Houzz TV: A Warm Midcentury Modern Home Filled With Vintage Finds
Watch and read how a designer restored and updated a classic home with wood-panelled walls and stylish furniture and art
Mitchell Parker
21 November 2024
Houzz Editorial Staff. Home design journalist writing about cool spaces, innovative trends, breaking news, industry analysis and humor.
Houzz Editorial Staff. Home design journalist writing about cool spaces, innovative... More
This homeowner had fond childhood memories of spending time at her mum’s best friend’s house, so when an opportunity arose to buy the home, she jumped at it. She then hired interior designer Susan Yeley, who uses Houzz Pro business software, to undertake a careful update that honoured the home’s roots while giving it modern-day comforts.
Wood-panelled walls wrap the interior in warmth, while vintage midcentury furnishings nod to the home’s origins. The kitchen features an inviting white-and-wood palette and new appliances. The main bedroom has ample built-in storage, and colourful artwork throughout the house and monkey-patterned tiles in the laundry room add playful notes.
Wood-panelled walls wrap the interior in warmth, while vintage midcentury furnishings nod to the home’s origins. The kitchen features an inviting white-and-wood palette and new appliances. The main bedroom has ample built-in storage, and colourful artwork throughout the house and monkey-patterned tiles in the laundry room add playful notes.
House at a Glance
Who lives here? A woman who splits her time between here and New York City
Location Bloomington, Indiana, USA
Property A single-storey midcentury house
Designer Susan Yeley
Contractor Rusty Peterson Construction
Photos by Sarah Shields
Susan calls the living room a “pristine representation of the original home”. The window openings are the same, but she added new glass and rift-sawn white oak veneer wall panelling.
Susan faced a challenge matching the grain on the panels and installing them in an aesthetically pleasing way around the windows and beneath the angled ceiling.
“We had to figure out where those seams would be,” she says. “And then we had to actually paint a black grid on the wall, so that when there’s that little reveal between panels, you don’t see unfinished white wall behind it. You get the effect of a shadow. So there was a lot of thought and a lot of collaboration among the trades and designers to figure out how these panels come together, and where, and what happens behind them.”
On the left, wood slats replace a former wall to gain more visual access between the living spaces and the hallway.
Watch now: Step inside this home in the latest episode of Houzz TV
Who lives here? A woman who splits her time between here and New York City
Location Bloomington, Indiana, USA
Property A single-storey midcentury house
Designer Susan Yeley
Contractor Rusty Peterson Construction
Photos by Sarah Shields
Susan calls the living room a “pristine representation of the original home”. The window openings are the same, but she added new glass and rift-sawn white oak veneer wall panelling.
Susan faced a challenge matching the grain on the panels and installing them in an aesthetically pleasing way around the windows and beneath the angled ceiling.
“We had to figure out where those seams would be,” she says. “And then we had to actually paint a black grid on the wall, so that when there’s that little reveal between panels, you don’t see unfinished white wall behind it. You get the effect of a shadow. So there was a lot of thought and a lot of collaboration among the trades and designers to figure out how these panels come together, and where, and what happens behind them.”
On the left, wood slats replace a former wall to gain more visual access between the living spaces and the hallway.
Watch now: Step inside this home in the latest episode of Houzz TV
The limestone fireplace is original and Susan custom-designed the sofa with an angled end, “so you can lie on the sofa and have your feet propped up against the warmth of the fireplace,” she says.
Luckily for her, a TV wasn’t on the homeowner’s wish list for this room. “The television would have made the space harder [to design],” she says. “Instead, we were able to capitalise on the fireplace as the focal point.”
The other upholstered pieces in the room are vintage. On the left is an original white Papa Bear chair by Hans Wegner. “We love purchasing vintage, because we feel it lowers our carbon footprint,” Susan says. “And it’s got really wonderful soul, of course. But we also don’t want to buy something vintage that comes from really far away. So this one, as it turned out, was in the middle of [neighbouring state] Illinois and then we reupholstered it in fabric from the original fabric house that did the Papa Bear chairs.”
Find an interior designer near you.
Luckily for her, a TV wasn’t on the homeowner’s wish list for this room. “The television would have made the space harder [to design],” she says. “Instead, we were able to capitalise on the fireplace as the focal point.”
The other upholstered pieces in the room are vintage. On the left is an original white Papa Bear chair by Hans Wegner. “We love purchasing vintage, because we feel it lowers our carbon footprint,” Susan says. “And it’s got really wonderful soul, of course. But we also don’t want to buy something vintage that comes from really far away. So this one, as it turned out, was in the middle of [neighbouring state] Illinois and then we reupholstered it in fabric from the original fabric house that did the Papa Bear chairs.”
Find an interior designer near you.
The living room flows into the dining area. On the right is the slatted wall that separates the living spaces from the entrance while maintaining an open feel.
A black dining table by Paul McCobb, one of the homeowner’s favourite midcentury-modern designers, sits beneath a midcentury Sputnik chandelier. On a nearby wall hangs artwork by Martina Celerin. “She does these three-dimensional weavings of all types, and they’re also tactile,” Susan says. “They’re whimsical in their subject matter, and just wonderful.”
Watch now: See more of this renovation on Houzz TV
A black dining table by Paul McCobb, one of the homeowner’s favourite midcentury-modern designers, sits beneath a midcentury Sputnik chandelier. On a nearby wall hangs artwork by Martina Celerin. “She does these three-dimensional weavings of all types, and they’re also tactile,” Susan says. “They’re whimsical in their subject matter, and just wonderful.”
Watch now: See more of this renovation on Houzz TV
Warm wood details continue in the kitchen, which balances white oak cabinetry with units painted in Pure White by Sherwin-Williams. The worktops are 2cm-thick white quartz. The island light fixture is bespoke.
More: How to Start a Kitchen Renovation
More: How to Start a Kitchen Renovation
The galley-style layout features plenty of built-in storage and an integrated fridge-freezer at the far end.
An addition on the back of the home includes this new bedroom suite. “You might notice these windows reflect the shape and character of the windows in the living room that were original to the house, because we wanted sort of an echo of the front room back in this bedroom,” Susan says. “When you walk into a space like this, which has these rich textiles and colours and wood all over the walls and light coming through the windows, it’s a palpable feeling of warmth.”
The bed is bespoke. The two bedside tables are vintage Harvey Probber. The bench is a vintage John Stuart piece. “We found that and had it re-covered in a lovely wool fabric,” Susan says.
Watch now: Go inside this home on Houzz TV
The bed is bespoke. The two bedside tables are vintage Harvey Probber. The bench is a vintage John Stuart piece. “We found that and had it re-covered in a lovely wool fabric,” Susan says.
Watch now: Go inside this home on Houzz TV
A vintage Finn Juhl cabinet sits beneath a Wyatt LeGrand painting. The vintage chair is by Edward Wormley for Dunbar, reupholstered in a wool fabric. “This chair was made in Indiana in the middle part of the century,” Susan says.
Inside the cabinet is one white and one orange drawer, which complement the palette used throughout the home.
A bank of built-in clothes storage units also has white, yellow and orange drawers.
In the main bathroom, cement floor tiles feature white, black and brass-coloured details. “This room was designed to work in the same palette as the en suite bedroom, so you’ll see that it’s wood, white, black and sort of a goldy-yellow colour,” Susan says.
“It has just a little bit of colour, but it’s mostly a very quiet en suite.”
Susan chose wall-mounted taps for aesthetic and practical reasons. “One of the things about a deck mount is that it can collect more grime when it’s on a horizontal surface,” she says. “So it’s a little easier to maintain and keep clean when you put it on the wall. But for the most part, it’s an issue of aesthetics.”
The artwork over the bath is by contemporary photographer Maggie Taylor. “She does fantastical things,” Susan says. “We have other Maggie Taylors in this house as well. Every bit of it looks like a fairy tale.”
“It has just a little bit of colour, but it’s mostly a very quiet en suite.”
Susan chose wall-mounted taps for aesthetic and practical reasons. “One of the things about a deck mount is that it can collect more grime when it’s on a horizontal surface,” she says. “So it’s a little easier to maintain and keep clean when you put it on the wall. But for the most part, it’s an issue of aesthetics.”
The artwork over the bath is by contemporary photographer Maggie Taylor. “She does fantastical things,” Susan says. “We have other Maggie Taylors in this house as well. Every bit of it looks like a fairy tale.”
In the laundry room, interlocking monkey tiles handmade by Good Press Ceramics in Seattle add a playful look and feel. “It’s everybody’s favourite thing,” Susan says.
Here’s a closer look at the green interlocking monkey tiles.
Of Houzz Pro software, Susan says, “Houzz has been part of our process for years. And when Houzz Pro came along, it was quite logical for us to also start using that platform. It’s an invaluable tool; we use it every single day.”
Watch now: Tour this home and get more details on Houzz TV
Tell us…
What do you think of this thoughtful renovation? Share your views in the Comments.
Of Houzz Pro software, Susan says, “Houzz has been part of our process for years. And when Houzz Pro came along, it was quite logical for us to also start using that platform. It’s an invaluable tool; we use it every single day.”
Watch now: Tour this home and get more details on Houzz TV
Tell us…
What do you think of this thoughtful renovation? Share your views in the Comments.
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Sp beautiful...but how the heck do you sleep in a room with no curtains/blinds?
What a beautiful home. Can you tell me about the wood floors? Thanks
I don’t have curtains or blinds in my bedroom. I would never close them anyway so I just didn’t waste money in buying them.