A Rescued 1957 Ranch

A homeowner saves a classic California 1957 ranch from teardown and hires a design team to build it up.

Not all heroes wear capes. Some are preservation-minded people who swoop in at the last minute to rescue historical homes that were destined to be demolished. One such hero is Trevor Reynolds of Woodland Hills, California, who saved a 1957 ranch designed by architect Dick Day from being torn down by developers.

mid century modern ranch — The Mid Century Modern ranch, built by architect Dick Day in 1957, begged for a gentle approach on the exterior, says designer shannon ggem. “for example, We left some of the classic brick elements, We did not strip the facade and we didn’t change window configurations. The home in it’s place seemed just right,” she recalls. “It was key to keep a bit of that palm-tree feel. The home had a nice-sized flat yard, surrounding mountain views in the distance and classic suburban appeal.”

orange front door and potted cactus in entryway of 1957 ranch

Trevor, a marriage and family therapist who has helped hundreds of teens in his community, has teens of his own living at home with him. He wanted to create suitable spaces for them and reimagine other areas of the home to fit the family’s modern lifestyle. He contacted Shannon Ggem, principal interior designer of Ggem Design Co., whom he had worked with on a previous home project, to take on the task.

“There were 12 offers, and my understanding is that all of them were from developers,” Trevor says. “I came in at the last minute and offered $100,000 over with no contingencies. Once we got into the construction of things, it became immediately apparent that it would’ve been much more cost-effective to simply tear it down and start over.” However, Trevor felt a connection to the 1957 ranch that overrode his budget. It was costly to renovate and redesign, but it is rich in architectural and design details because of it.

orange front door in 1957 ranch and colorful cakes and cake stands — a bright orange door is the mid mod exclamation point in the kitchen. “We accomplished a very clean and uncluttered look while having every modern convenience, including a concealed wet bar with a mid mod orange lacquer inside!” shannon says.

dining room with clerestory window and leather dining chairs — the mid-century window design in this space inspired the designer’s room choice and furnishings. “The dining room lent itself so nicely due to the clerestory window and we wrapped the kitchen right around to create a wonderful service bar,” shannon says. “The faucet has a seltzer setting for the most glamorous bartending!”

grasscloth wallpaper and spherical sconces in entryway of renovated 1957 ranch — the entryway includes this stylish, inviting space. “that niche features some royal-blue grasscloth that feels both MCM and today all at once!” shannon says. “We used a floating shelf to provide a useful welcoming feature.”

Shannon came on board as the renovations on the 1957 ranch were about to begin. “I got to be very involved in the study of the space for this remodel,” she says. “We really wanted to give the home back the feeling of a classic ranch with some elements from today, like the kitchen island folded-stone treatment. We knew we were going to go bold MCM with the lighting. In this home, the exterior openings had been all moved around in past remodels, obscuring the potential of the space. There was a big 1980s brick fireplace in a western-facing room, there were some very unfortunate skylights additions that led to the sun beating down into the living room. The dining room was cordoned off; and all in all, it was a warren of strange sizes and shapes. Once the walls were open, we found that the original Dick Day exterior openings aligned with our conceptual study. We gave ourselves a big pat on the back!”

Figuring Out the Floor Plan for the Renovated 1957 Ranch

Shannon discussed some of the renovations and additions that had the most impact on the outcome. “One of my favorite features is the giant primary bathroom, and that was all the client’s idea,” she says. “We knew we’d be creating a primary suite, but because the Dick Day homes are on post-tension slabs, moving all the plumbing didn’t seem feasible. We put a closet and small office on the conceptual study and the client suddenly said he was willing to plumb that area—and boom! The pool was a must for the views from every room in the home, and for those mood boards we typed #atomicranch into Instagram, of course! We worked with an architect who was truly collaborative, and I so appreciated that spirit.”

orange Malm blue velvety side chairs and neutral sectional in 1957 ranch living room — shannon found another opportunity to add a pop of mid-century orange to the home, here in the living room. “The living room is all about that fireplace,” she says. “We used a custom RAL (color matching system) color to get the perfect MCM orange and the piece was made in Washington State. We reused the clients furnishings and rug from the last home.”

Teen Spirit

Trevor was deliberate in approaching the design aspects for his teens’ rooms, Shannon says. “He directed thoughtful, personal spaces for his kids in their rooms to ensure there was somewhere for them to explore their interests and connect with their friends away from the open floor plan,” Shannon says. “The K-pop posters, the Boho feel and a big white fluffy bed are always hits in my book. I also loved accommodating a huge gaming station in the other room.”

Iconic Inspirations

In creating the classic look and feel of mid-century design throughout the home, Shannon was inspired by the modern era’s master architects. “The iconic cabinets and walnut walls of John Lautner’s work came to mind, so the kitchen cabinets were artfully created with that grounded, stately feel,” she explains. “Many of the Cliff May Ranchos in Long Beach, California, were in rotation on our mood boards for this. The Cliff Mays were so great to look at because the doors aren’t 10 feet and don’t die into the roof—they are normal-sized doors. There is an approachable vibe to the Cliff May work that helped so much. We cleaned up the warren of walls in a conceptual drawing based on the Cliff Mays and the architect used that. We were so pleased.”

Picking the Palette

Shannon was fortunate that Trevor was on board with her vision of using bold colors in her room designs. “How great is it to have a client who is brave with color? It’s really great,” she says. “Having worked with him before, I had an understanding of his palette. It shifted some because of the era of the home, but blue and orange are his taste, so that was very straightforward. The green was brave of him, as I wanted to colordrench that powder room with something. I showed him a chalky peach, a saffron and the green. In the end, he chose the most energetic of the three colors.”

modern renovated bathroom with green wall and spherical pendant lighting

large soaking tub in primary bathroom with square patterned tile — the primary bathroom is a lesson in finding a balance in seemingly different styles. “The client used two terms to express what he wanted: ‘bold’ and ‘serene.’ These two words seemed like opposites at first, but we are so proud of the outcome! With a large amount of open floor, we knew a fun pattern was the way to go to accomplish ‘bold,’ we selected a stone and wood look for those tiles. ‘Serene’ we felt would come from elements of nature, and WOW offered the perfect tile in the Pottery line with the cosmos patterns: they look like water.”

multi-colored blue green diamond wallpaper and orange bedding in 1957 ranch — the primary bedroom is a mid-century night’s dream. “The graphic wallpaper was a wonderful add and the client had some great plants that felt so right,” shannon says. “We were able to pull off a nice big closet and a very luxe bath, and the suite is absolutely perfect. We had the orange bedding custom made following MCM details of a coverlet my grandmother had in her ultra-modern 1960s home.”

This interior-design project was particularly rewarding for Shannon, from her client’s decision to preserve the mid-century home to seeing the fruits of her labor in it. “Our client decided to restore this classic mid-century home instead of tearing it down,” she says. “It was a more difficult choice, but it preserved history and made for a very interesting project and beautiful outcome.”

bathroom with blue tile wall, terrazzo floor, white vanity and black counter top in 1957 renovated ranch

Blue tile wall half column texture and shower niche in 1957 ranch bathroom — when space is limited, stylish details make every square inch count. here in the powder room, unexpected tiles, colors and built-in features, like the pretty and practical shower niche at the right, take the small space to new heights.

pool with orange and white shade umbrellas in backyard of 1957 ranch in Woodland, CA — the pool area looks like a page out of a mid-century magazine. “The pool furnishings and décor were a late add, but I think they are just right to keep it feeling fresh, palm tree-ish and very Southern California back there!”

Love a good renovation story? Us, too! Read more with A Mod Renovation in Newport Beach and Inside an Epic Eichler Renovation. And of course, don’t forget to follow us on Instagram, Facebook, Pinterest and YouTube for more Atomic Ranch articles, house tours, and ideas!