Asian-Style Interior

See mid-century Asian style in a small California ranch home.

More from Kitty Bartholomew: You're Home
Filed under: Asian Style, Small Space, Ranch, Decorating, Design Style, Home Types

Designer Ivan Beardsley's home is typical of a lot of houses that were built during the late 1940s and 1950s. The California ranch-style home is only about 1,100 square feet but he's made it seem much bigger with a just a few tricks. In the living room, he took the doorways up to the ceiling and cut the doors in half to give them more presence. The furnishings are modern and sleek and instead of a traditional sofa, table and chair arrangement, he's used two pairs of matching chairs that seem to float around a glossy center table.

The sweeping shape of the unusual shelving space running underneath the window makes the room feel larger.

The entry into the kitchen and dining area is defined with a purple painted column that is actually a Sonotube, a cardboard column used to form concrete pillars. It helps to visually increase the height of the ceiling and adds a burst of color not found in either room. Instead of remodeling the kitchen, he stayed true to its character by keeping the original tile and stove intact.

Beardsley doesn't have a grand-scale dining room so he turned a patio into a fully-functioning entertaining space. Draperies and mosquito netting are drawn closed when the sun gets too hot. The console in the back is made of poured concrete.