“We’re going to get rid of your formal dining room,” Ricka Crozier, interior designer at Dave Fox Design Build Remodelers, told her clients.
Like many of us would be, the homeowners were shocked to hear their trusted designer say this, as the plans for their newly remodeled home came together. However, after seeing blueprints and hearing all about Crozier’s intentions, they were all in.
Ranch homes are particularly popular in the Tri-Village area, although some of the older houses require a bit of expanding. Crozier’s clients wanted a renovation that would allow room for family to visit, sit and enjoy time there.
However, instead of including a formal dining room, an area which, let’s be honest, many homeowners may only use but once or twice a year for holidays, Crozier created a space between the kitchen and the family gathering space where a kitchen table now sits comfortably.
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“When we started designing, we thought it would be cool to blow out some walls,” she says. “We made the kitchen area where the dining room was. This way, they had enough space to have a long table and extend it into the family room.”
It can be difficult to make a ranch style house more open and spacious, but Crozier did just that.
“We did a facelift on the family room,” she says. “It was paneling, dark and dingy. We painted it white and changed the bookcase units, which now have a lot of dimensions.”
Another room that was completely changed was a three-season room, which was originally encompassed by enormous sliding doors all around. Crozier closed up the room and created a cozy, comfy TV room where more families can lounge.
What we can learn from this remodel is that there is no cookie-cutter rule book that states your house must have these specific rooms or look a certain way. Homeowners should have the ability to make their living space just that – livable for them specifically.
“That’s what we do as remodelers,” Crozier says. “We’re trying to make it look like this was always this way. We keep the integrity, but we have to make it function for the homeowners.”
Can you think of a room you’d do away with? A space you’d like to turn into your own, like a wine bar, bathroom sauna, hobby space or even a man cave?
“The important thing is that it’s their home,” Crozier says firmly. “It isn’t going into a new home saying, ‘We’re going to redesign all the rooms for you,’ we go with what they want.”
Mallory Arnold is an associate editor. Feedback welcome at marnold@cityscenemediagroup.com.
