PLAY ON GEOMETRY AND LIGHT

 This home in Vietnam designed by Block Architects is named "Old Meets New House." And, aptly so. Built in 2018, it has the most intriguing modern geometric shapes created through the placement of brickwork and the play on light they in turn relay onto all walls and surfaces. In contrast, the exterior feels traditional, almost even as if it is a tudor, and interior details nod to mid-century. 

IT ALL COMES TOGETHER IN SUCH A PERFECT BALANCE.

via Arch Daily

1959 RANCH HOUSE REMODEL

I BOUGHT A HOUSE!!

It's been a week now since closing. And, I have to say, immediately it felt at home. I didn't have that settling in period where I was slowly getting used to a new space.  

IT JUST FELT RIGHT FROM THE GET-GO.

Winter seems like such a long time ago when I started my house hunt. But, the house I ended up purchasing was one of the first I physically looked at way back then...I actually got stuck in the snow covered ditch out front when I drove by to take a peek! It was as if it was saying, "Don't leave; Come stay awhile." I looked at a handful of others - the 1985 river house and mid-century farmstead. And, considered building from scratch while living in an RV. But, I just kept coming back to "the Sibley Lake house." It was everything I was looking for. I'll share photos soon. In the meantime, the Cliff May ranch re-design, Sarah Sherman Samuels Michigan home and the below Seattle 1959 ranch house renovated by SHED Architecture and Design have a similar feel to my new home and will serve as inspiration as I make it my own.  

SARAH SHERMAN SAMUEL'S MICHIGAN HOME

If you're completely unsure (and downright doubtful!) how the house I featured yesterday could be brought up to date, enter Sarah Sherman Samuel 

WHO MOVED FROM CALIFORNIA TO MICHIGAN WITH HER FAMILY AND PURCHASED A HOME SIMILAR IN STYLE AND TURNED IT INTO PERFECTION.

All images in this post are after the renovation, but Sarah has a lot of fun before and after photos and posts on her blog so you can see just how far the house has come. For quick access you can also find a round-up of posts related to the reno here including sources and some of the projects they DIY'd themselves.

WHAT I LOVE MOST ABOUT SARAH'S DESIGN IS THAT HER STYLE IS IN A CLASS OF ITS OWN - IT IS JUST THE RIGHT BALANCE OF TRADITIONAL, FARMHOUSE, BOHEMIAN, AND CLASSIC ALL ROLLED INTO ONE. 

As she shared with Domino Mag, "It was in need of some paint and some serious updates, but the bones were there, as were a few killer design details that Samuel was swooning over - like the round skylight in the family room, a retro lofted library, 22-foot-high ceilings, and a screened-in porch looking out to a sprawling swimming pool." 

Sarah jokingly comments in one of her posts about how people love their red cedar siding in Michigan, which I got a little chuckle about since here in MN is much the same - along with knotty pine EVVVVERYWHERE! It was inspiring to see what wood she chose to keep and highlight and where she chose to go with other finishing options. 

I also learned a lot from some of Sarah's window, heating, and material updates (modern Marvin windows, Warmboard in-floor radiant heating (to replace inefficient and unsightly baseboard heaters), and tiled screened in porch) since the extreme cold in her location is somewhat similar to ours and certainly needs to be a consideration. I am curious to see if over time she continues to be happy with these choices so I might do some of the same in a reno or new build. 

To dig even deeper into the reno, this is great post with even more before photos and design plans. 

1985 RIVER HOUSE

The house hunt continues and... 

I TOURED THE MOST AMAZING ONE THE OTHER DAY!

Built in 1985, it had a modern angled roofline and interior finishes that had not been updated (just the way I like them!) including florescent ceiling panels in the kitchen, thick orange carpet, and a lot of dark wood. The structure had been added onto many times so the floor plan had multiple levels and nooks adding so much interest and opening up the floor plan. It even an upstairs level accessed by a curved metal staircase! Outside, brown dark cedar board and batten siding, 8 acres with garden plot, and a 450 foot river view was the icing on the cake.

Gosh, this house would be fun to renovate! You might be surprised to hear, but I would leave almost everything (at least to start) - simply replacing all of the flooring with something more neutral and editing the decor would make a huge difference as the bones are so good!