Everything You Need to Know About Ranch-Style Houses

Table Of Content

• Modern Ranch Style Homes with Massive Curb Appeal
• Ranch-style houses – the ultimate guide to the look and how to get it
• #12 // Bungalow Ranch with Detached Garage
• Log Style Homes (Design Guide)
• Differentiate open-concept dining room and kitchen with ceiling beams
• Want to bring in bold colors? Introduce them in the kitchen

Consciously interpreting the ranchos of the mid-19th century, May was one of many notable post-Arts and Crafts architects. A prolific designer and promoter, May sold the style that he himself called “the early California ranch house” throughout the West. He spoke not only about the architectural form, but also about the casual, family-oriented culture of the early (Mexican) Californians, whose gallant hospitality was legendary. Working in tandem with landscape architects, May designed low houses that followed the contours of the land, enclosing a courtyard or patio with carefully planned views of nature. By the mid-‘30s, his ranch houses had been published by Sunset magazine and nationally.

Modern Ranch Style Homes with Massive Curb Appeal

You ought to avoid any intricate details in the window and door casings and opt for the simpler and cleaner lines of square cut molding instead. A common theme for the interiors of ranch homes back in the day is that the different rooms with different purposes are separated from each other. That isn’t the trend anymore as these days, homeowners are opting for more open and more collaborative room spaces in the home. Casement windows are easy to open and close and they come with convenient crank handles. The design is simple and it can work well with any type of interior or exterior design of the house so you don’t have to change a lot of its surrounding areas as well. An easy upgrade that wouldn’t take up too much of your time and money would be to go for a front door that brings in a pop of color, making it the focal point of the home’s design.

Ranch-style houses – the ultimate guide to the look and how to get it

Shop for vintage or secondhand furniture, repaint existing pieces and focus on small decor updates to refresh the ranch house interior on a budget. You can bring as many elements from the exterior to the interior with thoughtful interior design, and a fireplace is a great place to do that. You can go with a stone fireplace, a stone with a hue that’s commonly found in the neighborhood. Add a small piece of artwork in the kitchen in a place that doesn’t get much traffic, it elevates the entire look of the space. The best part about ranch-style houses is that you can maintain the crux of the region and yet bring in luxurious elements or smart living features that make your life comfortable, as a homeowner. With a blend of aesthetics and functionality, you can bring any dream decor to life.

Hot Property: A 2022 Modern Ranch with Secret Rooms - D Magazine

Hot Property: A 2022 Modern Ranch with Secret Rooms.

Posted: Thu, 01 Jun 2023 07:00:00 GMT [source]

#12 // Bungalow Ranch with Detached Garage

Starting in the 1960s, ranch style homes in California and the Sun Belt started featuring more architectural features like cathedral ceilings, angular roof lines, and skylights. This brick home is a perfect example, and we it painted in Revere Pewter by Benjamin Moore. Plus, the contrasting black garage and roof windows create a dramatic yet cohesive effect. The flat roof and tall rectangular windows give this contemporary ranch style home an industrial feel. Adding stone and wood accents helps ground the space and connect it to the outdoors. Moreover, the U-shaped profile allows for unique, contrasting design elements without losing symmetry.

Log Style Homes (Design Guide)

Not only can this addition make the most of their space – especially as they can’t use their backyard in the colder months – but it can also act as protection against tornadoes. With a strong presence from coast to coast, ranch-style homes are loved for their versatility and flexibility. When you picture a ranch-style house, there’s a good chance you envision a remote desert filled with wild horses, cowboys, and the occasional tumbleweed sighting. The use of warm ipe wood ties together the renovation with an addition on this midcentury California ranch home. The architects were able to increase the living area while keeping everything on one level for the retired homeowners. This modern renovation of a traditional ranch-style home maintained the midcentury spirit of the home—and turned it into a showcase for the homeowner's collection of iconic furnishings.

Yards are smaller

With comprehensive ingenuity, meticulous project management, and uncommon responsiveness, JAC co-founders Andrea Putman and Christine Thompson elevate environments with superior start-to-finish design. Growing up on the French Riviera, Margaux gets her inspiration from a blend of the Mediterranean chill lifestyle and the sophistication of Parisian interiors. Her best challenge is understanding her client’s needs to deliver the space where they will relax and enjoy their loved ones. A magnetic personality and sought-after tastemaker, Peti Lau is known for her bold, eccentric modern touches, artful, and timeless interiors.

The California Ranch

This rustic modern ranch style home truly blends indoor/outdoor living with multiple double sliders to various seating areas, a firepit, and an in-ground pool. Furthermore, the large windows bring natural light in and the covered patio acts as an additional living space outdoors. There may be a loft or a semi-finished attic or a basement, but for a house to be considered a ranch, the main floor is the ground floor, there is no real “upstairs,” and that’s that, it’s one story. Nearly all ranch homes are laid out on a single-story floor plan with easy access to all areas of the house and an open flow between rooms.

American tastes in architecture began to change in the late 1960s, a move away from Googie and Modernism and ranch houses towards more formal and traditional styles. Very late custom ranch houses of the later 1970s begin to exhibit features of the neo-eclectics, such as dramatically elevated rooflines, grand entryways, and traditional detailing. Neo-eclectic houses also have a significant level of formality in their design, both externally and internally, the exact opposite of the typical ranch-style house. The 20th-century ranch house style has its roots in North American Spanish colonial architecture of the 17th to 19th century. These buildings used single-story floor plans and native materials in a simple style to meet the needs of their inhabitants. Walls were often built of adobe brick and covered with plaster, or more simply used board and batten wood siding.

And, like most modern homes, it’s likely a ranch residence will also feature an attached garage. A must on every list of top interior designers in LA, Kelly Wearstler is a design force! Kelly Wearstler’s design is driven by a deep passion for articulating a unique story and formidable point of view. Founded in 1995, the interior design studio has since evolved into a global lifestyle brand. Of the many story lines that converge in the marvelously idiosyncratic Los Angeles home of Kirsten Dunst, one of the most compelling is the enduring relationship between the actor and interior designer Jane Hallworth. The two met just over 20 years ago, when Dunst was only 18 years old and Hallworth, having recently alighted in California from university in England, was assisting her sisters, Dunst’s longtime stylists Nina and Clare Hallworth.

Step Inside Kirsten Dunst's Charming Ranch House Tucked in the San Fernando Valley - Architectural Digest

Step Inside Kirsten Dunst's Charming Ranch House Tucked in the San Fernando Valley.

Posted: Wed, 06 Oct 2021 07:00:00 GMT [source]

For the ultimate curb appeal boost, get creative with outdoor living areas. Proper landscaping of these spaces with planters and lighting also works wonders. The open floor plans and attention to outdoor areas called to mind the wide-open space and rambling freedom of life on the ranch. In fact, rambler home is another name for the ranch-style house, though the term rambler is not in nearly as common usage as ranch-style house or simply ranch. Dwellers might enter on one floor, but will need to go up or down a small flight of stairs to reach the den, garage, or bedrooms. The varying stories might be a far cry from the typical ranch house style, but they’re great for families who want some privacy.

David Levine has offered architectural and interior design to discerning clients throughout Southern California. David Levine showcases the best of Italian and European design in his showroom on La Cienega Boulevard. Charles & Co is an independent interior design business with offices in New York and LA. Founded by Vicky Charles and Julia Corden, with over twenty years of experience, Vicky now leads a team delivering imaginative bespoke interior and architectural designs. Founded by Joshua Rose and Rafael Kalichstein originally as FORM, now known as Citizen Artist, the multidisciplinary design firm creates “artful designs rooted in consciousness, curiosity, and integrity”.

Plus, since most homes don’t require cumbersome stairs, they’re ideal for family members of all ages. It’s been nearly a century since ranch-style houses were created, and the look is just as popular today as it was back then. The ranch-style house has always been closely tied with American history. The architecture first became popular in the 1920s, as more and more people headed west. Not only were the single-story layouts and low-to-the ground silhouettes easy to maintain, but they also helped beat that grueling Southwestern heat. If you want to get acquainted with this beloved architecture, we’ve broken down everything you need to know about ranch-style houses, inside and out.

A Southern California native, Chris Barrett’s work is informed by the region she calls home. She applies her unique signature of fresh, open spaciousness to a wide spectrum of projects, ranging from a Manhattan penthouse to a modern villa in Cabo San Lucas, as well as a myriad of California locations. Designers Mark Cutler and Nichole Schulze come to cutlerschulze with a combined 40 years of experience in creating dynamic residential and commercial spaces. With projects globally, cutlerschulze creates designs that are familiar, timeless, and effortlessly chic. Naomi Alon Coe is the founder of Little Crown Interiors and author of the nursery design book, Your Perfect Nursery.

Another upside apart from the aesthetics of adding a solid door is the durability and security that these doors bring in as well. An update on the appliances, hardware such as door knobs, cabinet handles, and kitchen and bathroom fixtures can make all of the difference in the world. Natural light is your best friend and it will work extremely well if you’ve also got a lot of visual interest in the surrounding exteriors of the home. If you happen to have tired old windows that look boxy and outdated, you might want to consider changing it up a bit by either replacing them altogether or framing them with a natural wood look. Understandably, this will end up compromising your attic space but in return, you get to shoot for a spacier and airier vaulted ceiling that’s more modern.

'When your living spaces are in one large room or adjacent and visible to another, you don’t have to use the same color scheme in each room,' Bankston May recommends. If you want to keep your home airy, open layout at the forefront, stick with light and versatile neutrals. From sandy beiges, to light greys, to a soothing blue, the options are virtually endless. 'The main living areas are centrally located with bedrooms set further away and accessed by a long narrow hallway,' adds designer Darla Bankston May.

A true homage to the ranch style design for houses would have to be bay or bow windows. The look is modern and open and more than that, these types of windows are particularly great for bringing in lots of natural light inside the home. As they were in the 1940s, ranch houses remain a great choice for young families today. They are affordable, easier to maintain, require less baby-proofing, and allow for easy changing around of the decor and function of indoor space thanks to the large, open floor plans.