Extreme Condo Makeover: From Basic to a Midcentury Modern Aesthetic

We made over my brother’s new downtown condo and transformed it from a basic space into a midcentury modern home that’s perfect for him! Come see what we did and get some tips on decorating a small space.

Disclosure: This post is sponsored by The Brick. As always, all of the opinions here are my own.

My brother bought a condo in downtown Edmonton this year. One thing led to another, and soon we were scheming on how we could completely make it over so that it would suit my brother’s lifestyle and personality. With the help of some beautiful pieces of furniture from The Brick and lots of hard work from my parents, my brother, and me, we were able to transform his space into a midcentury modern dream home.

While it’s in an amazing location in the city (right next to Edmonton’s river valley and downtown), my brother Ben’s condo is quite small. This living room / dining room combo area we worked on is only about 150 square feet in size. To brighten the space up, we painted all the walls white except for one accent wall which was painted a bold teal colour. (Can you tell that we’re related with our love of this colour?!) My mom and dad helped with most of the painting (they’re amazing), and the above photo shows the drab beige and brown colours of the walls that we started with.

Small Space Styling Tip 1: Use light & bright paint colours to open up your room.

When the bright teal accent wall was painted and as the white paint was going up on the other walls, we could already feel the difference in the space.

To customize and update the kitchen area on a budget, Ben swapped out the chrome cupboard handles for some gold, modern ones, and we added some peel-and-stick tile backsplash (in a bright white, of course!):

Small Space Styling Tip 2: Add texture & style to neutral areas by installing tile or paneling.

To the left of the kitchen is this little dining nook that I absolutely LOVE. Ben’s aesthetic is colorful midcentury modern, and we found the perfect dining pieces at The Brick for his style. The Chelsea Round Dining Table is simple and sleek, and it has a beautiful walnut finish. We liked how it fit in this small nook, and how it looks with these Prato Dining Chairs.

The chairs certainly have a midcentury modern look, and their curved seats make them so comfy! The final piece in this nook that I’m loving is the Opal Accent Dining Bench.

Aren’t those fabric channels in the back SO mid-century? A dining bench like this is a wonderful way to add extra seating to a small space because it takes up less room. It’s also fun to dress dining benches up with textiles like throws and pillows that match your decor! In Ben’s case, we added a colorful pillow, geometric throw, and a fun gallery wall full of colourful & personal art to the bench area.

Small Space Styling Tip 3: Use bench seating around a dining table to fit more people in a smaller area.

Over on the living room side of this space, the gorgeous Harvey TV Stand was a great solution to hold my brother’s TV and store his TV accessories. Not only does its walnut finish look fabulous against the teal accent wall and echo his dining table, but the textured sliding doors and sleek look make this piece match Ben’s aesthetic perfectly. 

It’s such a hip piece, and so functional too!

Flanking the TV stand are these Robin Accent Chairs from The Brick (you might remember them from my Styling my Subs’ Spaces post). I knew my brother’s condo HAD to have these as soon as I saw them! Their shape is so mod, and against the teal wall they’re just so fantastic looking!

I like that they’re smaller in scale so they can tuck away when not in use, but they’re easy to pull out when guests are over. 

Small Space Styling Tip 4: Use smaller scale accent chairs that can easily be moved around the room as needed.

In the middle of the living room is this chic coffee table called the Kisper Coffee Table. It has all the things we were looking for in this space: a modern shape, a chic colour, and lots of storage for Ben’s things. 

Small Space Styling Tip 5: Look for furniture that offers lots of storage space.

For a sofa in this modern living room, we opted for the Calla Linen-Look Fabric Sofa. It’s such a great price, and it definitely has that mid-mod look we wanted. I love those modern buttons in the back of the couch, and the sleek lines. I added some DIY pillows in a teal velvet and geometric black & white print as well as my favourite Mongolian Sheepskin Accent Pillow from The Brick. 

Above the couch, we mounted a picture ledge and placed some fun, framed art on it to add some personality to the room and hide the thermostat there.

It’s always nice to have a side table near a sofa for drinks and books, and this Nashik Accent Table looks lovely here! It’s small in scale so that it doesn’t stop traffic flow in this area, but it’s stylish and a great size for everything you might need by the couch. 

              

The final piece for this midcentury modern living room? The Ahmar Area Rug! This is my favourite rug right now (we have one in our basement at the moment) because it’s SO soft and cozy. I also like that it has the large diamond pattern that contrasts so well with all the colours and smaller patterns in this room. 

Even though Ben’s condo is on the smaller side, I think we did a good job making it feel stylish and functional. The light walls make the room feel larger while all the colours, textures and patterns add personality to Ben’s home. The Brick had so many fabulous furniture pieces that worked perfectly for this small space.

(P.S. The Sunburst Mirror in the dining nook is also from The Brick. I had it in my styling stash and thought it would be the ideal mirror in Ben’s midcentury home!)

I’m very pleased with how my brother’s condo makeover turned out, and he’s very happy too! I’m so glad he now has a home that’s so HIM.

Thank you to The Brick for making my brother’s mid-century modern decorating dreams come true!

Watch my YouTube video of this midcentury modern small condo makeover:

Now tell me: What are YOUR tips on decorating a small space? What do you think of the midcentury modern aesthetic in Ben’s condo?