Ted and Marzie just closed on their “new” 1948 ranch house. But… do we really call it a ranch house, when the facade also has some delicious Streamline Moderne married to it? And… how should they decorate? Ted wants our ideas — and has sent photos to inspire our input. The invitation is out: time for all of us to put out thinking caps on and play decorator-designer!
Hi, I have a problem I’m hoping you and your readers can help me with. I just purchased a house because it spoke to me, only I can’t quite figure out what it is saying yet. It’s giving me mixed messages. The house is a 1948 ranch with the typical long, low horizontal lines of a wide, single story house with a hip roof and big overhangs, combined with the strong vertical lines of a curved glass block and brick Art Deco “Waterfall”, or “Streamline Moderne” entry. So is it a mid-century modern ranch, or is it Art Deco or just plain eclectic?
Some details have been lost over the years, but some remain like the original pink and blue bathroom, and there was a swinging kitchen door found up in the attic with a round port in it reminiscent of a ship (think Streamline). The bathroom addition to the right with its high, small windows is totally wrong, and the rest of the interior is just plain vanilla post war ranch with its plain, narrow trim and 8′ ceilings.
I have some ideas, many actually, but I’m struggling to come up with a cohesive direction to go with for this house as far as design inside and out. Do I use the remaining original bathroom with its worn tile as my inspiration, and match the new kitchen to it, or do I go with a more modern (1950’s/1960’s) feel throughout? Personally, I’m seeing red countertops and light birch cabinets for the kitchen on the inside, and sunny yellow with bright blue doors and grey trim for the exterior. I admit, I’m typically drawn to Arts & Crafts/Revival houses of the 1930’s with their warm, custom crafted details, so I’m a little out of my element.
I’d love to hear what ideas you and your readers have, including directing me to vendors that might fit the bill.
Ted, whatever you call it, I love it — thank you for sharing; congratulations; and hooray that this house has made its way into thoughtful hands. And I love your sense of humor. Yes, readers say they listen to their houses, too, and sometimes it even gets… spooky! Okay, readers, here’s your chance:
- What to call the style of this house?
- How to remodel in a way that suits the original architecture — kitchen, bathrooms, colors for the exterior, and general ideas welcome!
Amy says
It’s saying I’M AWESOME & please keep my PINK bathroom & remodel the kitchen to reflect a 50’s look – LOVE IT!!!
Ted Crocker says
Here is a link to a Waterfall house that grabbed my attention as far as interior design goes. I especially like the warmed up interior with the wood base moldings and window sills.
http://www.glamourdrops.com/posts/2014/11/11/historical-architectural-style-the-art-deco-waterfall-house
Felicia Alexander says
Thank you for the link to this beauty. I know you won’t be putting ceramic plank flooring into your kitchen, though ; ) . Looking forward to the photos of your completed project at some future date!
Charles says
I really hope that the Chevy II out front is yours! Would be a perfect vehicle to complement the house.
Ted Crocker says
It is!
Jay says
This has been one of the most interesting posts on RR. So many readers offering links to interesting reference materials and photos. Ted you have been most gracious in taking the time to respond to so many comments, providing great feed back on what so many of us usually try to determine if a house’s features are original or not. That picture of the house backside is sure busy, all though vents and exhausts. You must either be an architectural designer or in construction – it’s always great to see plans and you have a great grasp of space and how it works. Hope you are able to achieve your vision of the proposed plan to enjoy the back yard views. Thanks again for sharing with RR and thanks Pam for the post.
Ted Crocker says
Hi Jay,
I too have enjoyed this conversation. There have been so many great ideas and links presented here, some I never thought of, some things I’ve never heard of, and many that have given me great inspiration or helped solidify my ideas.
I appreciate your words and thank you for the encouragement. I get a little nervous exposing my plans knowing this time around I cannot be a purist due to time and money constraints, but I do want to stay true to the spirit of the house. I also realize most things in life involve some degree of compromise, so the anal side of me has to let go a bit.
You are close in your guess. I am a mechanical engineer by trade, but I enjoy the artistic side of designing more than anything. It also doesn’t hurt that I’ve had my hands in several construction projects and I enjoy restoring things like boats, cars, and houses.
When the construction is completed, I will share photos. Marzie and I are looking forward to being able to nest in what we hope will be our last house.
valerie rodriguez says
love your house esp the floors and that pink bathrm and all the light.
hope you will make a cosey back yard with lots of plants. enjoy…
Joe says
Very nice house. I’d have a lot of fun bringing it back to its style roots. The house really doesn’t have a particular style. Obviously, someone wanted to be “different” when the house was built, and they just took standard plans and took artistic license to put their own individual style stamp on it. Where I live, there seems to have been a high proportion of Post-War style setters, because quite a few new homes were built with “artistic license” to the standard plans. I prefer to neither think about or discuss those who purchased an already-existing home and “improved” it – yuck!
If the new owners really want the home to be in its full glory, they won’t decorate it or furnish it to look on-trend with today’s styles. It’s simply a matter of finding a retro-TV show channel and start watching shows like The Dick Vandyke Show, The Joey Bishop Show, Perry Mason, etc. , and picking up the vibe from them and running with it!
It’s basically just move in and take a good look around, then sit back and be very quiet. Trust me, the house will tell you what it wants. Been there, done that, with great results.
Nina Garfinkel says
Am thinking this might be a 1948 ranch that was renovated sometime in the 80s when glass block and Deco-ish details were “in.” The bathroom and some of the hardware details definitely look original.
I would figure out what spoke to you the most: the 1948 or the Deco, as true Deco was pretty over by 1948. I would try to find images of typical 1948 suburban architecture/interior design and see if that’s the direction you would like to go. If you want to go w/the Deco look, you can always watch some “Miami Vice” reruns.
Kitty says
Aha! Another art moderne transition house! I live in one of these as well (mine was started in 1946, completed and registered with the city in 1951), though instead of a ranch, we’re a mix of art moderne and Cape Cod traditional (it’s weird, but it works). I think the most important aspect about houses like these is to remember that the architecture and its elements are far closer to the 1920s/30s than they are to the 1950s – the details are more reminiscent of what would be built pre-WWII than what you would find in the Cold War/atomic ranch era. Pam has a ton of great resources for 1940s design here on her site, but a couple of others that I have found helpful as we bring our art moderne transition home back to life:
– Sherwin Williams has an entire “streamline era” palette, which is a great place to start for colors and color combinations. I believe you can find the basic colors online; but a store manager will be able to help you get copies of the palette options (usually, two base colors and one trim color).
– House of Antique Hardware has a wonderful collection of art deco hardware for doors, windows, cabinets, etc. While I love to use new old stock or bring original fixtures back to life, it’s not always possible (especially for things like windows). This is a great source of heavy brass hardware that’s right within the style of your home.
– For bathrooms – please, please, PLEASE do not rip out that pink and blue beauty! It looks to be in great condition – might need a little TLC on the cabinets, but the tile looks good (maybe some loose grout issues, easy to fix). For the other bathroom, I would go with ceramic, but maybe keep it to a simple white and then use paint or other little details (lighting, fixtures, shower curtain/linens, etc) to bring out the vintage feeling of the home. Our house unfortunately had both its original kitchen and bathroom ripped out and replaced by a 1990s faux wood monstrosity (truly hideous), and we didn’t have the budget to go full-on vintage restoration. Instead, I went with really simple white plumbing in the bathroom, painted it up using the SW streamline palette, and added a deco-style chrome light, chrome and glass shelves, and other little details. Even though its not the original, it looks like the bathroom now belongs in the house (and not a bit of particle board or phony wood to be found!)
– If you’re looking for interior inspiration, I find going straight to an original source is the most helpful – old copies of interior design and ladies magazines from the year your house was built. A lot of libraries have big bound collections of popular magazines like Ladies Home Journal, Better Homes & Gardens, House Beautiful, etc. After calling to make sure that I would be granted access to them, I spent an afternoon at the library of a local university flipping through huge old volumes of magazines – and getting loads of pictures on my phone in the process (the research librarian who helped me told me it was OK to photograph pages with my phone, but I wasn’t allowed to use the copier or scanner – the light would damage the old pages). The thing that I found most helpful about the old magazines is that it shows how the furniture layout in these homes were originally (especially in a world pre-TV). My house (and yours too, most likely) has tiny rooms with narrow hallways, which made me wonder what kind of furniture (and what size of furniture) would have originally fit inside such little spaces. The magazines clued me in to what furnishings might have been found in my home when it was built, and since then, I’ve been able to find some very similar furniture at antique malls, yard sales, etc.
I hope that my comments are helpful (sorry that they are so verbose!) Please post updates while you are working on your beautiful “new” home!
Ted Crocker says
Thanks for your comments, and especially for letting me know about the S-W Streamline palette. My local store didn’t have that brochure, so I wasn’t aware of it. I’ll have to inquire about it.
Please don’t shoot me for ripping out the pink bathroom. I explained my reasoning and compensating factors elsewhere. It hurts me as much as you, but in the end it will be for the better, and the new bathrooms will be in the same style (if not pink).
I wish I could see what your house looks like as it sounds equally eclectic.
Carolyn says
Ted, as you know, RR people are very protective of the pink bathrooms. Since you have your reasons for having to remove it, we at least ask that you make every attempt to dismantle it for someone else to use and not go all tv show on us using a sledge hammer where a mallet and chisel would do the job effectively. Granted, there will be a few tiles that won’t survive but there are crafters out there that can use chips for mosaics.
Thank you for taking us on this journey. We all look forward to seeing before & after pics along with journal entries. Most of us have said to live in the house and allow it to speak to you so moving our present furniture in to the spaces and then explaining why whatever worked or didn’t would be welcome. (I’ve found that most people who don’t like “cramped” ranches have filled them with over-sized furniture and appliances and then blamed the house!)
Jo-Ann says
Ahem, I believe I have dibs on those pink tiles, having already offered to buy them. I will arm wrestle any of you for them.
Jo-Ann
Kristen J says
That is a cool house you’ve got there. I’d label it early ranch with moderne influence. I have a late 1940s minimal traditional on my block with the same curved entry and smaller glass block window.
Your kitchen definitely needs some attention. Have fun redesigning that. I think the sink should be under the window and there should be little shelves on the flanking cabinets with decorative scalloped trim along the top. That is 1940s.
I wonder if your garage is an addition; a sympathetic historic addition. The interior brick steps into the breezeway look like exterior ones, and it just seems like an add on. Do other houses around you have garages?
Ted Crocker says
As I look for clues about what the house was originally, I noticed the following. The other houses around me, mostly bungalows, do have attached single car garages, many of which have been converted to living space. They do not have breezeways, but this house definitely did between the main house and the garage (note the exterior brick steps. The windows and doors in the garage and the garage door all have brick moldings, like the neighboring houses, whereas the main house has the stucco rolled into the windows in a streamline way, EXCEPT in one place – the pink bathroom’s original casement windows have brick moldings. Go figure. Honestly, as someone else noted, I think the original designer architect wasn’t really sure where he was going with the design of this house. The rear elevation (seen in link) is really goofy, even before changes. Imagine the area between the garage and house open, but with a half-height cinder block wall and gate, and the rear house door probably had no vertical division to the lites, only horizontal. Other than that, this is what it looked like. The windows are all over the place.
https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/G8LoP8LrHbT1f-hNrgwA4BL-qHyAp6by0-f3wodWeI2WBBryKOESpMVRnRVwazyLoS5llVGcwlPY9qLbrwgmgzsbilYqQltp8fR0ZONJ26sY3U3OutRAyLiWjeAu3vMTfBa6P9jUD4z98cuv25_6gSPzotTHRHol5dB76Fr_28iay0iyRl3coHcz-OwhtgerkycJaxxlPp_vYTz25OtdehbhMu-qa11WCG-PR4Vro6ltNY3chVIqT2lQsak0TpWx-86A-rnK2Hzajo5NQdvzMKstnGC5_KZX2RmcWhFNNgtuRu_Yr5PRa257E1THyVow-uPtLaIR86dwBY32du7ajwVQjP1M10BbDUG1MlyDPu4R-szZPPZdjoby5AzeXohX7-X1yoVlcP0PQ6QljmcVBJouTugX56s8JhRE2GYDjaJkOeN5eaMUJaT-SOzAoFfX-KWE3ugQJq-0DF92qXTHYAXyMTpncvmhhvitYLVhs9dVdNPLQ-XWRoGzGvmdADywsAiwJfkI2ewW0lD_lqKhE__BLF1izCFWznjeTIdB9NXBxDD-yiXOnRbPkG3djG1wFV2fMw2vgbWt__yi_6Rxof0SMk0q3F3ZO20Vg7aKCuFp2qAdQkB8LkRxcGnKfwQysQz-n3imixmDCbTBL0Bagey7j9Ozt5TL1QF27IGT-x9zdw=w1482-h353-no
Kristen J says
That rear elevation is funky. All those different window styles!
Some of the eclecticism could be alterations over the years. Maybe not the original design. But your entryway is a grander version of my neighbor’s (even the wood door) so that was not unknown.
Get neighborly and find the person on the block who has lived there the longest. They can tell you a lot about what the houses were like and how they have evolved. I had a 90 year old who built her 1955 house, and saw mine built a year later. She was a great source of information.
Ted Crocker says
Here are some of my drawings for what I think is a somewhat cohesive design. The bathrooms will have a period feel, complete with appropriate tile if not colored fixtures. The design involves the removal of partition walls rather than load bearing (less costly), the addition of an in-law unit in the breezeway for Marzie’s mom, moving the master suite to the front of the house at the existing living room and the dining and living room to the rear of the house off the kitchen where the ceiling will be opened up above the living room and wood clad. Windows and exterior doors are typical for the period and match the original casements and french doors. The fireplace, fireplace surround and interior doors are more 50’s style as is the kitchen. Streamline elements will be picked up in railings, countertop shapes, a curved shower enclosure, and period lighting fixtures. Landcsaping will be cleaned up and the new will emphasize the low and wide with some pops at the corners like Bird-of-Paradise or the like. The program I am learning to use seems to have some limitations in the version I purchased, so bear with me on some of the finer details.
https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/QkUditAlnAQw5NQAf1hftPBxyU72K-Lk0gFZj7fAcbGLNJ0vDb4DPf5YvXmibf7XIMhMdsC7YsE-vZp9usTSpuGIFo_1KbDcg71swzgJEga6OFdJLxAZ_E6RvgmIT7qej3yaM8ee8dp4c5nuuwYpiIFa1ilKvZIUGrKwbZgatUevcYU18tkgnSMmVH1V2wDtu-G4ynDUXNVKOr-PNzcJPmX_h1iA9lb63aahbw6A9v9IcZIvqGiMom7ChmvfomyhGdYLFgufzAyerXpbkthVtpU3wMZQqSrDrKVPOCzkeGXFLJb-_6Bdjzwk2UlPgg8z8slBvdemyc7HjoKScC_AmzuDzB07C94lzzVa2fIfOSi0zrTRwSYi0zU-1G0j5zgtNbx7BIrbfDo_rwe7ojMMA851XRpUSkjhz-Ma6rWQIMT_xgNvoFIJtUjwL1HH-ElfcjDj4kmx0mXz7edcVjUr75V7EDs6a227anaS5pa3cpGmNfsV5SCEs__8WyzGEaarNxtHzBEN9km3EEcKAdReuYgkUvf9wa6ATCXUztSd74By_rxB-n1s-8BlpYJvgkYrGbfZY_uqW_mpHrUse-kKicn1NzcDxJzHB4G1ICRhLDlap1PSxdt4-ln1h7n8d9SUHa_JKxmsoYXGzEJfVfBxFin74Hj8BjLVeHcTXrWEMbE8RA=w1399-h749-no
https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/f2MqQzXBxviTFIYC0NG56yUxBRDEBeGGUW9sBS_7k7hoZNXsv_mrCuTHvuURpHdVxcQfbx9YB8dijcJSOqT6Oo48r-A-yWSnK10Kcurx6NZg-ax3BbvmOXHd-A2dybZhvm3Wnwg-ajaSjkBQkVDN39GbKJs4Jzt6QhieCPfj1pOlVCBaalJqf6GTumbX_1hxA-VJrbH66nExPGFbFq9O3gvDpV_GJccf_Dr7msR1bhFFt4IU7fGo0KHn5CdPszx5Vwkgn6SZKgnuUuVzP4MdBxiq-SVRSHybIHxPtkACKGeGT6lfaFoNK71asaEu9Xa2sWaRUhkpi7j7eFqmyzzS67Pv5JCN2wLFzlhkYGWvKBkEinhyIm1DUWhYKtVI0GjJJdPlPy_EAiCun-hPYRAS7tVVkzUTM40j92eJXyjMLet4wvB2nrPib43Ekvd3ra4GZ2fuHub9bJUvEZAy_5iWGMIYCNckHIiPZ89odd0Goim3ptPAaao1UPiHarBhe5-vMb0e9VxV6ln1x-M-_X75H7hN6nAM1HqaXULEYNoRR7XVH1Vy4aUERKVggvLtb-HRSiIO9BeYepPUOUGQMmb9lj6ypsU7OMEkVR6IckCnaWMEDc2KpMx6CNcBGvPtzt1VK6g3YzdeX7kBcKxGDUD-JdYBiMQ8HISn9q0r6Gi-GIXR5g=w1525-h816-no
https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/KavXSHtXP78qMM0K2K5ODbmqfL84u-sh7mgawJyF424QyWZRV8P1pxgm1tGnm5LLvjRIjyc48lH3jXvnIafvURz9XduLWDN1XiYDKCc6PPnqVJGIJf2o5FRROP3vNk1519BLVhr93nhLt4XJRIh1WYWC-qdhE_xwaJtTJvzRApwMaPYLNpnGs4epGLhiwHM3D27_9_3ImHseXCF_kyX9m9AQ7HGti89VvXUxJau5P7PULwyegrgJ7kIlXANSCIq4an_U1tummmomfXDclDZ_C7LTiLKdktzALsrSjAgnVQR5e3q7Afv-lP80GxvSG3dbq-g4IHsJHu7UgZYz5lJgCWkJyJtQCd8QYY0j8NzXfw9CZJk8ScMm2g27ZFRdBuXmq-eDUW3P2q_Glj45DEm_Zf_AC0cmF5UVKHjb2odrXuAcLwGyTSaW1oZ4qP01JoF6sMb7XxpLYM1-I90AFYMOsP2fLVc0zygFeUyVEkm_9p8Eh1yPKJU_vA2Li66YYYcSvj1QnkCpwtvyfLWsWRlazE575sudsXiX99A2eD8gvS3ietWlGsKIEXMuU7XWu40TGcJ9TZrUeYiN0aDbWa3h9D9n29Hc0o3NUTDkqKaHcXWhMBzbwVpD9Nf7rAsQxYenC2BDTnm8mNP9JPY59YMV8L4XSlbzzgnhLPSB0G6NDcuDyw=w1508-h816-no
https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/T7zc8WnWWiwnKkc6oEiNFMlwb8-nw2l3rtqMVDNfGvYs5zPp_pDOVlDSn1ShnHV9bRBVPj3ooYqmR1WqsiisAOSJ8DVBj3WWk8LzfzqlMuPA3IFfcp5Dsn9O4Ro9CqKO0hHe2CNnPEqlHQleQbqy84zolDQPQ_QgS8R-gtjrKihCp4AYVwHrj3Ztg0mfx824EAu9FRCN1Q8sTl0jwoaYVLUBea-v3L8cS7SqibBn6dok2fZ8mZRmkNDzcVzPFzN8A6-JS_3Dw0nJ5_TaRovhikohc1l9JtpeVFEsS-U_2qWCsZhKCDCs1a56aeuDS0M7G40dl-ufRDMnXh7NS51w1rEcCGV94talMrph9V3K5ZdI_ANvOVGoZaLpUgXSdeOQxM7IeuFFJsIGBqW4geiC_zxJAoRjRXMOYhG—2WkHdcD5cOop8OTD8qXAfawGj6E0-VAZPUGoTKzMsKrh6UgB1FCyXq-nromw3yFKs0pYGxENYke4WKbRhPZTUAbCduR3WT-BWcLtAD4s2FzXE1H_b_MMZ1k9u7yun6WzdC-7cQ_Dp9uG9wMMRERHMLOxb4C9pdzscfaatVg5N-o_uHQ3fvBI0MhzKsGyLPjc5SZdzxkcGUiEg8YRKotD0S1UConue1MiuxJ10Le1TP3ad34dhS8Wzki5PA0u4A7nfk8oOPdQ=w1515-h822-no