The Short Answer
This modern farmhouse renovation shows how thoughtful materials, warm textures, and cohesive design can transform a living room into a welcoming retreat. The project balances comfort and elevated style, using inspiration from artwork, rugs, and layered details to create a home that feels personal and renewed.
“I can’t believe this is MY home!”
That’s the reaction Jennifer Verruto, an interior designer at Blythe Interiors, hears from her client after revealing a fully transformed modern farmhouse living room—and really, the entire home.
The reaction says it all. Every space feels thoughtfully reimagined, from the retro-inspired kitchen to the clean, contemporary farmhouse dining room. The renovation came at a meaningful moment: Jennifer’s client was preparing for retirement and wanted to create a warm, welcoming retreat to enjoy this next chapter. The result is a cohesive, inviting home that balances comfort with elevated design.
When it comes to finding inspiration, Jennifer takes a focused but creative approach. She explains, “I love starting with a bold piece of artwork or a fabulous rug and working my way out from it. I use a piece to ‘cross pollinate’ the room—pull a little blue out of that rug and pop it onto the sofa, pull black and white accents through the space, etc.”
From there, the design direction for the living room became clear: consistency. As Jennifer puts it, “the whole space was absolutely begging for [it].”
“The first thing I wanted to do was tear off the dated wallpaper and create a consistent floor throughout the whole space,” she said, “Just from the entryway, you could see three completely different types of flooring, so we chose one light, bright floor throughout for consistency. Removing the wallpaper was a no-brainer, and the next step was removing the contrasting moulding at the ceiling, just below the beams. It was tricking the eye into lowering the ceiling height and making the space feel shorter than it was.”
With those foundational updates complete, the design could truly come to life.
“Running Stikwood (in Hamptons) from floor to ceiling—including past the beams—was crucial in achieving a taller look in the space,” Jennifer mentioned.
The vertical application not only enhances visual height but also creates a seamless architectural statement. For this project, Jennifer selected Hamptons for the accent wall, explaining that “it’s the perfect rustic version of diy shiplap! It’s somehow subtle and impactful at the same time.”
Stikwood Style: Hamptons DIY Shiplap | Buy a Hamptons Sample
Of course, choosing where to install an accent wall can be just as important as selecting the material itself. Jennifer offers practical guidance:
“I would say, first, decide where you want your attention to be drawn, and how much impact you want. Sometimes clients have a TV on one wall and their gorgeous fireplace is on another. I would draw the focus to the softer element, not the technology. Or make the accent wall so beautiful that you barely notice the technology. For example, if you use Stikwood on a TV accent wall—with a beautiful console underneath and maybe a shelf above the TV with some accents on it—then the whole wall looks purposeful. If you just put a TV on an entertainment console and have blank walls surrounding it, the focus is going to be the TV … not the wall, not the accents, not the beauty of the space.”
The end result is a modern farmhouse living room that feels intentional, balanced, and effortlessly elevated—proof that thoughtful design choices can completely transform how a space looks and feels.
“The first thing I wanted to do was tear off the dated wallpaper and create a consistent floor throughout the whole space,” she said, “Just from the entryway, you could see three completely different types of flooring, so we chose one light, bright floor throughout for consistency. Removing the wallpaper was a no-brainer, and the next step was removing the contrasting moulding at the ceiling, just below the beams. It was tricking the eye into lowering the ceiling height and making the space feel shorter than it was.”
I had no idea that was even a thing! I always thought crown molding was a must have.
My favorite part came next...
“Running Stikwood (in Hamptons) from floor to ceiling—including past the beams—was crucial in achieving a taller look in the space,” Jennifer mentioned.
Featured Stikwood Style: Hamptons DIY Shiplap | Buy a Hamptons Sample
Special thanks to Jennifer at Blythe Interiors for sharing this project and her design expertise.
When asked what inspired her to become an interior designer, Jennifer shared:
“I have always been a designer, I just never knew it was a career path possibility. When I was little, I would always rearrange my room or spend my money buying new rugs or shelves for my bedroom! As an adult, I started helping my friends in their spaces and started really seeing a niche need in our industry for design help that was affordable and realistic for their budgets and spaces. I started shopping for them at inexpensive retail stores and giving them advice on how they could make their spaces more livable and beautiful without blowing all their money! Seeing people’s thrilled reactions to my advice and ideas was the driving force in getting started … and the rest is history!”
Thanks to Jennifer at Blythe Interiors for sharing your design with us!! I asked Jennifer what made her want to become an interior designer. Here is her story:
