How to Achieve a Modern Look in Ranch-Style Homes

Ranch-style homes are a very popular choice among homebuyers – they are spacious, simple to maintain and navigate. Many people choose them as family homes as they are a safer environment for the little ones – a one story home minimizes the risk of falling down the stairs and similar issues. However, when it comes to their design, ranch-style homes tend to be a bit old-fashioned, which can be a disadvantage for young homeowners. Luckily, there are ways to achieve a modern look in ranch-style homes, and this guide will tell you all about it. Let’s see how you give your old-new home a fresh look and make it look more contemporary in every way.

Common features of ranch homes

To improve the look of a ranch-style property, we need to go through its basic features first. This will help us understand its main pros and cons, so we can see what are the areas that can be improved and modernized.

Ranch-style homes are spacious, single-story properties that commonly come in “L” or “U” shape. It’s a home style you can often see across the USA, especially states such as Texas. These homes have a devoted patio or deck space, an attached garage and are often built with plenty of large windows. The shape gives the opportunity to have an open concept floorplan and create a more welcoming, family-friendly atmosphere in the house. With the lack of stairs and the upper floor, the maintenance is simpler and more affordable, but the home’s layout seems to be safer for the little ones.

Can you modernize a ranch house without changing its main features – absolutely!

How to give a ranch-style home a modern look?

Ranch homes are in general quite traditional when it comes to the interior and exterior design. However, there are some things that can help you modernize it a little bit and give it a contemporary look.

Give it dimension

The simple, one-story look of a ranch home can look a bit dull. You can give it a bit of dimension by adding elements of different heights – trees, bushes, and other decorative items that will help with too simple lines of the property. Furthermore, you can use a pop of color to break the simplicity of the exterior. Bring focus to your front door as well as garage door by painting them in a bold color that goes well with the rest of the exterior.

Open-up the space

One story home layout is perfect for open-floor concept – however, that’s not the layout every ranch house has despite the possibilities. One of the ways to achieve a modern look in ranch-style homes is to remove some walls and create a wide, open-concept floor plan. This is a feature of many modern homes these days and this project is a way to add value to your property as well. You can join the kitchen, dining space and living room, and create a more family-friendly design that’s easier to navigate.

Young homeowners love open-concept floorplan – and a ranch home is a great property to have that.

Connect the patio with the interior

Patios are quite common for ranch homes, and they can be an essential part of the property if you connect them the right way. You can use modern, sliding glass doors to give direct access to the patio from the living room to the outdoors. It’s a great way to connect interior and exterior and make a great extension to your living space during warm days and evenings.

Let the wood floors shine

Many ranch-style homes include carpets made of natural materials. Removing the carpet to let the natural floors shine will surely maintain the idea of including nature into your home, but this way you can achieve a modern look as well. If there’s a well-preserved hardwood floor underneath the carpeting, you can modernize your home by refinishing the floors and adding some interesting rugs that match your interior style.

Lift the ceiling up

Ranch homes often have a low roofline, with an attic between the ceiling of the living space and the roof. Removing the attic and lifting the ceiling up will give you an airy, modern look of your living space. Exposed trusses can add to the more modern look of the interior and surely make your home feel cozier. Many Texas homeowners choose to refinish the trusses and leave the natural color of the wood or paint them in a dark color to stand out from the rest of the space. And if losing the attic space creates storage concerns, you can always invest in a quality storage unit that will help you make more room in your home without making big changes to the space.

Replace the windows

The original idea of a ranch house included large windows that would soak up all the sun. However, these were replaced with smaller versions overtime, due to the energy-efficiency of properties. Luckily, today you can have both large windows and an energy-efficient home. Modern casement-style windowswill surely help you achieve a modern look in ranch-style homes, but also ensure you maintain the interior temperature and don’t waste money on energy bills. You can maintain the airy, light look of the house, have enough natural light, but still be able to keep the optimal temperature when necessary.

It’s all in the details

A ranch-style home can be a great base for adding modern details to the traditional interior. While the interior may seem old-fashioned, you can modernize it with furniture and details to achieve a modern look. A sofa that blends into the interior with popping details such as colorful pillowcases and throws can surely refresh the whole space. It’s important to be open-minded about the style and look you want to achieve and try to mix old with new for a unique fusion of style.

Final words

It is surely possible to achieve a modern look of ranch-style homes – you just need to step out of your comfort zone and experiment with styles and features. Keeping the strongest features of a ranch property while adding modern details is a great way to fresh up the house while still enjoying its advantages.

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