Room of the Day: Patience Pays Off in a Midcentury Living-Dining Room
Prioritizing lighting and a bookcase, and then taking time to select furnishings, yields a thoughtfully put-together space
This living-dining room in Indiana is what happens when the deadline disappears. Over the course of two years, a book-loving couple worked with interior designer Susan Yeley to give their blank slate of a midcentury bungalow some life, starting with this room. They didn’t rush any detail or decision, instead making sure each feature was exactly what they wanted at a price they were able to pay.
But the project wasn’t just about the deals and details. “The other beauty that happens with these projects that go on forever is that you become friends with these people,” Yeley says.
But the project wasn’t just about the deals and details. “The other beauty that happens with these projects that go on forever is that you become friends with these people,” Yeley says.
AFTER: They prioritized the project by tackling the elements that would have the biggest effect first, including new lighting, a bookcase wall and teal-painted trim around the original windows. Furniture and accessory selection happened over time, as pieces the homeowners and designer liked went on sale or appeared on vintage sites.
Window trim paint: Newburg Green, Benjamin Moore; wall paint: Classic Gray, Benjamin Moore; Ainslie sofa: West Elm; glass pendant light: Sonneman
Window trim paint: Newburg Green, Benjamin Moore; wall paint: Classic Gray, Benjamin Moore; Ainslie sofa: West Elm; glass pendant light: Sonneman
BEFORE: When the project started, the dining area occupied a corner of the great room, with the door to the right leading to the rest of the house.
AFTER: The corner where the dining area had been is now a cozy reading nook, complete with the new bookcase to store the couple’s large book collection. To save on the cost of a custom bookcase, Yeley had it constructed in a shop, rather than on-site, and then installed in the living room. “[It’s] a way for them to get the awesome effect for half the cost,” she says.
The project sat a bit before the furnishings came together. The homeowners and designer knew what they wanted the space to look like, but they took their time finding the perfect pieces. One of the homeowners would email Yeley links to items she’d discovered on Etsy or Craigslist, and then they’d discuss whether or not the pieces were the right fit. This continued until they found a vintage hand-knotted rug on Etsy; then the sofa they wanted went on sale at West Elm. Other pieces and accessories came into play, and finally the living room jelled. “It was done over time in this reasonable, methodical way. All the little details make a difference,” Yeley says.
Edwin, the owners’ cat, appears to like the setup as well.
Coffee table: Uttermost; molded plywood lounge chair: Eames; bookcase: Sam Dennis
The project sat a bit before the furnishings came together. The homeowners and designer knew what they wanted the space to look like, but they took their time finding the perfect pieces. One of the homeowners would email Yeley links to items she’d discovered on Etsy or Craigslist, and then they’d discuss whether or not the pieces were the right fit. This continued until they found a vintage hand-knotted rug on Etsy; then the sofa they wanted went on sale at West Elm. Other pieces and accessories came into play, and finally the living room jelled. “It was done over time in this reasonable, methodical way. All the little details make a difference,” Yeley says.
Edwin, the owners’ cat, appears to like the setup as well.
Coffee table: Uttermost; molded plywood lounge chair: Eames; bookcase: Sam Dennis
BEFORE: The great room’s original layout featured a seating area nestled between the front door and the side entry, by the coat rack, with the dining area in the foreground. The kitchen is just to the left of the side entry.
AFTER: The new dining area sits between the two doors, easing the flow from kitchen to dining room, and placing the sitting area next to the new bookcase.
The owners’ original dining table anchors the space, and contrasts with the midcentury modern Eames dining chairs and George Nelson pendant light. A recently completed gallery wall mixes art prints and midcentury decor. It frames the dining space while enabling movement from the front door, on the right, and the side door to the kitchen, on the left.
Both the living and dining areas feature loose, casual gathering spaces where the homeowners do most of their living and entertaining. Yeley has a consistent philosophy when it comes to arranging furniture. “I always like to think of it as a party,” she says, making sure that seating areas form conversation circles and that there are multiple places to gather.
Door paint: Gravel Gray, Benjamin Moore
The owners’ original dining table anchors the space, and contrasts with the midcentury modern Eames dining chairs and George Nelson pendant light. A recently completed gallery wall mixes art prints and midcentury decor. It frames the dining space while enabling movement from the front door, on the right, and the side door to the kitchen, on the left.
Both the living and dining areas feature loose, casual gathering spaces where the homeowners do most of their living and entertaining. Yeley has a consistent philosophy when it comes to arranging furniture. “I always like to think of it as a party,” she says, making sure that seating areas form conversation circles and that there are multiple places to gather.
Door paint: Gravel Gray, Benjamin Moore
BEFORE: The front door was in the living room, but the family entered the house primarily through the side door. Without any mudroom or foyer, the family didn’t have a designated area for getting ready or storing coats and shoes that wasn’t right in the flow of traffic.
Additionally, the existing kitchen peninsula often was used only to store mail and paperwork rather than being a place for eating.
Additionally, the existing kitchen peninsula often was used only to store mail and paperwork rather than being a place for eating.
AFTER: The area in front of the kitchen peninsula now acts as a mudroom, making the entry more functional for the family, and adding color and personality to the house. A tray stores shoes, and a handcrafted wood bench provides a place to rest right inside the door.
Since the peninsula was just acting as a shelf for letters and paperwork, the homeowners had a contractor slice off the countertop overhang, reattaching the side of the laminate at its new spot. A dark charcoal accent wall creates interest and the illusion of a room separate from the kitchen.
Wall paint: Gravel Gray, Benjamin Moore; pillows: Target; bench: Luttrell Designs
Since the peninsula was just acting as a shelf for letters and paperwork, the homeowners had a contractor slice off the countertop overhang, reattaching the side of the laminate at its new spot. A dark charcoal accent wall creates interest and the illusion of a room separate from the kitchen.
Wall paint: Gravel Gray, Benjamin Moore; pillows: Target; bench: Luttrell Designs
New coat racks by local furniture maker Siosi Design + Build next to the door give the family a place to hang their bags and outerwear immediately upon entry and out of view of the living room.
Electrical work: Eric Hanson, Absolute Electric
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Electrical work: Eric Hanson, Absolute Electric
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Living-Dining Room at a Glance
Who lives here: A couple (he’s a professor at nearby Indiana University, and she’s an editor) with a young child and a cat, Edwin
Location: Bloomington, Indiana
Size: About 320 square feet (29.7 square meters)
Designer: Susan Yeley Interiors
BEFORE: The front door opened into the combined living and dining room, the home’s primary entertaining area. Although the family rarely uses the front door, the redesign needed to enhance the personality of this joint space while maintaining a clear path from the door to the kitchen. “It’s a traffic zone as much as anything,” Yeley says of the room.