A well-designed living room is welcoming, comfortable, and personal. Check out our editor's top picks of the week featuring living rooms that speak volumes with sheer style.
1. HillSide House
Architect: Zack | de Vito Architecture + Construction, Location: Mill Valley, California
From the architect: "The floor plan is open and spacious, providing function and flexibility. The house can be easily adapted to the needs of the owner, and it can change in time as the family grows and matures and needs change."
2. Brooklyn Upside Down With Views
Architect: Allison H. Reeves, R. A., Location: New York, New York
From the architect: "[A] gut renovation of an 1880's townhouse. New vertical circulation and dramatic rooftop skylight bring light deep in to the middle of the house, [while] new stairs to the roof and roof deck complete the light-filled vertical volume. Programmatically, the house was flipped: private spaces and bedrooms are on lower floors, and the open plan living room, dining room, and kitchen is located on the 3rd floor to take advantage of the high ceiling and beautiful views."
3. House For a Mother & Daughter
Architect: Robert Hutchison Architecture, Location: Seattle, Washington
From the architect: "The client specified three very specific requirements for her house: a simple building form; square windows; and a gable roof. The resulting design is based on a series of contradictions, with the intent of generating elements of surprise – at first glance, the house might appear as one thing, but then is realized as another. From the street, the house appears a a single-story farmhouse, crouching down so as not to overpower its neighbors. Upon entering the site, one realizes that the house is actually two stories, with a series of doors that open the main living spaces to a south facing deck. Inside, the spaces are designed as blank canvases for the client (an artist) to fill at her discretion."
4. Rogue River Residence
Architect: Lucid Architecture, Location: Grand Rapids, Michigan
From the architect: "A variety of material textures inside and out lend toward a warm, modern design. A two-story high living space is anchored by modern fireplace and showcases the view. The clients are entertainers at heart, so a large kitchen that opens up to living and dining spaces was designed for ease of use and connectedness."
5. Pleasant Street Residence
Architect: Lucid Architecture, Location: Saugatuck, Michigan
From the architect: "The front great room is intentionally public; the furniture-like wall (inspired by Mies’ Farnsworth house) creates privacy for all other rooms—even with no window coverings. No rooms have interior walls that connect with the outer perimeter of the house, echoing a design element of our 1958 E. Stewart Williams house in Palm Springs, California."
