This family bought a 1960s ranch home with 1980s window treatments — and took their time bringing it up to date.
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When your new home is an expanded 1960 ranch with 1980s window treatments, wall coverings and other dated features, the long list of things to change can be overwhelming.
For Marisa Harris, the solution was to divide a big job into manageable parts. Since her family of five moved into their 3,500-square-foot Wyckoff house eight years ago, improvements have been made in phases.
The five-bedroom, three-and-a-half bathroom ranch has a second-level addition, and, so far, Harris and her husband have worked with Terri Fiori of Fiori Interior Design in Wyckoff to make over their living room, dining room, entry foyer and master bedroom.
Considering college funds for three children, ages 15, 16 and 19, they wanted to budget wisely for the work. They also wanted to take their time making decisions about the house. "You really do need to live there," Harris said of a process that enabled them to know better how each area of their home would be used.
"When we moved in, everything was pink," she said. They preferred mostly neutrals and soft colors that weren't pink. "We like a more modern look, kind of classy, but not too over-the-top traditional," Harris said. "We've slowly changed the rooms."
The walls were painted in neutrals. For the living room, they selected a Benjamin Moore tan called Danville to cover what had been light blue walls. They replaced cascading swag and jabot window draperies with a less fussy type. In place of the more traditional furnishings brought in from their previous home, they chose solid, cream-colored upholstery for a sofa and chair.
"They really wanted to keep it clean and make it more of a transitional look -- a little more streamlined," Fiori said. The dining room can be seen from living room, so its decor needed to be complementary. The dining room's floral print wall paper was replaced with a more up-to-date pattern in an oversized damask. Benjamin Moore's Carrington beige was used below the room's white chair rail molding.
The couple kept an investment-quality Asian rug, and it guided the room's decor just as a new rug would in their master bedroom.
For their bedroom, the couple chose a color palette of blues and greens to complement the green master bathroom. "We're trying to make it all harmonious," Marisa Harris said of her home's decor. "It's a better feeling when you walk through your home."
Wallpaper was removed and the walls were painted off-white. Working from the new rug's grayish green and beige with a hint of terra cotta, the master bedroom was outfitted with custom-made Roman shades in a quiet complementary floral pattern. A blue high-back chair and an off-white chaise longue for relaxing with a book or while watching television joined the couple's shaker-style armoire and matching side table in the new room.
Harris' favorite part of the new room is the upholstered bed. The headboard, covered in tufted fabric, has a matching bed surround that adds texture at the foot of the bed while concealing its frame. "At one point, I was thinking about cutting costs by not doing that," Harris said of the surround. She's happy she didn't.
Harris credits Fiori with helping keep project costs down. One of the ways she did so was to splurge in areas that would have greatest impact while going with less expensive options in other areas.
In the foyer, a bluestone floor was replaced with oak flooring laid in a herringbone pattern. It was a costly detail.
"It is definitely more expensive than just laying it straight, Fiori said of the flooring. "But this is your first impression when you walk into the house."
The dining room wallpaper also was a high-end choice, but less of it was needed when placed at eye level just above the room's chair rail molding rather than on the entire wall. "I was able to get the look we wanted to achieve without spending a lot on this room," she said.
What they renovated
Dining room, living room, foyer and master bedroom.
Who did the work?
Fiori Interior Design of Wyckoff
How long it took
About four months for the master bedroom
How much it cost
"We kept several key pieces that were important to the client and kept the budget under $25,000." Fiori said.
Where they splurged
The master bedroom's rug and custom window treatments
How they saved
"Rather than doing custom bedding, Terri found a line based out of Virginia that makes semi-custom bedding," Marisa Harris said.
What they like most
The upholstered bed
What they'd have done differently.
"I am really happy with everything," Marisa Harris said. "I can't think of anything that I'm not happy with.
Kimberly L. Jackson may be reached at home@starledger.com. Find NJ.com Entertainment on Facebook.