Combining premarriage relics with piles of ethnic textiles, clean-lined antiques and flashes of chrome, actress Amanda Peet and her husband, screenwriter David Benioff, turned their first shared home into an elegant haven that’s family-friendly yet pulled-together.

“I chose my living-room sofa for its fat seat,” Peet laughs. She’d been longing for an amply proportioned George Sherlock piece ever since spotting one 15 years ago at the A.P.C. store in Manhattan. Set amid neutral hues, the bold Brunschwig & Fils upholstery, accentuated by an antique Chinese shawl, commands center stage. Unfinished linen curtains are a relaxed, natural touch at the windows, while a beat-up Oriental rug extends the homey quality. “I wanted this to be a fun place for playing games in front of the fireplace [hidden from view],” Peet explains. “But since go to bed at 8 p.m. these days, that hasn’t exactly happened yet!” A Saarinen side table and a stainless-steel 1970s Pierre Cardin coffee table—a holdover from David’s bachelordom—heaped with art books guarantee things don’t get too “country house.”

“This room is one of the main reasons we bought the house,” Peet says. “As soon as I saw it, I imagined a baby in a high chair having breakfast every morning.” White walls, bare windows, the original terra-cotta floor tiles and weathered industrial chairs gathered around a metal pedestal table form a clean, sun-filled backdrop that’s softened by the flatweave rug and vintage-fabric-covered seats. Mismatched china and ceramics set within a cobalt nook further the higgledy-piggledly charm, while a petite chandelier lends Old hollywood urbanity—again, confirmation that this is no home on the range.

Peet didn't set out to turn this light-flooded room overlooking the patio into a snug, Moroccan-style sanctuary—she upholstered herself into a corner, so to speak.

In the guest room—one of only two spaces that deviate from white walls—a medley of blues, greens and bits of gold unites two very different florals. Peet first saw the poetic wallpaper several years ago, and here she pairs it with a John Derian coverlet of sewn-together antique saris; the low-contrast color scheme makes the designs less overpowering than they might be otherwise. A Gustavian bench echoes the rug’s broad stripes, which ground the sea of patterns, while a dusty-red mohair-velvet kids’ chair and yellow lamp are unexpected bright spots.

Too-cute-for-words, Amanda Peet and daughter Frankie.

A large oval 1800s farm table and pale gray 19th-century Gustavian chairs with white muslin create an offhandedly graceful dining area for the occasional dinner party (with menu courtesy of Benioff—he's the cook).

In the living room, a pair of portraits speaks to the couple's passions: Cindy Sherman's depiction of herself as Lucille Ball (Peet reveres both the artist and the comedian) and a Bruce Davidson photograph of Samuel Beckett (Benioff worte his graduate thesis on the Irish playwright).

In the entryway, a collage of family photos and artwork establishes the informal tone. Peet got the idea from her mother, one of her style idols. "She has a wall like this in Manhattan, and it makes the whole house cozy." Hanging the frames (old and new, from gilt to chrome) unevenly, but with roughly the same amount of space between each, is all it took. The casual mix of family pics and art can be added to at will, until the entire wall is covered.