Interior designer Lucy Penfield used her signature color-infused details and lively furnishings to modernize a midcentury modern rambler in a St. Paul suburb while maximizing the home’s cheerfulness factor.
Project Details:
Interior Designer: Lucy Penfield, Lucy Interiors
Studio Locations: Wayzata, Minnesota and Naples, Florida
Client review: Both homeowners love color; he’s a graphic designer and she likes the energy that color brings to a space.
Design aims: My goal was to bridge the different needs of this young couple while embracing the footprint, which needed some TLC. I wanted to stay true to the finishes and the budget, making changes that would be sustainable for this 1964 house.
From the interior designer:
The couple purchased this home from the original owners, so they were intent on bridging the old and the new and not over-complicating things; it mattered to them that they could continue the home’s story. They wanted to stay pure to the midcentury period but make it a fresh version of a midcentury home. We needed to figure out where to spark change and add sunlight, which was especially important for her. For him, we created forest green shelves for some kick and pizzazz. The fireplace looked very sad, so we wrapped it in slotted walnut, which blends well with the original oak floors. Surprisingly, the home is only 950 square feet with two bedrooms, a bath, living/dining room, hallway, kitchen and sunroom.
The sunroom speaks to me so much, it brings a sense of balance, spirit lift and cheer. It’s particularly joyful to wrap yourself in this Sanderson wallpaper, introducing a new coloration in a vintage pattern. This room serves as a workspace for the wife; it was much smaller until we opened the casing and connected it to the dining room. The Yin and Yang between the kitchen’s complete renovation and the adjacent sunroom gives the layout a modern sensibility. Finding vintage pieces and furniture that were true to this time period, either new or old, was also important.
Photography by Bo Carlock // Spacecrafting.
Like what you see? Get it first with a subscription to aspire design and home magazine.