PHOTOGRAPHY BY LUCA TROVATO Visually connected by concrete flooring stained in blocks of color, the dining area and adjacent living room at this Phoenix home offer a mix of rich hues and clean lines. The recently renovated residence includes all new furniture and art. A fringe-like wood light fixture hangs over the dining table; the wall art is by John Douglas. To the far right, the family room can be seen through a sandblasted sliding-glass door with an eye-level peekaboo window. The living room painting is by Dennis Carney.

An aging Ranch-style home gets a brand-new look with a sophisticated Contemporary design

It’s the classic remodel story: a couple decides to make a few changes to their dated home, and before they know it the house is undergoing a complete renovation.
 
This was the case for Michelle and Bill Thorpe, whose original plan was to add a game room and closet. But after researching the project and discovering that so much more needed to be done, they decided to create the house of their dreams, which included a new kitchen for Michelle, who loves to cook and entertain.
 
“Our home was built in 1957, in an area that once was a citrus orchard,” Michelle explains. “It was a traditional north-central Phoenix Ranch-style home with red brick and a wood shake roof.”
 
The interiors were very conservative, recalls interior designer Gaye Ferrara, a Phoenix Home & Garden Master of the Southwest who worked on the redesign. “There were interesting Chinese collectibles combined with various rustic and traditional furniture pieces. The continuity varied from room to room, and Michelle was looking for a more continuous and Contemporary design.”

Glass tiles with a metallic finish form a coppery mosaic on powder room walls, where a large mirror creates the illusion of extra space. The white quartz countertop, glass vessel sink and glass shelving keep the room from feeling closed in. The painting, titled Danceminton, is by Geoffrey Gerzen.

Loving the street they had lived on for the past 27 years and the neighbors they had grown close to, the “two hardworking lawyers with four children decided it was time for a complete remodel and time to do it right,” Michelle recalls. “So, we went Modern, and we did it big.”

The couple’s goal was “to create a beautiful home with lots of personality,” she adds. “We wanted a clean look that was warm and had plenty of color, and we we wanted multicolored stained-concrete floors. From there we relied extensively on Gaye.”

Ferrara was instrumental in working with architects Brian Romney and John LaBahn, and general contractor Tom Goscicki, to make sure the homeowners got exactly what they wanted at a price they could afford. “We were able to figure out ways to get the look we were after for less,” says the designer. At times this meant purchasing such items as interior doors on the Internet; rummaging through Construction Lots (a home improvement warehouse) for glass tile; and mixing items from IKEA with more high-end pieces, like those from DellaRobbia.

A pebble- and agave-strewn planting bed in the front yard sets the tone for this Modern home.

The project took 14 months to finish, and when it was done, the family had a completely different house. A new metal roof, raised ceilings, reconfigured rooms and additional square footage were the most structurally obvious changes. Design-wise, the home was transformed with color, art and furnishings.
 
Throughout much of the residence, stained-concrete floors in ocher, moss green and bronze stand out against mostly white walls. Vibrant artwork, vivid fabrics and a handful of select accessories provide the personality. And in one of the most dynamic spaces—the open kitchen/family room—light and dark materials warmed by splashes of red create a sleek Contemporary vibe.
 
“When our friends visit for the first time, they can’t believe the difference, and they are all so surprised at how warm it feels,” says Michelle. “We used to have so much clutter. Finally, we purged all the excess, and it feels so good.”