Tactics Used to Update a Ranch House Style:
Open Living Plan edition
A client came to Jones Pierce after finding a great ranch house candidate to convert to mid-century modern style. Their strategy was to sell the home their kids grew up in and downsize into single level living environment. This also fulfilled a long-term bucket list item of theirs to live in small modern home.
1. Coloring outside the lines
Continue the same finish materials from inside to outside in the same planes. This will expand your horizontal view outside into the landscape. In this home, we used the same wood ceiling from the interior dining room to the exterior porch. Once the exterior doors are opened, the two rooms become one.
2. Doors
For doors and cabinets use solid core flush (no panels) doors. To add a mid-century modern touch, accentuate the doors with a pop of color. You can also vary how the door is hung by using barn doors or full height pocket doors. For this project, we used a solid barn door in the kitchen. Since the kitchen was all white, we decided to paint the door a bright blue.
3. Stair Rails
You may not find the right rails in a traditional stair parts book. However, stair rails are key to mid-century modern design. Think horizontal, as opposed to traditional vertical posts. For a modern touch, consider cable rails or fabricated horizontal steel rails.
4. Downward Two-Story Glass
Modern homes love glass. If your home has a sloping lot to the rear consider removing some of the floor system to create a place for two story glass windows. This will brighten up smaller rooms.
Check out the previous Renovating for Modern Living blog post:
https://jonespierce.com/modern-living-in-ranch-style-home/
Or check us out online at https://jonespierce.com