Thank you to everyone who was able to sit down and watch my HGTV debut on Saturday’s House Hunters Renovation. If you don’t have access to that channel, but you’re an Amazon Prime member, you will be able to find the episode in about 3 weeks. I think it’s an entertaining episode – there’s a great moment from the crazy hail storm that hit our area this past Spring (it destroyed my car and the producers cars). People keep asking me if it really was fun, or if I’m just saying that. The feeling on set was genuine and energetic. We laughed a lot and also were able to talk design and construction in as normal a way as you can with cameras around. Some decisions were made “on air” and, as you saw, some tears were shed. When I designed the space, I thought a lot about the homeowners and their individual tastes. Their love for their first home was inspiring to me.
I love Before and After photos – here are some from this project in case you want to see it a little closer, or, if you want to take a good look at the finished product without me (or the clients) yammering in the background.
You can see Mike (of West Elevations) looking around at the space too. This was our first look at the project and our first meeting with the clients. I was not enamored with the stair in the middle of the kitchen, but moving the stair was not an option.
And After:
We vaulted the ceiling and covered it with Beetle Kill Pine from Front Range Lumber. I designed a contemporary railing to replace the half-walls that sat here before and we added a window to connect to a new bar top outside. The clients liked subway tile, but I wanted to give them a little bit of a twist on the classic, so this is 6×6 white ceramic tile placed in a subway pattern. (Photo by Sara Yoder for Laura Medicus Interiors)
The stunning art is from Denver artist Elaine St. Louis. She paints gorgeous, large scale nests that have the ability to stop everyone in their tracks when they see them. I saw her work online, noticed the size of it and immediately contacted her for a loan for this wall. The navy blue cabinetry is by Oak Tree Classic Woodworks, a custom cabinet company in Colorado.
Here’s another view of the Nest painting and the dining area. The chandelier is from CB2. We added new red oak floors to match the rest of the home. (Photo by Sara Yoder for Laura Medicus Interiors)I moved the stove to the wall with the refrigerator to help give the homeowner more counter space to the left of the sink and allow room for the new peninsula.I did a sketch to communicate my design to the producers. I also did elevations and a floor plan, but nothing gets the point across more quickly than a sketch.I added some color also – although I did have trouble matching the gorgeous navy blue with my markers. Also, note that the ceiling was not in the original budget. I wanted it, but it was an extra $10,000 and would have to be a decision by the client.
And After:
I had a pantry knocked out at the top of the stair (the clients actually demo’ed this themselves) and replaced it with deep lower cabinets and 2 support posts wrapped in beetle kill and some open shelves. The window on the left was added in the middle of construction and threw me for a tiny loop, but anytime (well, almost anytime) you have a chance to add a window you should go for it! (Photo by Sara Yoder for Laura Medicus Interiors)Here’s the patio on the first day I saw it. We knew we wanted to expand or add a window, but it is a costly thing to do.
And After:
The window is definitely worth it when you see it from the outside. It’s a different color than the rest of the home’s windows, but we used a salvaged window here to save money. We added a beer tap and a kegerator out here as well. These were not easy adds – we originally planned for a tap inside on the walnut butcher block, but switched it to the patio once the window was added. (Photo by Sara Yoder for Laura Medicus Interiors)
What do you think? Did you watch the show? I thought it was a realistic portrayal of a renovation project condensed into about a half an hour. I don’t know how they condense all the hours of video I’m sure they have, but someone clearly has some mad editing skills. This project was fun from start to finish. I learned that having cameras pointed at you when you’re basically just doing your job makes you feel ridiculously important. It’s a silly thing, but there you go. Human beings are easily flattered, but that feeling is fleeting and at the end of the day, you’re still you (if you know what I mean).
Laura is a Denver Interior Designer who runs an Interior Design Studio based in sunny Colorado with a strong commitment to livable and interesting interiors. She also runs The Colorado Nest, a Denver blog about Design, Art and Life in the Mountain West and co-hosts the book podcast "The Inside Flap" on iTunes, Stitcher and Google Play.
View all posts by Laura Medicus Interiors
6 thoughts on “Before and After: Rustic Modern Ranch (as Seen on HGTV)”
I didn’t catch the show, but will look for it when Amazon streams it. Very nice job. Love how open and airy the kitchen looks– the dark blue cabinets with the wood. And the stairway is very much less obtrusive without the half walls. Nice update.
The Colorado Nest 
I didn’t catch the show, but will look for it when Amazon streams it. Very nice job. Love how open and airy the kitchen looks– the dark blue cabinets with the wood. And the stairway is very much less obtrusive without the half walls. Nice update.
Thank you so much! 🙂
Hi Laura. Another fantastic & worth-while read. Your blogs are always a favorite of ours, and thus we’ve posted it to Studio Designer’s Facebook – https://www.facebook.com/StudioWebware/posts/2146349832045574 – and Twitter – https://twitter.com/studiowebware/status/942443021693358080
[Edited Comment] Hi Laura. Another fantastic & worth-while read. Your blogs are always a favorite of ours, and thus we’ve posted it to Studio Designer’s Twitter – https://twitter.com/studiowebware/status/942118381318262787
Thank you so much Ken! I appreciate and use Studio Designer almost every day. 🙂 Laura