A 1950s Kansas Ranch House Nicknamed the ‘Hygge House’ Masterfully Mixes Neutrals and Texture
Name: Kirsten Veng-Pedersen, daughter Isla, and Shi-poo Lucy
Location: Prairie Village, Kansas
Type of home: 1950s ranch
Size: 1315 square feet
Years lived in: 2 years, owned
Tell us a little (or a lot) about your home and the people who live there: My daughter Isla and I live here with our dog Lucy. It’s a small house but it’s charming. I especially love the hardwood floors and large windows in the living room. When I bought it, I named it Hygge House and set out to create a place of coziness and calm here.
I like neutral colors like black, white, and beige but I also really love orangey-yellows, muted pinks, and dark green, all in small amounts. I haven’t painted since moving in (except in my kitchen) so I may still switch things up a bit. I love thrifting and have been fortunate to live in great places like Portland, Oregon and Scottsdale, Arizona, where in the early days, I scored some wonderful MCM finds like the Kofod Larsen chairs I refinished in my living room. Since moving to Kansas City, I’ve leaned a little more traditional with some of my design elements like the metal bed frame (which I bought online) for my daughter’s room and her Windsor-style desk chair, which I thrifted. Of course I like to mix those in with more modern elements to keep things clean and bright.
Describe your home’s style in 5 words or less: Minimal, naturalistic, eclectic, modern
What is your favorite room and why? My current favorite is my daughter’s bedroom since I just finished doing a “big girl” update to it. She’s six now so she got a thrifted big girl desk in place of her play kitchen (which is now in the basement) and a cozy swivel chair for reading in place of her mini table and chairs.
What’s the last thing you bought (or found!) for your home? I bought the swivel lounge chair for my daughter’s room at Target. Stock can be low so there’s a PB Teen and West Elm version. In addition, I bought her new wool and cotton rug (which I was able to get in an odd 6’ x 6’ size) from Wayfair. For rug pads, I swear by the Rugs USA Cloud Comfort 7/16” version. It was out of stock and just became available again recently. It can be ordered to your exact size specifications and it’s so plush that it even makes my flat weave living room rug soft.
Any advice for creating a home you love? Mix textures and old with new. Pay attention to scale. Keep a sense of what you like while incorporating only what “serves” you and your style from the current trends. Also, don’t let trends dictate what you get rid of if it works for you. For example, I know blanket ladders had a big moment a while back and are probably a bit played out by now but hey, I love mine. I love to display my beautiful blankets and it’s the only form of accessible blanket storage that my dog hasn’t made into her own personal bed!
This submission’s responses and photos were edited for length/size and clarity.
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