Written by Michelle Adams | Photographed by Marta Xochilt Perez

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BROUGHT TO YOU BY OUR FRIENDS AT HUNTER DOUGLAS, KOHLER, WOVN HOME, AND EMTEK

Lonny editor Michelle Adams shares a dramatic before-and-after transformation inspired by classic design.

Welcome back to our renovating series! For those just joining us, we’ve been remodeling our 90’s-inspired ranch since the spring of 2022, documenting the journey in a ten-part series. In Part One, we turned our neglected pool into a resort-style retreat; in Part Two, we enhanced our home's exterior with a brand-new deck; and in Part Three, we unveiled our revamped primary suite. Now, in Part Four, we’re delighted to reveal the total transformation of our living room, kitchen, and dining areas.

To create a clear focal point in the living room, we added a large fireplace. I chose a painted brick finish to make it look like it has always been there. We also warmed up the room with rustic beams, a deep bookcase, and stained wood flooring.

As a reminder, my goal with this renovation was to create a home that will stand the test of time. Achieving this goal meant removing the decidedly '90s influences found throughout the home and replacing them with more timeless choices. I took inspiration from classical architects such as Gil Schafer and Michele Bönan and worked with my trusted sidekicks Chuck Braham of William Charles Custom Homes, and Jeanmarie Ulrich, to completely change the look and feel of our home.

I've been particularly excited to share the living room, dining room, and kitchen with you all, as the transformation is admittedly jaw-dropping. It's a great example of how it's possible to make a home your own, almost regardless of what it looks like when you purchase it.

When we bought this home, the market was, for lack of better words, insane. We lost out on eight offers and watched house after house around us sell for a significant margin over asking and without inspections. The process was exasperating, to say the least, and caused us to expand our search to areas and homes that I, as a designer, normally wouldn't have considered. When we eventually found this home, I knew it had an extraordinary amount of potential, but I surprised even myself with the results.

Living Room

The living room presented a unique challenge with soaring ceilings at varying heights, a lack of a clear focal point, and an uncentered, ho-hum window through which to see the property's spectacular views. So we rolled up our sleeves and got to work, starting with the creation of strong focal points on each wall: a fireplace, three large windows, and formal entrances topped with transoms. Chuck framed out a chimney and large-scale mantel to complement the room's proportions. He then installed a Golden Blount firebox with gas logs. We didn't have the budget to build a chimney that could handle a wood-burning fireplace (gas is apparently much easier to vent), so I decided that at the very least, I wanted a firebox without a glass door to mimic the look of a wood-burning fireplace. After the insert was installed, we finished off the mantel with bricks and painted it white in an effort to make it look like the fireplace has always been there.

Next, we addressed the very dated ceiling by closing it off in a clean vault and adding rustic beams and beadboard for texture and charm. The newly formed vault added much-needed symmetry to the room and lowered the ceiling, which helped it feel more inviting and cozy. I finished off the ceiling with an oversized Noguchi lantern that emits a soft glow and helps make the room's remaining height feel a bit more down-to-earth.

On the living room's main wall, we added three large Andersen windows to take in the views of our property and brighten up the space. I partnered with Hunter Douglas to install their Provenance Woven Wood Shades in a rich brown hue that adds warmth to our all-white palette. The shades are connected to PowerView Automation, which allows the shades to be scheduled to automatically reposition throughout the day for optimal lighting, privacy, and energy efficiency. An added bonus: since we travel often, the automatic raising and lowering of the shades at set times helps give the appearance that someone is home.

I also worked with the team at Wovn Home to create custom drapery using a favorite Lee Jofa fabric called Elba Stripe. The process was simple—I sent in my measurements, and they instructed me on how much fabric to ship them (they, of course, have plenty of their own fabrics to choose from, which I used in the rest of my home, making the process even easier). In just five weeks, the most perfect Euro pleat drapes and a custom curtain rod arrived, giving the room a finished, tailored look.

To complete the room, Chuck and Jeanmarie added baseboards, trim, casing, and proper window sills that lend a historic feel to the home and some much-needed character. The honey-colored floors were stained a dark charcoal with a touch of chocolate brown mixed in for warmth. I defined the seating area with a sisal rug by Annie Selke in a custom size to take advantage of the room's grand scale, and layered in my favorite pieces of furniture that I've used on repeat since buying my first home a decade ago.

Before & After

The newly vaulted room is balanced by large windows, transom-topped entryways, and a large scale fireplace.

Closing off the upstairs with a vaulted ceiling made the room feel less chaotic. The addition of transoms above each new entry added architectural detailing and charm.

Kitchen

If this kitchen feels vaguely familiar, it's because I copied an old favorite—the East Hampton home and set of Be My Guest with Ina Garten. Garten's barn kitchen has absolutely stood the test of time, feeling just as fresh today as it did fifteen years ago when House Beautiful celebrated its design as their Kitchen of The Year. With an investment as large as a kitchen, it makes sense to hunt for timeless inspiration and to avoid trends at all costs.

With Garten's kitchen as a jumping-off point, we started by raising the ceiling and eliminating the small space upstairs that had previously been used as an awkward office. While our house is considered a ranch, it does have one room above the garage, and adjacent to that room was this tiny space above the kitchen that I was happy to remove.

Once the ceiling was opened up, the kitchen and the living room became one cohesive space for living, cooking, and entertaining. Then we got to work creating the Ina Garten look with a custom 9' island topped with honed charcoal granite (Garten apparently used Belgian limestone, but I was unable to source that here in Michigan). Symmetrical open shelving, a central hood and range, and a stainless steel backsplash echo the look of Garten's iconic kitchen, while beadboard-clad cabinetry topped with polished nickel hardware from Emtek completes the look. I chose 3" Cup Cabinet Pulls for the drawers, 1.25" Norwich Knobs for the cabinets, and 12" Westwood Appliance Pulls for our refrigerator, freezer, and dishwasher.

The sink and faucet are my go-to's from Kohler, which I've used in several projects—the Artifacts Two-Hole Bridge Kitchen Sink Faucet with side sprayer, and the Cape Dory Sink, and I added the powerful Reckon Garbage Disposal. I was also super excited that Kohler recently introduced a beverage faucet in the Artifacts collection that I now use for my RO water. (Any of you who have hunted for a good-looking RO faucet will get why this is such a score!)

While the island and tall bay of cabinets were custom-built, the cabinetry inside was actually sourced from Ikea! Another cost-saving moment—I found our Aga induction range on Facebook Marketplace, as I sourced our appliances during a time of supply chain disruptions due to COVID and other world events and had been unable to find a model in stock that we could afford.

Finally, to mimic the wicker baskets that Garten keeps at the end of her island, I ordered a set of trash and recycling bins made of woven wicker. The counter stools were a purchase from Home Depot that I stained a deep brown to match our Hunter Douglas shades and newly stained flooring.

In the adjacent eating area, I took inspiration from the Shelter Island home of designer Alfredo Paredes with a round dining table that I found on Craigslist centered under a mirrored chandelier by RTO Lighting. I used outdoor wicker chairs from Pottery Barn to keep the room feeling casual and summery and draped my table with a Tensira tablecloth. (Jayson Home makes a very similar one!) Finally, the room's bay windows were all topped with Hunter Douglas Provenance Woven Wood Shades in the same Auckland Kiwi color that matches my dining chairs, flooring, and counter stools. This room gets the eastern sun in the morning and strong western light at sunset, so the shades are essential.

Dining Room

I have to admit, the total transformation of this room really makes me smile. When we bought the house, the dining room was completely characterless. There was one entrance from the living room and an interior window that looked into the foyer. (I've never understood interior windows and cut-outs...) So we started by turning the awkward window into an additional entry, which opened up the dining room to the rest of the house.

Then, as always, I addressed the lack of a clear focal point in the room. I did this by having Chuck frame out a fireplace and mantel, except this time, to save on cost, we didn't actually make the fireplace functional. Adding proper ventilation and a chimney would have added roughly $20k to our project, so instead, I opted for an antique marble mantel to use as an architectural detail and an obvious focal point to build the room around. I sourced the mantel from a fantastic shop called Mantel House, and Chuck and Jeanmarie flanked it with custom built-in bookcases.

The chandelier for this room was a discovery I made at an antique show in Parma, Italy. It cost less than most new chandeliers from big-box retailers and carries a sense of history and craftsmanship. I topped it off with paper shades from Antoinette Poisson to help tone down the grandeur and placed a large antique mirror across from it to reflect its sparkling glow.

To add architectural detailing, Chuck and Jeanmarie built transoms above both entrances and added baseboards, trim, window casings, and proper window sills. The windows were further enhanced by Hunter Douglas Provenance Woven Wood Shades (in the same color as the living room and kitchen shades for consistency), which provide privacy at night. I then installed custom drapery from Wovn Home in a gorgeous brown linen that they stock, making the ordering process a cinch.

Finally, a custom-sized woven sisal rug from Annie Selke helps define the dining space, and I finished off the room with an antique dining table (since we sold our previous table to the owners of our last house) and upholstered chairs from Ikea that I topped with Etsy slipcovers. (If you’re interested, shoot the seller a note to let her know you’re using the Ikea chairs and she can guide you on sizing or make custom covers for you. I added mine right on top of the existing Ikea slipcover.)