A Starter Ranch Turns Into a Dream Home After a Top-to-Bottom Renovation

After meeting her clients, a husband and wife with two elementary school-age kids, Steph Morris of North + Birch Interior Design couldn't help asking the question: "Are you sure you don't just want to move?" But the couple, who live in suburban Detroit, wanted to stay put. They have relatives nearby and love their school district and community.

So they enlisted Morris and her team to turn their starter ranch into their dream home, boosting style and space, beauty and function. The designer's power move came in the formerly divided kitchen and living room, now unified as a single, flowing L-shape space where the whole family hangs. The renovation has transformed together time, says the wife: "I'm standing at the island, the kids are at the counter, my husband is watching sports, and it's all way more enjoyable."

Pattern Accents and Tough Fabrics

In the kitchen, patterned tiles behind the range ensure that the shapely Venetian plaster hood is a focal point. Moroccan-style zellige subway tiles cover the rest of the kitchen backsplash. Throughout the house, real life with kids drove furniture choices: The treated linen sofa cleans up fast, and the woven coffee table is sturdy yet lightweight—easy to move for wrestling matches.

Opening Up the Kitchen

Should we stay or should we go? Morris made it easy for this family to love the one they're with. She opened up the kitchen by removing the peninsula and also taking down a wall between the eating area and the living room. Those shifts made room for a new island that anchors upgraded cabinets, quartz countertops and new flooring.

Living Room Makeover

Morris paired white walls (Benjamin Moore Swiss Coffee OC-45) with off-white trim and doors (Behr Confident White GR-W12) for subtle contrast. Local artist Erinn Schultz painted the commissioned piece over the fireplace—and left a handwritten note on the back.

The carpenter mixed varying styles and widths of casings and moldings to build a new, more substantial fireplace surround that mimics the kitchen cabinetry's crown molding. The veined material is porcelain.

Focal Point

"The living room is the visual center point of the entire home," Morris says. "To walk anywhere you have to go through here." An area rug grounds the furniture, which is oriented toward a glass-front built-in and so-cool Samsung Frame TV.

Smooth Traffic Flow

A curvy and compact pedestal dining table by the back door lets traffic flow smoothly between the kitchen and outdoors. After waiting months for a back-ordered table, Morris had a local carpenter build this solid-wood version.

Coffee Bar Perks

Downsizing a bath from venti to grande gained space for a coffee bar. Brass and polished nickel in the lighting and hardware echo the kitchen's look. "Mixing metals is one way to make a space look very custom," Morris says.