70’s kitchen to transitional design
Maria Jose Lara Posso
10 days ago
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10 days agoJennifer Hogan
10 days agoRelated Discussions
Pics of small ranch houses (60s or 70s) that look great inside?
Comments (42)We also have a plain vanilla ranch built in 1950. It was never MCM nor any style. It was just churned out as a tract home. The basic layout of bedrooms and living space was ok, but we opened the wall between the kitchen and living room, extended and moved the kitchen so the old kitchen is half of the new one and partly as our new main level laundry room. The rest of the kitchen is part of the extension and is adjacent to the new den we added on. Due to budget constraints, we only cathedraled the new extensions' ceilings and the master bedroom ceiling was vaulted as we extended there too. Where we did not raise the ceilings we added in skylights and a 5ft eyebrow window in the front of the house, boxed in like a skylight (and we have a skylight over the den up high). The greater amount of natural light is fabulous and it feels so much more spacious with the openings for the skylights and eyebrow window. We had hated the all low ceilings when we moved in. Our previous house had vaulted and cathedral ceilings over the living spaces and it was hard to adjust to low and flat. I truly think that being able to raise the ceilings and/or use skylights is one of the best features about a ranch. Since the house was built with little style and updated with no style either (unless cheap and ugly are styles, lol), we felt free to create our own vibe. We went for retro modern with a 40s feel. What a modern person would have done prior to MCM is how I'd describe it. It has some deco feel to it but the lines are simple and not ornate. Crown moldings would not have worked, so we have done simpler ones. We chose modest looking but well designed materials. No one would ever think it is fancy or frilly. We wanted clean lines but not sharp edges. It is supposed to feel homey and unassuming. Like a well worn pair of jeans that fit well. We want guests to feel at home. If you come up with your own style mission statement you can check your choices against it. At one point, we fell in love with white marble and wanted that for our counters. Then one day, we figured out it went against all our other choices and was too elegant. We ended up with Corian in their Rain Cloud pattern, which mimics the feel of a white marble, but is not trying to fake anyone out. It has a softness to the look but with all straight lines and an eased edge profile, it looks neat. We ended up with Carrera marble in our master bathroom for the counter and in the faux rug part of our floor. That space is meant to be more grown up and fancy since it is our private space and not designed for the kids. The veins that make it great there would have been too busy for the kitchen. If we had gone for another look, I'd have loved to use the marble as I usually drool when I see it used anywhere. If I ever do a kitchen again, I would want qs oak with white marble or some other medium toned stained wood. The door style would be different as well. We are happy with our vision and how the look has turned out (the gc screwed us on condition, but that will be fixed, someday). It is not plain vanilla any more! Our house looks like no other in our area and I dare say, it is now one of a kind. Hopefully, you find your groove and your end result reflects your style and vision, and makes you smile too ;)...See More1st Place! Ugly House Contest and Regrettable 70's Design
Comments (20)Is this a new purchase or have you been living there for awhile? The reason I ask is that I wonder whether the small windows are deliberate, because of a need for privacy (e.g. bathroom) or because they are constrained by something like a kitchen counter height. It looks as if the house has lots of windows facing a beautiful view, and maybe there is a busy road on the other side that would be more annoying if there were big windows facing it. Around here, most lakeside homes with a beautiful view are deliberately closed off on the opposite side, for these reasons. Are the awnings for light control? I would live in the house for a year before removing them. The color is not good with the brick, but I do like a shelter over a door. It gives the house some dimension, protects against rain when standing there, and gives a nice sheltered feeling. If cost is an issue, you could try painting the awning over the door and removing the others if they don't add value. I would not paint this house. It's a significant expense, one time and ongoing, and I don't think it would look any better painted. There is nothing wrong with the color - it's a classic brick building. The air conditioners are an eyesore. Planting shrubs would help, but I wouldn't want to wait years for shrubs to mature. Google "hide an air conditioner" and you'll find many options to build, to give you immediate relief. Your photo is taken at a bit of an odd angle. There is obviously an attached garage to the left, that should be taken into account. We can't see your front door from where you're standing, but it looks like it is easily seen as you walk up the pathway. More pictures would really help. By painting the garage door you may be able to balance the house better. The large areas of brick can be balanced by landscaping. For example, a small tree between the 2 lower windows would give you instant relief from the expanse of plain brick, and would hide the discrepancy in window size. Choose one that doesn't get too large. Extending the porch and moving the steps wouldn't add much value here, and would add considerable expense since you'd need to move the walkway as well. If I were you, first step would be to get a consultation about landscaping. That will be your biggest bang for your buck. Here's a rough idea of what I mean. I'd reduce the size of the shrub in front of the porch, unless it is there for privacy. Also plant a tall narrow evergreen in front of the left side downspout. I added a wood surround around your air conditioner, and planted a small tree/large shrub between the windows. I'd also put a large pot with tall grasses, against the house on the walkway between the window and the door, again to break up that expanse of brick. Just putting in somewhat larger windows will not accomplish this....See MoreRedoing a 70's kitchen
Comments (6)Yeah, I think you should gut and start over, in which case you can do anything you like. Start by talking to a kitchen designer, who can help you rearrange and/or tailor the space to fit your needs -- if your budget is tight, get a free design session at Lowes or Ikea, just to help you think things through and see what's possible. (I suspect the first move would be to put the fridge on the pantry wall, giving the stove some elbow room!) You'll be in better shape after that to worry about things like style....See MoreInstalling hardwood in a 70's house with different angles
Comments (3)Angle at outside of living room to dining room Looking from entry to dining room, kitchen partial wall to left, hallway goes off to the right. The hardwood will go in the kitchen too, the flooring laying around is just that, trying to decide how to run it, and excuse the mess! Fireplace wall not perpendicular to wall hutch is on Entry, kitchen, dining room on left, living room on right. Pictures have the 5400 lbs of white oak in "wheatfield" flooring that came today, acclimating. My eclectic taste, have a new dark leather chesterfield coming as well as three bookcases for along dining room wall to make it more a "library", Have more American Empire Revival furniture including a library table and round pedestal table at another house to bring in once I get the floors done. Creek runs below deck beyond the drapes. Help!...See MoreRachel Lee
10 days agoJAN MOYER
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