House Tours: Ranch Home with Natural Touches

The home's hilltop location offers wide views of the trees and fields surrounding this 1967 ranch-style home in upstate New York. The ranch layout was renovated to allow the family to live indoors and outdoors seamlessly. Adding a living room and long screen porch created a home that's perfect for gathering and dining.

With a nearly 12-foot-high ceiling and big windows, the new living room has an indoor-outdoor feel. The pine-clad walls and ceiling create a warm, casual mood that balances the clean design of the fireplace and mantel. Hints of black throughout the living room, such as the fireplace surround, mantel, overhead lights, and trim, add a modern edge. At the center of the living room is a large coffee table that's large enough for the family to play games or hold everyone's dishes during gatherings.

Editor's Tip: Choose double-duty pieces for the living room to conserve space and add function. Here, the orange ottoman adds a burst of color to the room, serves as extra seating, and offers a place for feet to rest.

The decor is simple with a few modern and industrial touches. The main focus for this living room: having "livable" furniture. The homeowners picked pieces people can relax in, ranking comfort as the highest priority in their living room. They also found ways to infuse the space with color, such as a rich red storage cabinet that pops against the pine-clad walls, wood accents, and brown wing chair.

Earthy colors warm up the neutral living room. To help bring the outside in, vibrant gourds, branches, and autumn foliage decorate the mantel. Accessories in autumn hues complete the look.

An island acts as a functional feature for this room, separating the kitchen from the living room. It serves double duty as a place for guests to sit while the homeowner prepares food or a buffet during dinner parties. The kitchen's open layout makes for an easy back-and-forth to the adjoining living room, which works well for visiting with guests or family.

The renovation gave a new purpose to the previously under-utilized back entry. Adding cabinetry, a second sink, and wall ovens extended the kitchen and creates a transition spot from the deck to the interior. Chalkboard paint coats one wall, which serves as message board, guest book, and family entertainment.

The home's open floor plan required creative storage solutions in the kitchen. 10-foot-tall wall cabinets add lots of storage and eliminate the need for upper cabinets. To continue the home's country-meets-modern decor, the kitchen features a mix of vintage accents, modern colors, and stainless-steel appliances. The dark green, almost black, color of the wall cabinets and island base stands out against the pine-walls.

The screen porch serves as the hub of this home, providing the backdrop for meals, homework, and entertaining. To accommodate all of these activities the homeowners wanted an enormous table to fill the space. They picked a piece of wood from a lumber mill and had a metal base made to fit it -- the result was an 8-foot-long masterpiece. The porch emphasizes the family's love of the outdoors -- a nearly 13-foot-high ceiling and huge windows bring nature in.

A table runner and an elegant vase of fall flowers spice up the table. Mini pumpkins are effortless embellishments that celebrate the season. In the renovation, screens were added to the originally bare porch. Now the family no longer has to fight off bugs while enjoying a meal.

Editor's Tip: In a room flooded with sunlight, choose outdoor fabrics for furnishings. Outdoor fabrics are fade- and stain-resistant, waterproof, and come in a variety of colors and patterns.

A wood turntable adds natural flair and ease to gatherings on the screen porch. Cookware and dishes in spice tones unite the colors of the room and the season.