Episode 64 – Renovation Story – California Ranch in New England

Cover graphic for episode 64 of Talking Home Renovations, "Renovation Story - California Ranch in New England". The background is a photo of a bold, modern kitchen with red cabinets, white countertops, and blue drawers.

Jenny wasn’t really motivated to renovate her house. Her husband initiated the California ranch renovation and Jenny was just going along with the process. When her friend noticed that she wasn’t as excited as she might have been, Jenny decided to turn it around and she got just the kitchen she never knew she dreamed of.

The kitchen before renovation. Two people are standing in the cluttered space. The cabinets are yellowish wood and the walls have orange floral patterned paper.
The kitchen counter before renovation. The countertop is white.

Here are a couple shots of the old kitchen. I really appreciate the wallpaper pattern and the clock on the island hood. The cabinets are so classic. Could these cabinets have been original to the house? The wallpaper looks early ’80s to me.

The kitchen after renovation. it has white subway tile and a quartz countertop with modern sink, and glossy blue and red surfaces all around.
A view of the kitchen's chrome fridge, shiny red cabinets, and minimalist red swivel chairs.
A view of the kitchen from the dining room. A glossy red TV console complements the red chairs and cabinets.
A view of the living room with sleek, geometric-looking red and white couches and a glass coffee table. The kitchen is visible through the open plan in the background.
A view of the living room with sleek, geometric-looking red and white couches and a glass coffee table. There is a white fireplace and big piece of abstract art on the left, and a bookshelf that goes almost to the ceiling on the right.

I don’t think two kitchens could be more different! The glossiness is intriguing, although Jenny says when a lot of people are in the space it is acoustically painful. Any ideas for improving the sound absorption in that room? I’d be tempted to use a white cotton shag rug on the ceiling. Maybe a shag rug is too aggressive. Maybe a living ceiling? Any ideas, pass them along.

The bottom photos are the ones I thought were not real that I referred to in the episode.

View the full episode transcript here.

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