Welcome back to the Au Naturel Ranch, where gorgeous, natural materials really shine in this ranch style home renovation. As you may remember from Au Naturel Ranch Part 1, what was once supposed to be a kitchen remodel quickly expanded into an addition and a near entire home refresh.

Coming Back to Its California Ranch Roots

As you have probably gathered from the name, this 1959 home was initially built as a California ranch-style home. As time went on, and architectural design trends were added to the home’s exterior, the home received a number of Tuscan-inspired updates in the aughts (2000-2009). 

Who remembers those faux paint treatments in terracotta colors everywhere back in 2007? 

As we peeled and pared back the dated layers, we focused on returning the home to its California ranch roots. We restored the flat stock exterior window trim that is true to the home’s style. 

We took a similar approach to the interior and updated it to fit the client’s contemporary taste. The California ranch style and the client’s style blended seamlessly, as they both embodied an honest, straightforward aesthetic.

We chose the materials and finishes in each space for their beautiful combination of crisp and contemporary styles with authentic materials. To stay true to a California ranch home of its mid-century age, we added wood-stained cabinetry in the kitchen and chose a slick, rift-cut white oak in a dark stain for a modern touch.

Refreshing a Well-Loved Home

It’s important to remember that the family lived in the home for almost twenty years. We wanted to honor that history, preserve the memories made in the home, and ensure it was ready for a new chapter. 

While my clients were technically empty nesters, their home was seldom empty. Their daughter frequently visited  on weekends and holidays, and the the mother-in-law stayed for months at a time. And let’s not forget the occasional foster dog they hosted on their way to finding a forever home. 

It was important that this home worked for everyone, not just the two who lived there full-time. 

The Kitchen Comes Together

As you may remember from Part 1, the kitchen remodel was the original scope of the project, so it was a high priority. The original kitchen was over twenty years old, and it had served the family well. In fact, it was so well-loved that it was simply time for a refresh. 

Connected to the kitchen renovation was a powder room addition and a laundry room expansion. It was a jigsaw puzzle to figure out how to make these additions while keeping the existing layout and preserving the flow of the kitchen. 

As a solution, we pushed out the breakfast nook, added a dormer over the front entrance, and expanded the laundry room into the garage. This allowed us to increase the square footage while staying within the existing eaves. 

This family loves to entertain, so it was essential to design a space that created a sense of connection between the hosts and their guests while preparing food and drinks.

Leaning Into The Sincere Design Trend

We never tried to force this home to be something it wasn’t. You can’t put lipstick on a pig, and you can’t make a ranch masquerade as a Tuscan-style home. 

In this case, the client’s contemporary taste worked well with a ranch-style home, and we combined the two easily. You can take the same approach when choosing design features for your home—you don’t need to pretend it’s something it isn’t. Embrace your home’s original design, add your personal aesthetic, and blend the two seamlessly.