With the old kitchen ripped out, the floors refinished, and the walls patched, we had a clean slate for our new living room. More than just a space swap, this change unblocked the energy in here. We traded a cramped, compartmentalized vibe for long sight lines, delicious movement, fluid activity zones. Room. For. Living.
CONCEPT
I planned the new living room, or lounge, around 2 main factors: our 2500+ vinyl records, and my #1 must have- a TUFTY TIME sofa.
THE RECORDS:
First, some background. Music was my gateway to design: poring over every sleeve, insert, flyer, lyric sheet, etc. As a kid, I bought things based on their sleeve design or word of mouth. There was no way to preview sounds, so sleeve art had to do double duty and carry the weight and intention of the music inside. I’ve amassed a decent crop of vinyl (singles too!), but spent most of my music $ going to shows. My husband, however, is a full-on world class digger/collector, multi-instrumentalist, and music nerd. Consequently, our home became a receptacle for finds, stacked dangerously high and crammed tightly into a wall of records that (as you can sense from the above photos) dominated it’s allotted space. I rarely browsed: too overwhelming.
RENDERINGS I MADE TO TO TRANSLATE THE PLAN:
I wanted our renewed space to honor and showcase these lovingly pored over treasures. I wanted to be able to interact with them differently; curate them, place them in browsing pockets throughout the house, display and rotate the sleeves, and of course PLAY them and dance! So instead of one tightly packed tower, we now have a bunch of different zones for different genres. Heavy rotation is in the low shelf (shorter than me!), and rarely played vinyl is way up high in two long rows that frame the living room lounge. With so much vertical space, it just makes sense.
The living room spills into the addition-cum-music room (read more in this post). The sound system is ever-evolving as we continue to add speakers for an immersive experience. I’ve designed a mobile DJ station we hope to have made in the coming months (as COVID delays allow). For now, the turntable sits on the piano. We can spin records that play through analog speakers paired with SONOS wireless units everywhere controlled by our phones. It’s bonkers.
THE SOFA:
I thought I wanted a tufted velvet Chesterfield, but when I found TUFTY TIME, designed by the genius Patricia Urquiola, the search was over! OMG, it’s my dream sofa. Space age, sculptural, modular, extra deep, extra special to us. Yes there are endless color swatches and fabrics to pore over. In the end, I opted for the one that reminds me of my favorite sweater. It’s a tweedy grey that begs for bright accent pillows. We are not wanting for color in this house…that carpet does the job!
3 years after first viewing the catalog, our real Tufty Time arrived. I’d chosen a configuration long enough to span the window bank behind it and center-align with the chandelier and tv. [Those windows were inoperable so we painted them shut. Someday we will modernize/replace them, but for now we are good. They look directly into our neighbors house.] Tufty Time is so generous that we can both fully extend on it and still not even touch! Every spot on it is the catbird seat.
We are always tweaking things. During this COVID lockdown, I repainted the living room and addition a few shades lighter for more contrast. Now the first floor is a full on Benjamin Moore gradient: Black Knight, Black Horizon, Deep Secret, bolt of Tomato Tango, Wool Peacoat, Museum Piece, and White Diamond in the bathroom. We also mounted guitars and speakers in the addition. So grateful every day that we chose transformation. Now the space feels like the home of a designer and a musician who never grew out of their love of music.
NEXT UP: Undecided! We always have plans, but the PANDEMIC is cramping our style. Hoping to post about the DJ Station once it moves from plan to reality. Then we need to re-assess and plan some major landscaping. Our front fence fell down. The trees need attention (and some need to go, sadly). Our outside space has so much potential….as all the wild cats in the hood know already.
More to come.