Creating Flow and Warmth in Open Concept Spaces
When I tackled the mountain house renovation, I was excited and grateful, but I must admit that I was also a bit intimidated by the open concept living area of the home. I wondered how on earth was I going to make the space feel cozy, practical and inviting for our family and guests.
I first started by doing what I do in most projects...begin with a white canvas. I painted the trim and walls in Benjamin Moore Decorator White and left the cedar ceiling exposed. That helped with two decisions that immediately led me to determine all the other decisions I needed to make next. First, I decided to highlight the woodstove by making it pop with a wall of white marble tiles behind, instead of the dark stones it had previously. Then, I worked to create flow from this point outward. I already knew I wanted to fit both a dining and living area in a space that you would typically only have a living room so I had to get creative.
Luckily, I knew I wanted the dining table closest to the kitchen. That helped me decide to center a 60” round dining table from Mod right in front of the woodstove, making for a cheery place for our family to eat, especially on cold winter days. I paired this white table with metal black chairs from Target. The metal black chairs were actually outdoor chairs and they really went well with the black iron from the woodstove. I chose a round table for easy access and for a better visual flow of the room. To define the space even better (and to hide an ugly floor outlet), I placed a real Brazilian light gray cowhide rug under the table. The rug was purchased online from Cowhide International.
I then moved on to the living space. With several gorgeous picture windows and all the beauty outside, I didn’t want to obstruct any of the light coming in. That made me choose a low-profile tan leather couch from Article and scatter plenty of cozy accent pillows and blankets on top. To continue to play off the cast iron color of the woodstove, I selected a chaise lounge from Wayfair in a matte black color. I knew I wanted an interesting coffee table that would play well with the rest of the exposed wood so I had a very talented woodworking guy build me this table out of solid wood beams. The table weighs 400 lbs and looks so cool in the space! I placed some coffee table books plus a long tray and some decor pieces from West Elm on the table. I then anchored the entire area with a neutral color area rug.
For lighting, I selected a simple chandelier from Crate and Barrel so it wouldn’t compete with the gorgeous cedar wood ceiling. Finally, I (and my friend Christine) found and also painted some artwork that picked up the accent colors in the room such as the black and the natural earth tones.
With these unique touches in every corner of the room, this once overwhelming area became an inviting and fun space that all of our friends and family can enjoy. Below is a list of places I suggest to shop if you are decorating an eclectic mountain house of your own!
Viva Vida Suggestions on Where to Shop