The Messy Mid-Century Modern (Magnolia Homes)

Chip and I were excited to tackle this project for our friends, Jill and Josh, who were expecting a baby and buying their first home together as a couple. Bonded through our affinity for flea markets and antiques, Jill and I worked together many times in years past. Jill and Josh wanted their first home as a couple to represent their individual preferences and they landed on the messy Mid Century Modern home. This unique home was different than any style of home they’d lived in before and coincidentally very rare for Waco. Although they both had experience renovating homes in the past, Jill and Josh hoped Chip and I could transform this quirky rundown house into a beautiful new home.

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Our first step of this project was to clean up the exterior. The house sat on the market for quite a while and appeared run down and forgotten. I incorporated all new wood siding, which was not stained but rather just sealed with a clear coat. We updated all of the windows and painted the outside Amherst Gray. New landscaping provided the finishing touches and brought new life to this modern home.

Inside the clients hoped to keep the Terrazzo flooring, which was incorporated throughout the main living space of the home. We left the flooring intact, but decided to add more space in the kitchen, which was too small for this blended family of seven. I opened up this space, making it three times larger, and added windows to the back wall highlighting the best part of the house, the view. Jill’s love for brass is what inspired the design of the kitchen and I hoped to create a space where they would enjoy hosting family and friends. We installed new black cabinets, appliances, a waterfall island, marble countertops and backsplash, and brass hardware. Simple pendant lights from Shades of Light offer a timeless look over the island. The walls were painted pure white for a clean, finished look.

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I also repurposed a lot of the wood from the original hearth of the fireplace, creating a bar top looking into the backyard in the kitchen. New French doors were added to make the room feel more dramatic.

In the living room I redesigned the hearth and added modern concrete elements. The fireplace brick was repaired and painted white to make a clean and simple statement in the room. The light fixture (Shades of Light) over the coffee table added to the modern style of the home. On the back wall the client requested a work space and pantry area, so I added both of these elements near the back of the living space.

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The dining area had dated wood paneling- Chip removed the paneling and retouched the walls with a flat texture and painted them Pure White. New light fixtures from Shades of Light were installed to give the room a final update.

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One of my favorite projects in the home was the master bedroom. The room originally felt dark and unimpressive so I hoped to transform it into a place the couple enjoyed. We installed new windows and a brick accent wall along with eclectic light fixtures from Shades of Light. I also designed a personalized sign with the number seven on it, representing the client’s new blended family (signs available here). To finish the space, I added new flooring and a modern sliding door on a track.

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The master bathroom was also dark and tiny and desperately needed to be updated. Although the client’s budget wouldn’t allow for a larger bathroom, I took the existing space and made several cosmetic tweaks which made the room feel two times larger. Chip and I installed concrete countertops and a lighter tile to brighten up the space, highlighting the new design elements. The walls were flat textured and painted Pure White.

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The last room we transformed was the sweetest space in the house: the nursery. I was able to incorporate several of Jill’s family heirlooms in this room, adding thoughtful touches of whimsy. I selected bedding from Bella Notte, installed new flooring and painted the walls Grey Screen. This charming little room became the perfect home for the client’s baby to be.

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Although Waco is famous for many things, modern homes is not one of them. We loved taking on the challenge of this home for our friends and hoped to blend the modern elements of the home with the eclectic style Jill and Josh were known for. In the end, the simplicity and clean lines set the home apart and promised new life and many memories for this beautiful family of seven.

We incorporated several products from my store, Magnolia Market, in this home; many of which are displayed below. If you are looking for a specific item, please refer to the pictures below or check out my online store at shop.magnoliahomes.net.