A ranch style home.
Ranch style homes were popular from the 1920s to the 1970s. These homes are typically only one story, with clean lines and a low roof. If you feel like your ranch home looks plain compared to more modern architecture, modernize the space with low-cost decorating.
Instructions
1. Open up your floor plan. If your ranch home is older, you might feel closed off in the kitchen. Hire a contractor take down the upper cabinets that face the dining room. This will give you a more open floor plan that lets more light into your kitchen. Add a kitchen island and a few barstools where guests can congregate.
2. Bring in character. Ranch style homes often feel featureless or plain, due to the style's bare bone's approach to design. Create a focal point in each room. Paint one wall a dramatic color, or hang floor-to-ceiling drapes. Add simple, rustic moldings.
3. Add height. Tear out low, drop ceilings or replace them with more modern ceiling tiles. Replace your fluorescent lighting with updated fixtures to heighten the ceiling and cast a softer light.
4. Make an entryway. Ranch style homes usually open into the living room. Add a rug or different type of flooring inside the door to create the feeling of an entryway. Place a bench where you can take off your shoes to further delineate the space.
5. Go casual. Ranch style homes aren't meant to be formal, which makes them ideal for pets and kids. Decorate with soft, washable fabrics like microsuede. Accessorize with useful items like books and lamps. Hang family portraits on the wall so you can share your favorite memories with your friends.
6. Choose furniture that makes a statement. This will help draw the eye away from the house's simple lines. Invest in funky furniture in fun colors like red, yellow, green or orange. A large sectional can serve as a relaxing place to look out of your ranch style home's large windows.
7. Incorporate retro elements. Decorate with modern shag rugs to bring a sense of fun to the space, while being true to the time period of its origin. Use large porcelain lamps in bright, eye-catching colors.
8. Focus on the garden. Ranch style homes often have yards with mature trees that have been growing for decades. Decorate your outdoor space with a fire pit or outdoor sectional. The eye will be drawn to the patio and your home will have more usable square footage.
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