Into the Woods
Glass and wood do the heavy lifting in a home whose design transports you to a seemingly magical midcentury woodland.
Tucked into its rustic surroundings, this flat-roof 1960 home was furnished with lush décor to complement the original wood paneling and exposed beams.
Nestled in the woods sits a quietly breathtaking masterpiece.
Boxy and clean-lined, this midcentury home simultaneously stands out and fits perfectly among the flora and fauna of its surroundings. Inside, original details have been painstakingly preserved—from the floorplan all the way to the wood paneling. With homeowners keen to cultivate a periodperfect aesthetic with few restrictions and a generous budget, this particular home is a designer's dream. Enter Elin Walters of Exactly Designs.
STARTING WITH GOOD BONES
Not on the market for a number of years, this flat-roof 1960 home by local legend Ted Smith was already a masterpiece before Elin brought her magic touch to its interiors. With windows and decks that run the length of the house and beams that reach through the glass panels, bringing the outdoors in has never felt more natural. “It’s classically midcentury in a very simple way. There are no crazy rooflines. It’s one with the property, with the light and the way it sits on the land,” says Elin. Despite sitting on less than an acre, the home feels miles away from the bustling world outside.
Creating a consistent theme throughout the house while simultaneously breaking up hard lines, Elin worked in a freeform coffee table to both the living room and master bedroom.
“The homeowners very much loved the house with its wood paneling and exposed beams. They absolutely didn’t want to touch the house itself; they just wanted help making it look how it was supposed to look.”
REIMAGINING SPACES
Prior to Elin’s arrival, the home was functional but was missing that special something to bring it all together. While many great pieces were in place and the home itself boasts effortless charm, some things weren’t quite living up to their full potential. For each room, Elin worked with the homeowners to clearly define its purpose and use. From there, she rearranged furniture and brought in complementary pieces to ensure each space would be equal parts functional and stylish.
“The homeowners pretty much gave me free rein,” says Elin. “She has really good taste, so she was really fun to work with because I felt like I could present pieces to her that maybe your average person wouldn’t embrace, and she loved them.”
One example of this can be found in the master bedroom, where Elin paired a periwinkle Roche Bobois bubble sofa and ottoman with the homeowners' existing marshmallow couch. The luxurious and boundary-pushing piece was instrumental in anchoring the room without taking away from its counterpart’s iconic design.
PUZZLE PIECES
It was during this process that something about the wall unit, besides its midcentury charm, stood out to Elin. It just didn’t feel like it was in the right place. When she first visited the house, it was in the family room, with the top portion somewhat blocked by the exposed beams. As Elin began to work on the master bedroom, the unit felt like a natural fit for the wall across from the bed, so she trusted her gut and relocated the unit. It fit perfectly and suited her plans for a seating area. Later, Elin saw older listing photos of the home, and the mysterious unit had indeed been in the master bedroom to begin with.
BEDROOM TURNED OASIS
“The building block for the bedroom, I have to say, was the marshmallow couch.” Upon her arrival, the room felt cavernous with only the couch and the bed. With the end goal in mind of creating a cozy but mod space, Elin got to work dividing the expansive room into lounging and sleeping quarters by creating a welcoming lounge space ideal for winding down at the end of a long day. With the wall unit in place, the couches were given the necessary context and now could provide the perfect spot for taking in views of the trees just outside the original sliding glass door. Since the couple has a baby, a nursing space was necessary, which Elin created beside the bed. With artwork and neutral bedding layered in, the room now exudes warmth and character.
NURSERY GONE MOD
Designing children’s spaces to be anything but childish is no small task. To accomplish this, Elin turned to quality furnishings that offer all the necessary functionality with clean-lined designs. Case in point: the rocker. A nursery necessity, this design by Modern Nursery nods to mod and features a built-in bassinet, which can also be used for keeping baby basics in easy reach.
“I tried to choose elements that felt a little bit playful, but still simple,” she says. Just as in the rest of the house, art plays a big role in the room’s design. From the playful book-holding tree to the pieces pulled from the homeowner’s collection, art rounds out the room’s warm design.
“Projects like this come along once in a lifetime,” says Elin. “I certainly hope I get to work on another house like this, but to get to work on a property with this much detail and to be given so much trust—it was pretty incredible.”
“They very much loved the house with its wood paneling and exposed beams.They absolutely didn’t want to touch the house itself; they just wanted help making it look how it was supposed to look.”