupled with a glass mosaic waterfall in this large walk-in shower. A custom built in bamboo shower seat adds functionality while allowing smart space solutions.

Spanish inlayed tile console pair perfectly with modern chartreuse nightstands and shaped wood headboard.

Backyard pool oasis under the bright blue skies. The pool is shaped to blend with the flagstone around it. The Spanish tile roof provides a great shaded seating area in the hot Oregon summer sun.

Conversation circle and a wood burning outdoor fire pit provide a cozy ambiance in the evenings.

Custom arched barn wood garage door with iron detailing and traditional outdoor lighting.

Rustic Lake House Retreat

Welcome to this lake house designed for a set of wonderful clients meant for them to create lasting memories with their family for a lifetime to come. When I started the project it was nothing but a plot of land and a set of architectural documents. From there, everything, from the exterior to the interior, was hand selected selected. My design goal was to create a light and bright modern lake house with refined rustic elements throughout. You will see a lot of features used on the outside of the house brought into the home to create continuity. Layers of whimsical touches keep each space fun and inviting. I hope you enjoy your journey through this wonderful family lake hour retreat.

Welcome to this lake house designed for a set of wonderful clients meant for them to create lasting memories with their family for a lifetime to come. 

Because lake lots are expensive and small around this private lake, we wanted to make this heart of the home feel as big and open as possible. When designing an a fully open living space filled with the entry, kitchen, dining room, and family room, it is important to use clever ways of defining the spaces.

The base of the dining table is an x-base taupe washed wood. Indicative of that true farmhouse style. The texture of the rush seats on the dining chairs is fantastic and the metal detailing is amazing.

We all know that everyone congregates around the kitchen and with a large family, it is important to have a kitchen that can accommodate everyone. This fantastic wrap around bar top serves multiple purposes. It is perfect for giving the homeowner more prep space, it allows all of the kids to sit around the kitchen, and it provides a serving spot for food when entertaining.

This kitchen is not lacking in design. The corner range wall creates a fun feature for this home, the detailing in the bead board cabinetry add to that farmhouse country style, and the shades of white, cream, beige, and taupe make this neutral kitchen have so much interest.

Bringing elements that remind us of the lake is important. These metal kitchen pendant lights reminded us of the metal seen on old fishing boats. The perfect detail for such a fun lake house. You can also see how we brought a touch of deep teal into the space along the painted stair railing leading up to the second floor kids area.

A dining room for entertaining! This zinc top farmhouse dining table is large enough to seat up to 10 guests comfortably. We decided to bring a weathered reclaimed wood chair with a gunmetal x-back for detail. Perfectly speaks to the farmhouse style. To bring a splash of color into the space, we put a flat weave rug with a touch of blue. 

From this angle you can see the fun vintage boat style light fixture. It also give you a great view of the sea foam blue and green flat weave. Another relax at the lake sign and a wall full of glass doors and windows and we are ready to enjoy lake house living.

In our defined family room space, we were aware that the floor to ceiling stone fireplace would be the show stopper. We also knew that we needed to soften the harshness that comes with so much stone. To accomplish this, we decided to keep the amount of wood pieces in the space to a minimum. One of our favorite pieces in this room is the turned leg cocktail ottoman.

The little details in the furniture throughout the space is what makes this hime special. This is an updated take on a traditional English Armed sofa. The nailhead trimming on the outside of the arm adds an understated detail we just loved. We also layered a strong stripe pattern, traditionally seen in materials by the lake, with a flame stitch patterned pillow.

Around this feature fireplace, we brought the stone used on the exterior of the house inside. We loved how this connected the elements to one another. We decided to build up the hearth to allow for even more seating when entertaining large groups.

A close up of the granite countertops. Light, bright and airy. There are little veins of medium brown throughout to tie in with the hardwoods in the house.

My clients wanted a primary bedroom retreat, so that is what we gave them. They wanted to keep the bedroom side muted and neutral while having the sunroom be a place of bright cheer surrounded in light. We ran bits of lavender color throughout the space to add just enough color while punching a vibrant green to bring the outdoors in.

Layering neutrals in a room adds interest. Don't be afraid to mix it up with black, brown, grey, beige, and all shades in between.

When looking into the sun room off the primary bedroom you can't help but feel invited to come in to enjoy a good book, gaze out of the windows into nature, or enjoy a nice cup of tea. My client is all about have a whimsical chair in every bedroom and to accomplish that in her master bedroom, we took a traditional spool chair, custom painted it a light green.

Contrast is the name of the game in this room. The camel back sofa in a crisp white linen brings an updated traditional feel to this space, while the light green spool chairs add a touch of whimsical. A set of nesting tables allows the client to move them to accommodate any seating space in the room.

Some tin pots with lavender was the entire inspiration for this area of the primary bedroom. It made my client light up and smile the first time she saw it. In this photo you can also see the texture in the sofa, adding another layer of depth. I love adding pig punched in small space!

Upstairs we have a bunk room with four beds for when grandkids come and stay. To add extra storage, we designed a custom build-in bunk system that has drawers under the bottom bed and storage compartments inside each step. A cleaver way to hid the toys! In the bunk room we decided to go with the classic nautical theme to spark imagination with all the kids. Ahoy matey!

Boat shaped wall hook leading into this sweet guest bedroom.

To play off the "Boats and Birds" theme, we chose to play with the colors of blue and yellow. The wall is Sherwin Williams Tradewinds SW6218, which is perfect for feeling like we are sailing off into the ocean. The headboard and nightstand have that shiplap planked design. We kept it light and airy with the white washed finish.

Because these guest rooms are on the smaller side, we wanted to bring as much natural light in as we could by adding large windows. To allow the breeze off the lake to come in, we made sure the windows could slide open. Understanding the need for privacy, we installed custom roman shades in a crisp white linen material.

The second guest bedroom is the "Garden Room." We used a fuchsia pink and minty green combination and a fresh take on the traditional floral print fabrics to bring this room to life. The client wanted to have a space that felt comfortable for her mother when she came to visit but did not compromise on that funky and fun whimsical feel.

Because of the lot size, this room is a little smaller than the previous guest bedroom. We did not have room to put a traditional closet so we designed a custom wardrobe to help with our storage solution. This also crated the perfect corner to put our accent chair for guests to sit back and relax in.