The Vintage Brutalist Reveal
Talk about great bones, our job in this space was to maximize the beauty of what we were starting with. This mansard-style home boasts majestic ceiling heights (swoon) and strong masculine details, so we were tasked with balancing out the moodiness with the warmth that’s needed in a living space. We brought in a collection of vintage pieces and custom items to add character and soul but also had a brutalist aesthetic. If you’re not familiar with brutalism, it’s a 1950’s post-war design style that focuses on utilitarian elements that project strength and showcase the building materials and structural elements. Some of the pieces we brought in, like the vintage entryway sideboard and the custom Moore House sofa, feel sculptural but approachable. The palette is our signature broody style—bright yet moody, achieved through layering substantial furniture pieces with brighter fabrics and unique lighting.
The living room/dining room: This room started off darker than we liked, which translated to not feeling welcoming—a big problem because its located near the entryway. An entryway and those first living areas people see when they enter your home set the tone for the rest of the space, so it’s important that they feel open and representative of your style. Our clients love and wanted to prioritize comfy seating, so we enveloped the room with deep-set sofas (our clients are tall!), we actually customized one of our Moore House sofas to fit within this space so the whole room feels wrapped in the soft down cushions. Thanks to the tone-on-tone color, the sofas blend into the wall a bit and don’t overpower the room. Of course we had to bring some drama, so we made floor-to-ceiling sheers that allow in light but perfectly accentuate the high ceilings. One of Blair’s favorite features in this space is the stunning vintage rug. One of her favorite rugs we’ve sourced (and that’s saying a lot because they’re always gorgeous), this 1900’s vintage Mahal rug offers depth and color to the entire room and really sets the tone for the rest of this redesign. We also layered in a Torbjørn Afdal Hunter easy chair and some of our client’s favorite antiques.
The formal living/dining room: This space opens up into the kitchen, so we wanted it to feel functional but still comfortable. The dining room had these beautiful bay windows, but there was an awkward amount of space to the right which could have been better utilized. Our main focal point in this house was one of their organically curved walls that blends the formal living room into the backside of their kitchen. We wanted to mimic this in the dining room, creating a curvature instead of a hard, boxy silhouette, so we designed a fully custom curved cabinet to the right of the dining room to blend into the space while adding a more storage. We love a good storage moment, especially when it looks this pretty! So this piece ended up being one of the main jumping off points for the rest of the design. Another sneaky secret: it opens up to a hidden TV and catchall drawers. The dining room table is another custom Moore House piece and we’ve paired it with refurbished leather dining chairs.
The entryway: OK, we can’t seem to help ourselves because anytime there’s an opportunity for drama, we’re all over it. Surprise, but not really, we sourced this enormous vintage sideboard had her stripped back from the red color she was sanded her until our hands bled and then oiled her to…..PERFECTION! Lol, we love a beautiful front entry moment and we knew this sideboard was worth it! From there we styled it with all sorts of interesting organic touches like bones and artifacts—another nod to our clients because they’re biologists. With all of the cool shapes and colors, it was an absolute dream to style. We love bringing our client’s interests and unique hobbies to their spaces. It’s what makes their home completely theirs.
We hope you love this space as much as we do! Don’t miss our other Moore House Design projects: The English Modernist and the Newport Pavilion Project are both big favorites.
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Images: Erin Little Photography
