Midcentury-Moroccan Makeover
![View into a Francisco loft contemporary living room, which mixes a midcentury modern sofa with Moroccan influences in a patterned ottoman used as a coffee table, and teardrop-shaped brass pendant lamps. Full height gold curtains filter sunlight into the space and a yellow and green patterned rug anchors the living area in front of a wall-mounted TV over a midcentury sideboard used as media storage.](https://kimballstarr.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/06/Kimball-Starr-Interior-Design_BeforeAfter_AFTER_Midcentury-Moroccan-Living-Room-580x774.jpg)
Ever been to a mid-century Moroccan bazaar? That’s the feeling we created for an underutilized San Francisco loft. To see how we transformed an empty space into a sumptuous home by mixing global style with midcentury modern flair, read on!
![Folding chairs sit on empty floor space in front of long metal vertical blinds and dated windows over a door to the outside in a tall loft space.](https://kimballstarr.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/06/Kimball-Starr-Interior-Design_BeforeAfter_BEFORE_Midcentury-Moroccan_Living-Room-169x300.jpg)
When you compare the after at top with this before photo, the change is quite dramatic. We removed the clunky metal vertical blinds and replaced them with light-filtering soft draperies, and got rid of the loud air conditioner, unnecessary in San Francisco’s temperate climate.
![Looking under the edge of the loft into the guest bedroom on left, with opaque walls opened up and a Murphy bed closed on the wall. In front, you see a pair of patterned slipper chairs and a Moroccan metal table. Between is an opaque wall of the guest bedroom, which separates the dining space, featuring midcentury modern dining table and chairs in coordinating colors of wood and blue-green fabric.](https://kimballstarr.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/06/Kimball-Starr-Interior-Design_BeforeAfter_AFTER_Midcentury-Moroccan-Dining-Room-580x775.jpg)
After our redesign, we lightened the space by replacing a solid wall with retracting opaque ones. You can just see a convertible bed closed on the left wall, allowing for more living space. In front, a Moroccan metal table and a pair of patterned slipper chairs provide additional seating. The guest bedroom wall now separates the open-plan dining space, featuring midcentury modern dining table and chairs in coordinating colors. Combining the Moroccan influence with midcentury style creates a fun atmosphere!
![](https://kimballstarr.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/06/Kimball-Starr-Interior-Design_BeforeAfter_BEFORE_Midcentury-Moroccan_Living-Dining-Area-300x169.jpg)
In this before image, you’re seeing a temporary wall used to create a storage area tucked underneath the loft’s upstairs master bedroom, which we opened up by replacing them with the opaque retracting walls, and creating an open plan dining space. The entire area was veiled in shadow, before that change.
![View from the loft above, looking down onto the living room, combining a midcentury modern sofa with globally-patterned ottoman used as a coffee table, and teardrop-shaped brass pendant lamps.](https://kimballstarr.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/06/Kimball-Starr-Interior-Design_BeforeAfter_AFTER_Midcentury-Moroccan-Living-Room-Above-580x774.jpg)
In this after view from above, authentic Moroccan brass teardrop pendants fill the high space above the custom-designed curved fireplace, and dramatic 18-foot-high golden draperies emphasize the room height and capture sunlight with a backlit glow. Hanging the hand-pierced brass pendants down to the top of the fireplace lowers the visual focus and adds a stunning design element.
To create a more intimate space in the living area, long white glass pendants visually lower the ceiling directly over the seating. The global-patterned living room rug was custom-cut at an angle to echo the lines of the sofa, creating room for the adjacent pivoting bookcase on floor casters. By customizing the shape and size of the rug, we’ve defined the living area zone and created an inviting and intimate space. We juxtaposed the midcentury elements with stylish global pieces like the Chinese-inspired red lacquer sideboard, used as a media unit below the TV.
![View from above into the living room, with a dated fireplace in the corner and blank white walls. Folding furniture gives the space an air of the temporary.](https://kimballstarr.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/06/Kimball-Starr-Interior-Design_BeforeAfter_BEFORE_Midcentury-Moroccan_Living-Area-Overlook-300x169.jpg)
Before, overlooking the living area from the loft, showing the fireplace and bare bones of the space. You can really see what a difference zoning makes!
![San Francisco loft contemporary circular staircase and custom bookcase wraps around in high-gloss orange paint inside the shelving, with white reflective patterned decorated surface facing the living area. An orange display niche on the left white wall matches the orange on the bookcase behind silver stair railings.](https://kimballstarr.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/06/Loft-Living-Storage-Bookcase-Kimball-Starr-Interior-Design-580x774.jpg)
With a change in color for the modern staircase rails and a high-gloss shelving interior, the addition of global textures and patterns, and coordination with a pop of color in the nearby wall niche, now the stairs are a fascinating journey to a higher plane of relaxation. The authentic teardrop pendant lamps display our Moroccan influence, while the modern lines and finishes neatly tie in with midcentury style.
![BEFORE - loft bedroom circular staircase](https://kimballstarr.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/06/Kimball-Starr-Interior-Design_BeforeAfter_BEFORE_Midcentury-Moroccan-Stairs-169x300.jpg)
To get up to the loft’s master bedroom, you navigate a circular staircase. It already had this cool pivoting bookcase wall that curls neatly around the stairs, but it was stark and office-y looking.
![Blue wall paint color tones with vintage mid-century modern bed and side table lamps in blue glass. Dark striated wood flooring draws the eye towards the bed, stopping at a hand-knotted East Asian rug. To the left of the photo is the yellow-seated vintage chair, and to the bottom right is a white built-in storage unit.](https://kimballstarr.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/06/Kimball-Starr-Interior-Design_Master-Bedroom_Mid-century-Moroccan-Bed-580x777.jpg)
After, built-in storage leads you toward a sumptuous, relaxing bedroom. The lines of the built-in follow the stranded bamboo flooring into the sleeping area, featuring a beloved vintage rug I can picture arriving on the back of a camel. Pairing a vintage rug with midcentury modern tables and lamps gives this bedroom a cool aesthetic.
![BEFORE - loft bedroom area with two-toned wall, the left in cream, the right in sage green, with a blue folding cot on top of red shag carpeting.](https://kimballstarr.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/06/Kimball-Starr-Interior-Design_BeforeAfter_BEFORE_Midcentury-Moroccan_Bedroom-169x300.jpg)
In this before photo of the loft master bedroom, you’ll agree the wall colors and red shag carpet weren’t doing it any favors.
![A blank corner with cream wall on left, sage green on right, with white baseboards and red shag carpet. A wooden folding chair sits in the foreground.](https://kimballstarr.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/06/Kimball-Starr-Interior-Design_BeforeAfter_BEFORE_Midcentury-Moroccan-Bedroom-Desk-169x300.jpg)
Here’s the corner that became a lovely secretaire and home office desk, as you can see in the After photo below. What a difference the right shade of paint makes, along with a beautiful piece of furniture, paired with a vintage chair in coordinating color. I love it, and the owner loves it too!
![Gold wall paint color sets off a vintage mid-century modern secretary desk in a warm brown wood, with a yellow-seated vintage chair, also in the same warm wood tones. A piece of bamboo sits atop the desk, next to art hung on the wall. A hint of blue and white bedding at the bottom right corner indicates a bed.](https://kimballstarr.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/06/Kimball-Starr-Interior-Design_BeforeAfter_AFTER_Midcentury-Moroccan-Loft-Desk-580x772.jpg)
If YOU want to transform your living space, get in touch! Kimball Starr offers complimentary consultations to explore your horizons.