Updating an Older Home

The rooms in this old 50's ranch are very inviting as the furniture is set in conversational style. The settings are warm, inviting and promote use of every room. The addition of crown moldings and simple ceiling medallions add height and dimension to the 8' ceilings in the kitchen, hearth room, wine bar, dining and formal living rooms. Marya says "A simple trick to add dimension to 8' ceilings is to paint the crown moldings and decorative medallions Arctic White with a toned white called Elephant Tusk on the ceiling itself." In this home, the kitchen and adjacent bathroom were completely remodeled with new custom maple cabinetry and upscale fixtures.

Note how seamlessly the colors transition from room to room. This is especially important when decorating small open spaces as it makes the area appear larger. Wall colors are chosen after the interior furnishings and fabrics are selected. This is critical to ensure that the wall colors are finely tuned to match the exact hues of the expensive furnishings, fabrics and choice of area rugs. To reverse the process spells disaster! All great interior designers start from the inside of the room and work outward!

For this project many family heirlooms were incorporated as seen in the dining and formal living rooms. In the kitchen, hearth room, breakfast and wine bar area, additional new furnishings were selected to complement the traditional heirlooms.