Marvelous midcentury modern makeover

One architectural style that I really like is midcentury modern. The closest thing we have to midcentury modern architecture in our neighbourhood are bungalows that were built in the middle of the last century. There are a few with some potential that I’d love to get my hands on to renovate, but that won’t be happening any time soon!

The June 2011 issue of ELLE Decor features a marvelous midcentury modern makeover. It’s the home of designer Michael DePerno, his son Nova, and his Whippet Bose. {All images from ELLE Decor, photographer Laura Resen.}

The couple Michael bought the house from had lived in it since 1964, two years after the house was built. He spent three years putting his own personal spin on the house, while retaining some of the original elements, like the cedar exterior.

Inside, Michael kept the V-groove-and-beam ceilings…

…and filled the home with a collection of furniture and pieces from around the world and various decades that add lots of warmth and texture to the home. The living room furniture includes a pair of vintage Danish armchairs covered in a mustard linen fabric, a ’50s Dunbar sofa upholstered in a Barbara Barry check, and a free-form Japanese wood table.

The kitchen cabinetry is oiled teak and the countertops are poured concrete. All of the beautiful woods inside {including fumed-oak floors} and the huge windows throughout the house really bring the outdoors in, giving the home a wonderfully organic feel.

The breakfast area is paved in concrete tiles from Ann Sacks and includes an antique Korean tansu chest, a vintage Hans Wegner chair, and an antique spear from Africa. The pieces from all different parts of the world really add a lot of interest and character to the home.

The dining room is also very international – an antique English side chair is upholstered in a vintage zebra-print fabric, the rosewood table is Danish, and the Art Deco teak cabinet is from Indonesia.

I love that the artwork in the master bedroom is hung low – perfect height to admire the artwork while sitting or lying in bed :-)

And I LOVE this corner of the bedroom – aren’t the windows fantastic?

More beautiful teak in the master bathroom…

The teak tub surround is custom made – almost like taking a bath in a log! I could sit in this tub for hours just looking out the window. Or until the water is cold and I’m all pruney ;-)

As beautiful as the inside of the home is, I’d spend lots of time out here on the patio if I lived here. Beautiful rustic wood table, and the light fixture above the table is a great touch.

Do you live in or have you come across a fabulous midecentury modern home? I’d love to hear about it!

The groovy & colourful Kemps

Tim and Kit Kemp are hoteliers who have designed numerous boutique hotels, including the Haymarket and Soho in London and the Crosby Street Hotel in New York City.

Junior Suite at the Soho Hotel – image via Firmdale Hotels

The couple lives in a 1920s London townhouse near Hyde Park. Their home is filled with wonderful colours and patterns, just like the hotel rooms that they design. Here’s the groovy couple… love those purple go-go boots!

Isn’t the arched bronze front door awesome? If you’re wondering what that big thing on the floor is, it’s a beehive found in France!

The house revolves around the barrel-shape kitchen. The cabinets are limed wood and the flooring is bleached wood. The wing chair is upholstered in a patchwork of tea towels.

The adjoining sunroom is a casual eating space and is the closest thing in the house to a dining room. I love the bright pink & white fabric on the head chairs, and how pretty is the view to the garden?

The living room is open to the kitchen. I really like the combination of the floral and striped fabrics and the red piping on the sofa.

The library is filled with colour and pattern, and of course, books!

The loft has a great vaulted ceiling, and you can just see more books in the upper right corner. Wonder how you get up there!

The grandest room in the house is the drawing room. Tim’s grand piano is in this room, and the Kemps enjoy the fireplace in the drawing room on cold winter nights. Kit expresses her passion for decorating and collecting in this room. It’s filled with her finds, like antique wood panels that she cleaned and hung on the walls in strips.

The master bedroom has a more traditional look and feel than the rest of the house.

And the guest bedroom is an ode to black & white! Maybe a bit of toile overkill, but I think it works. I really like how the zebra rug gives the otherwise traditional room some funkiness.

I love how the Kemps have managed to create a home that’s both elegant and relaxed. This is a house that just has to bring a smile to your face every time you walk through the front door :-)

Source: ELLE Decor
Unless otherwise noted, all photos from ELLE Decor and all photos by by Simon Upton