The California Modern Living Room

This is a living room for a house with good light. The palette stays close to the walls, warm white, raw plaster and pale oak, so the room reads as calm from the doorway and textured up close.

A deep sofa faces a pair of accent chairs across a low table, with enough space between them to walk through without turning sideways. One sculptural fixture overhead and one floor lamp at the reading corner do the work of three or four ordinary lights.

The rug is large enough for every front leg to sit on it. That one decision makes the room feel finished.