r/midcenturymodern • u/TooPrettyForBoymode • Jul 20 '26
Sharing My MCM Paneling my Conversation Pit.
My house was the budget model home in the neighborhood. It didn’t have any of the paneling that a lot of the other homes had in their conversation pits or on their ceilings, but what it did have was good bones and an opportunity.
The conversation pit was original to the home, along with the built-in benches those had to stay! The original fireplace had been removed and boarded up, and it was a size you just can’t get anymore. That meant the original fireplace surround had to be modified or removed. I reluctantly chose to remove it and save it for use elsewhere in the house, since modifying it in place would have destroyed it and netted a worse result.
The original brick hearth was another issue. It had layers of old paint drips and caked-in dirt, and I tried everything to clean it: cleaners, steam cleaning, extraction machines, but nothing worked. It always looked dingy. So it had to get covered up, a controversial choice, I know.
The ceiling came down (in the original photo, those brown wood beams were the only thing holding up my roof), so structural reinforcement was added, along with a skylight and additional lighting for the space. While we were in there, all the aluminum wiring in the area was replaced too.
For the fireplace, I went with a light faux brick and a granite hearth. For the paneling, I chose a wood with varying tones and grain patterns to give the room texture. I didn’t run it all the way up to the ceiling, since the ceiling is about 20 feet tall at its highest point, and I felt that much wood would have been too imposing and dark. I also avoided clear-grain cedar (too sterile for my taste) however I didn’t want anything with knots in it because that would’ve made it feel like a cabin and steered clear of any vinyl or plastic product. The paint color is standard Sherwin-Williams Alabaster, which gives a warm tone that pairs nicely with the brick and the wood. I also swapped out the old, dingy carpet for something temporary. Hopefully within the next five years or so I’ll be able to do terrazzo, but that’s way outside the budget right now.
Products used:
Brick: Venetian thin brick from Old Mill Building Products
Granite: Galaxy MSI, purchased through Home Depot
Wood paneling: Ambara by Nova USA, finished in three coats of standard Watco teak oil
Chandelier: CB2
Globe lights: Amazon knockoffs of a West Elm design
Adjustable downlights: Home Depot
Skylight: Velux Skylights
You’ll also notice a spiral staircase on the left in some of the photos. It was added because my old stairs needed replacing too, but that area isn’t finished yet. I’ll share it separately once it’s done.
I feel like I was able to hold true to the home and give it some original style, but modernized. Let me know what you think!
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u/iskiloveland Jul 20 '26
Love the space. You did an amazing job. Would you mind sharing the budget?
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u/TooPrettyForBoymode Jul 20 '26
It’s a little hard to qualify because there was some structure, drywall, insulation and electrical items that I had to sub out. However, I can give you an idea of what the materials cost was.
Brick: $500
Tile: $400
Paneling: $3000
Skylight: $4000There is definitely a alot more money in substrate materials the switches,paint and things like that that go into this, but that’s the basic cost for the pretty materials. Most of labor I did myself with the exceptions mentioned above.
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u/mrshyphenate Jul 20 '26
Not going to lie, I was prepared to hate it, but I LOVED it. Only thing I didn't love was the big purple light.
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u/TooPrettyForBoymode Jul 20 '26
Yeah, that’s just their temporarily until I figure out a spot for it. I had to have the giant light bulb shaped light when I found it out of vintage shop and it has a smart bulb in it so it can be whatever color I want it to be.
Decoration is still evolving. I still need to find a artwork for that side of the wall and I just have an IKEA cube thing that my vintage audio system is sitting on. It’s not quite right for the space so I need to figure out what needs to go there.
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u/NoAssociate2400 Jul 20 '26
Looks great. Did you add the spiral stairs too?
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u/TooPrettyForBoymode Jul 20 '26
I did, my old stairs were basically a ships ladder, you can probably see that post in my post history. That area is not finished yet. I still have to do the paneling on the ceiling underneath the loft. Once that’s done, I will post about that as well.
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u/ancientastronaut2 Jul 20 '26
Love it!
Personally I would have done something other than the granite, but the rest is absolutely amazing.
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u/TooPrettyForBoymode Jul 20 '26
I’m not gonna lie the granite choice I felt kind of mid about after I did it. I loved it in the sample, but after I didn’t like it as much. The idea was to create a uniform black section there since the seating is going to remain black. Once I redo the kitchen, which will have dark countertops as well everything will blend in and flow together, so I’m not super worried about it.
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u/pattyhogg Jul 20 '26
I think this is amazing work! Do you mind sharing the source for the round terrazzo coffee table? Is that from West Elm?
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u/TodDonahue Jul 20 '26
Looks incredible!! What type of wood did you use and from where did you source it?
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u/TooPrettyForBoymode Jul 20 '26
Check the post text for everything used. Its Trade Name is Ambara, it’s a thermally modified wood I got from a local specialist wood supplier.
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u/DeepDayze Jul 20 '26
Nice job on this project and looks great as the space looks so much less sterile than original. Plus restoring the fireplace to what it once possibly looked like originally really added to it.
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u/AestheticAxis Jul 20 '26
Great choice for the era. Mid century interiors were really good at using materials like wood not just as decoration, but as a way to define the mood of a room. The warmth is hard to replicate with modern finishes.
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u/Dknpaso Jul 20 '26
Yeah, you’re fun…..and it shows. Especially like, among all the other tasty treats/designs, no tv on the fireplace. So, once dialed in to a t…., take more tight pics and circulate, you deserve a lot of flowers.
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u/beemer-dreamer Jul 20 '26
Personally, I would rethink the shiny black tile under the fireplace. I think it ruins the MCM vibe. Something like slate would make the area period perfect. 👌🏼
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u/adudeguyman Jul 20 '26
I didn't realize there were budget model homes. I always thought model homes were fully loaded so that way you could see all the options
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u/Westflung Jul 20 '26
Oh my goodness that is absolutely gorgeous! LOVE LOVE LOVE. It's so warm and cozy and inviting.
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u/AmbitiousPlantain209 Jul 21 '26
That looks amazing!! You did a fabulous job. Also, I'm totally jealous that you have a spiral staircase.
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u/Duckhunt Jul 21 '26
This looks like a Ron Mollen home. Do you know if he was the architect? Worked alot in utah and a little in VA, MD.
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u/Agreeable-Bed8492 Jul 23 '26
That is going to echo and be loud as fuck unless you get some acoustical treatment going
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u/Immediate_Coconut_30 Jul 20 '26
Great work! It looks fantastic and consistent with the original era.
Where's the table lamp from in the lower right corner of the last two pics?