We have a certain soft spot in our heart for other owners of 1950’s ranches, especially when those owners also had to rescue their house from outdated decor. Take Maggie for example. She and her husband transformed their Texan living room into a comfortable and classic room that they’re proud to call home. Here’s her letter:
Hello John and Sherry! Ever since I found your blog over a year and a half ago I have been hooked. My husband and I recently purchased a 1951 ranch in Texas that needed a lot of work. We knew it would require a lot of commitment, but we both love do-it-yourself projects and knew that we could tackle it on our own. The room that needed the most help was our living room, which looked more like an Italian restaurant than a cozy country cottage.
Our goal was for the space to feel organic, like it had been collected over time. We have found that by purchasing only the things that we love, the space, in turn, feels more cozy than if we were to go to one store and buy a lot of coordinating items.
Here are some more tidbits about the makeover:
- The wall color is Olympic “Toasted Almond” in flat and the color on the trim, built-ins, and fireplace is Olympic “Ultra White” in semi-gloss.
- The decorations are from a variety of discounted home stores including TJ Max, HomeGoods, Tuesday Morning, Target, and even Walmart. We also found a lot of great things at resale and antique shops.
- The curtains are actually painter’s drop-clothes from Lowe’s. We knew we wanted something light and airy, but also knew we didn’t want to spend a ton of money since we needed 8 curtain panels. They fit perfect in the room, and the $9.99 price tag wasn’t too shabby either.
I also wanted to share my dated dining room makeover as a bonus:
It feels so fresh and inviting thanks to more affordable items and ideas.
Just wanted to send those pictures your way. Keep up the awesome blogging! You’ll are so inspiring! – Maggie from The Walton’s
Wow. It’s hard to believe those are even the same rooms. And we love that Maggie didn’t run the other way when she saw those spaces as they were “before.” We like how comfy and lived in everything looks now, and I particularly covet your vintage Pepsi-Cola box. Sherry will tell you I have a weird thing for old boxes and soda bottles, so you’re lucky we live several states away or else you’d have to glue that down.
Annie Lee says
Great bones to start with. Smartly transformed into a gorgeously cozy living space. I’m jealous!
Michelle says
OMG. freaking gorgeous! i LOVE it!
Amanda@Longroadset says
I’m convinced that I will buy the ugliest house just because I see now what can be done! Awesome job!
Paula M. says
What a fabulous room makeover! The difference between the dark off-putting “before” photo with that wacky cabinet and the lovely, light, open “after” photo with the opened-up, painted cabinet is astounding!
Love the use of the lighter paint colors, carried over onto the fireplace, and the color combinations used in the living room as well.
Great job! As others have commented, the new owners have a lot of vision to have seen the potential hiding below the old look.
betty in munich says
Wow was definately what I thought when I saw the first after picture. My second thought was, those drapes must have cost a fortune. I couldn’t believe it when I read they were canvas drop cloths! Genius!
Amy says
I am so excited to see an amazing built in bookshelf on your site! My husband and I recently moved in to an older home with built-ins and I am having a terrible time decorating the shelves. Thank you for posting this beautiful redo!
YoungHouseLove says
So glad you’re all loving Maggie’s makeover as much as we are!
xo,
s
MEP says
I love the white kitchens! We are planning on painting our cabinets, and I would love to do a butcher block counter top, but it’s not in the budget right (we are re-doing the entire house). Keep the kitchen ideas comng!
Rebecca Foxworth says
For the first time since reading your blog, I didn’t get it. Maybe because it was just too early in the morning and I was sneaking a peek on my mobile phone before getting out of bed? I looked at the before photo and thought, “Wow! That’s ugly!”. Then I looked at what I now realize was the after photo and thought, “Why is this totally unrelated picture here? And where is the after photo?”. I seriously had to orient myself by focusing on the chandelier in front of the window and measuring out with my eye to recognize that THIS IS THE AFTER!!! Holy cow! I did NOT recognize this as the same room! Some little door in my brain just unlocked to a whole new world of possibility. Thanks for spotlighting this transformation in your blog. I’m pretty sure I’m not the only one whose mental process got a jump-start after looking at those two pictures. Wow!
Bethany says
Hey guys, love this transformed house ….. what a great job they did!
I have a couple of questions and I would be tickled pink if you could give me any advice. (1) I’m looking for some beautiful as well as functional shelving brackets like the ones shown in the last picture. Any ideas where to find something like that for a reasonable price?? And (2), not related to this post but just because I am desperate, I am looking for bedroom furnishings in a deep, dark, rich, foresty green — drapes, duvet cover, pillows, etc. I have looked around a lot and I only find very drab washed-out greens. I am not looking for mint, lime, or even olive. The second picture in this link (with the green painted walls) is similar to what I want. http://www.apartmenttherapy.com/chicago/inspiration/stormcolored-rooms-127699 Please help!!!!
LOVE YOU GUYS AND THIS SITE!!
YoungHouseLove says
We’ve seen brackets like that at Home Depot and on sites like Ballard Designs. As for the green hunt, maybe try nextag.com to search a number of stores at once? Anyone have any ideas for Bethany?
xo,
s
Margreet says
This is amazing. It looks really stunning. I love it all, the gentle color scheme, the warm wood, the white shelves, all except the huge TV screen above the fire place. Why do so many people do that these days (also in Holland where I live)? I think that particular part looks very ugly, but otherwise, GREAT job, I wish I had such a lovely place.
I would like to see a topic some day on ‘where do we put the TV’? as this seems to be a very common problem, not knowing where to put the thing.
katiedid says
I am off to buy some drop cloths. SOooo much better! The faux stone entrance to the dining room “before”? Oh my.
Liliana says
Thanks for letting me know about floorplanner.com, I think this is the one. I need some serious furniture re-arrangement in my living room!
Liliana
Liliana says
I saw these and thought you might (might be too cutesy)like them;
http://www.etsy.com/listing/56043316/vintage-white-ceramic-field-mice
~ L.
YoungHouseLove says
Cute! Thanks for sharing!
xo,
s
Cara says
Beautiful! so pretty!
jane says
beautiful! I have been looking for a drum pendant like that one over the table…simple and light. Can you tell me where it is from?
thanks!
Monica says
Holy WOW! It looks so amazing! Great, great job!
erin says
Love it. Where did they get the coffee table?
YoungHouseLove says
Here’s hoping Maggie stops in with that info for ya!
xo,
s
christina says
Love the drop cloths, went out to buy some for our windows, however our windows are exactly as large as yours, and it seems as we might have to cut ours down a little. Did you have to do anything to yours when you put them up or did you simply hang them. Did you need to use any fabric tape? You room looks great!
Megan says
I love it! It looks beautiful. We have a 50’s ranch also. We’re about 1 month away from finishing and posting pics.
I’m actually heading to Marshall’s on my lunch break to get a chair I’ve been eyeing. :)
hi-d says
Wow is right! What an amazing transformation! I love the built ins and all of the decor. It doesn’t even look like the same space. Thanks for sharing!
pam in nc says
How many millions of us own ranch houses and the magazines want to ignore them for “showier” houses (I suppose). When I saw this makeover, I thought SPEC-TAC-U-LAR~! Seriously – what a great job. I would love living in that home. Imagine how lovely it will be decorated for the Holidays.
Christina says
What a gorgeous living room! It seriously looks like a picture out of a Ballard Designs magazine! Good work! Oh, and I love the canvas drop cloth idea – we just moved into a new home and desperately need curtains, so I may copy this idea. So, if you have any tips on how you did it, please fill us in! Thanks!
Tina says
I love the transformation! I am especially in love with the wallpaper in the dining room. Where did they get this? I’m thinking of doing something this in my very tiny kitchen…
Katie says
LOVE LOVE LOVE how they fixed things up!!! WOW! I am like them – I like a neat mishmash of things that somehow go together but aren’t matchy match. I just love what they’ve done – it is very classy!
The way that house was before… well, wow. That picture of the doorway with what looks like stone around it, which I assume was painted…. OMG. Terrible. They really did a fantastic job.