Gone are the days of stark, minimalist living rooms devoid of character. Today’s open concept homes demand a delicate balance – one that celebrates the expansive, airy feel while still infusing each space with unique personality. And the secret ingredient? Custom sofas.

Embracing the Open Concept Challenge

When my clients, a young professional couple, moved from their cozy bungalow into a sprawling new-build, they were ecstatic about the possibilities. Soaring ceilings, panoramic windows, and an open floor plan offered a blank canvas to craft their dream home. But as interior designer Liz MacPhail quickly discovered, that canvas came with its own set of challenges.

“Living in a newly constructed home was an entirely new experience for them,” Liz explains. “The scale of this new house – more square footage, soaring ceilings, and an open concept – felt expansive, and their existing furniture just wasn’t the right size for the spaces.”

The slightly off-kilter feeling caused by the scale made it difficult for the couple to feel truly settled. Liz’s client, in particular, was struggling with their decision to move on from the beloved bungalow. She wanted more color, more personality – a way to make the beautiful new home feel like theirs.

Infusing Patina and Personality

Liz’s solution? Embrace the open concept, but inject it with custom pieces that would bring a sense of character and warmth. She encouraged the clients to seek out vintage furnishings that would provide a delightful contrast to the crisp, modern architecture.

“Initially, I wanted to add patina to the home to bring a bit of age to each room,” Liz shares. “They are very fun and wanted to be fearless when it came to color and pattern, so we embraced that as a jumping-off point as well.”

The key, Liz explains, was ensuring the furniture was properly scaled for the expansive rooms. “The most important work for us in starting this project was really in the programming of the furniture layout – making sure that we were sizing the furniture to feel balanced in the open concept spaces that felt sprawling when combined with the tall ceilings.”

Curating the Perfect Custom Pieces

With the scale and character goals in mind, Liz set out to curate a collection of custom furnishings that would transform the blank canvas into a lived-in, personalized oasis.

In the living room, Liz paired the clients’ existing leather sofa with a matching second one, then sourced a pair of oversized Moss Studio chairs to provide ample seating. To add visual interest, she layered a vintage Heriz rug over a larger sisal foundation, creating a focal point for the space.

“We deliberately chose massive vintage patinaed sideboards and scaled them vertically with equally massive art, giving the same impact built-ins might have, but with greater personality and character,” Liz explains.

The dining room presented another challenge – the clients’ small bungalow-sized table and light fixture felt dwarfed in the new, expansive space. Liz designed a custom powder-coated steel base with a 45″ x 120″ oak top, creating a statement piece that could hold its own. She also sourced a more prominent light fixture to balance the scale.

Even the bedroom, dominated by a towering stone fireplace, needed Liz’s custom touch. “We offered them a canopy bed frame to help distract the eye and fill up the space visually,” she says. Vintage Japanese Tansu side tables, outfitted with metal bases, provided the perfect balance.

Blending the Old and New

Throughout the home, Liz seamlessly blended the clients’ existing furnishings with her custom creations, resulting in a cohesive, character-filled space.

“They had one existing RH leather sofa, so we decided to take advantage of that piece from their old house, salvaged it, and added a second one to match,” Liz explains. “Then we set our goal to find a pair of chairs that would be just as comfortable as sitting on the leather sofas, so that no matter where you’re watching the game, a movie, or hanging out, you’ve got the most comfortable spot.”

The clients’ vintage Heriz rug, though too small for the living room, found new life when layered over a larger sisal foundation. “That way, all the furniture could sit and define the living area, while the Heriz sat in the center as the focal point for color and pattern,” Liz says.

Embracing Color and Pattern

With the architectural bones and scale in place, Liz turned her attention to infusing the space with vibrant personality through color and pattern.

“The rug was really the inspiration for the color palette – strong, saturated gem-like hues of sapphire, topaz, ruby, and emerald,” she shares. These rich, jewel-toned accents were woven throughout the living areas, from the custom octagon tray-ottoman to the art and accessories.

In the cozy family flex-space, Liz took the color palette to the next level, injecting the walls with a bold Sherwin-Williams “Hunt Club” hue. “Because it had existing pocket doors, it really felt like its own space right off the main living area, so we decided to inject some much-needed color,” she explains.

The Reveal: A Home Transformed

When the project was complete, the clients were overjoyed. Their son dramatically unveiled each room, bringing his mother through with hands over her eyes. “She was ecstatic,” Liz smiles. “It was really rewarding to hear how much she loved it, and that their kids did too. She told us a week later, ‘This house finally feels like home.’ Best compliment ever!”

For Liz, the key to the transformation was finding the right balance between the open concept’s grandeur and the clients’ desire for warmth and personality. By thoughtfully curating custom sofas, furniture, and accents, she was able to craft a space that felt expansive yet intimate, modern yet full of character.

“They didn’t doubt whether they would like it down the road or if it was the right thing to do – we still don’t really understand what this means, even though we hear it fairly often from people,” Liz muses. “But the absolute reality is that it’s at the heart of what made this project outcome so unique.”

So, if you’re tackling the challenge of an open concept home, take a cue from Liz’s design approach. Embrace the scale, but don’t be afraid to infuse it with custom pieces that will make the space truly your own. After all, as Sofas Spectacular knows, the right sofa can be the foundation for a personalized, one-of-a-kind living room.