Living Room - After


Living Room - Before

New Life for Hard-Working Spaces

It was clear that this busy household of five used every square foot of their 1957 ranch home. The goal was to update the entry and living room so that the home felt more spacious and offered a better gathering spot for family and friends and to make the downstairs bathroom more functional and appealing.

The tall closets along the dark entry hall were removed to open up that area, and salvaged wood flooring replaced the aging wall-to-wall carpet. The result was a more beautiful and better connection between the entry, living and dining rooms. Most of the living room furniture was rearranged, with a few new pieces added, to create a series of sitting areas around a central core. New energy efficient windows opened up some views and cut down on winter drafts.

The basement bathroom serves four people and has the disadvantage of no natural light. Two sinks, a more open shower, lots of storage, and a bright but warm color palate make this space much more inviting and useful without enlarging the area. Green materials included cabinets made of bamboo plywood, US-made porcelain tile, linoleum flooring, clay paint walls, and a dual flush TOTO toilet. A favorite new feature is an automatic timer on a very quiet exhaust fan.

Kudos to Ron Hays of Eagle Creek Natural Building and his team for their artful execution of this design.

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