Southwest Raleigh, NC | Kitchen & Home Renovation
The Starting Point
Fresh off their honeymoon in Paris, this couple came to us with a 1977 ranch that was a full-on original ‘70s time capsule. Beneath layers of wallpaper from different decades, we uncovered a charming, vibrant home with plenty of potential, but a kitchen that felt small, closed off, and disconnected from the way they wanted to live.
They were drawn to the warmth and character of the Parisian interiors they had fallen in love with while traveling — spaces that felt collected, layered, colorful, and personal rather than overly polished or sterile. At the same time, they wanted the home to function better for everyday life.
Working Within the Existing Footprint
One of the biggest challenges of this renovation was working within the kitchen’s relatively small footprint. We weren’t trying to turn it into a giant white-box kitchen or erase the character of the original ranch. The goal was to make it feel more open, connected, and functional while still respecting the scale and charm of the home.
We opened the kitchen to the dining room to improve flow and create a stronger connection between the spaces, while carefully reworking the layout to maximize storage and usability. A custom full-height pantry added much-needed storage without making the room feel crowded, and every cabinet was planned intentionally to make the compact footprint work harder.
The kitchen is still somewhat separated from the surrounding spaces — but now in a way that feels cozy and intentional rather than closed off.
Bringing in Personality
The design centered around rich terracotta cabinetry in Sherwin-Williams’ Reddened Earth, bringing warmth and depth into the home without feeling trendy or overdone.
The hand-painted ceramic tile became one of the most personal elements of the project, inspired by the colors and patterning of her grandmother’s china collection. It added a nostalgic quality that felt perfectly at home in a 1970s ranch and helped the kitchen feel layered and lived-in from the start.
Throughout the project, we leaned into the idea that homes don’t need to feel perfectly matched or overly minimal to feel beautiful. Some of the best spaces are the ones with a little personality and soul behind them.
Preserving the Charm
One of our favorite details from the project was salvaging the original scalloped window valance and giving it new life above the bar area.
It’s a small detail most people probably wouldn’t notice immediately, but those are often the elements that make a renovation feel personal instead of generic. Rather than stripping every original detail away, we tried to find moments worth keeping and reinterpret them in a more intentional way.
Designing for Real Life
As with most older homes, there were limitations we had to work around, and honestly, that’s part of what made the project interesting. Good renovations are rarely about completely reinventing a home overnight. More often, they’re about understanding what’s already there and finding ways to make it feel better, lighter, more functional, and more reflective of the people living in it.
We also used detailed renderings throughout the design process to help visualize layouts, materials, and color combinations before construction began. Especially in a home with this much personality, seeing the decisions come together ahead of time helped the clients feel confident taking a few creative risks.
The Result
The final result doesn’t feel like a completely different house — and that was never the goal. It still feels like a 1977 ranch, just a version that feels more thoughtful, functional, and reflective of the people living there now.
The kitchen feels more open without losing its sense of intimacy. The color palette brings warmth and personality into the home. And the layered details make the space feel collected over time rather than installed all at once.
If you love homes with personality, warmth, and a little bit of soul, this project is probably proof that you don’t always need a massive addition or a full gut renovation to create something special.