We’re back with another house-crashing visit from our recent road trip through Charlotte, North Carolina. You may have caught a sneak peek of the amazing kitchen already, and now we’re filling in the rest. The homeowners were incredibly warm and welcoming, and their transformed 1960s ranch is full of charm. Even the exterior caught our eye—good brick ranches will always get our attention.
Because they completed such an impressive renovation, we included some before photos to show the full transformation. Kristen and Stan tackled most of the work while expecting their son Davis—he arrived days after many of the projects were finished. Baby Davis and our Clara hit it off right away, which was adorable to watch.
Here’s the photo we shared in last week’s sneak peek, with a few more details this time. The oversized lantern above the island is by Troy Lighting, the vent hood is a GE Profile 36″ island hood, and the butcher block countertop came from Locust Lumber just outside Charlotte.
The family had even prepared a little snack spread for us—nuts, chocolate candies, cold grapefruit drinks, and animal crackers for the kids. They were as sweet as the spread suggested.
Of course I insisted we take photos before digging in, so we hustled around to capture shots while everything was still tidy. That island didn’t stay pristine for long—imagine napkins and half-eaten animal crackers scattered about—but we managed to get the pictures we wanted.
Here’s a wider view of the bright kitchen that opens into the family room:
And here’s the same angle as it looked before the renovations began about a year and a half earlier:
The change is dramatic. From another vantage point you can see how the kitchen now flows into the family room; previously there was a small doorway where a much wider opening now connects the spaces.
Here’s that same view before the makeover:
We were genuinely impressed when we compared the before and after photos. The family room now feels comfortable and layered, with a mix of textures and furniture that don’t match exactly but work beautifully together. Pillows and table lamps came from Target, and the worn leather chair was a find from the Mitchell Gold outlet in Hickory, NC.
Here’s a before shot of that same room. A fresh coat of light paint over the paneling, plus the large opening to the kitchen, made a huge difference in brightening and modernizing the space. Kristen followed a painting approach that stripped the room of its heavy, dated feel.
Back in the refreshed room, we loved the curated, lived-in look: a patterned rug passed down from Stan’s parents paired with a recovered chair in navy geometric fabric, and a thrifted wood side table transformed with a coat of True Red spray paint and a glossy protective finish to mimic lacquer.
Kristen also showed us a few other rooms that are still in progress. The guest room is shaping up sweetly: matching hand-me-down headboards, pillows from West Elm, and a cheerful rug from Crate & Barrel make it feel inviting even before it’s fully finished.
We peeked into Davis’ nursery and found plenty of inspiring, doable ideas. The patterned curtains were sewn from Duralee fabric, and Kristen layered another playful print as a pillow and covered a drum lamp shade with the same fabric for a coordinated look. For anyone interested in DIY lamp shade covering, a simple tutorial can guide that project.
We also admired the painted animal canvases. Kristen received hers as a gift, but you can recreate the effect by tracing silhouettes onto canvases and painting the background in layered tones for a modern, graphic result.
The felt mobile was handmade and complemented the nursery’s animal theme. Kristen used the same fabric as mats behind framed baby photos above the crib, a simple detail that ties the room together.
That’s a wrap on Kristen, Stan, and little Davis’s lovely Charlotte home. Thanks to them for letting us visit and photograph their beautiful, approachable renovation. What stood out to us? The oversized lantern over the kitchen island, the fabric-covered lamp shade in the nursery, and the navy chair paired with the bright red end table in the family room.
Psst—If you want to look at more house-crash photos, you can find a full set on our earlier post.
Pssst—On a separate note, we saw Bridesmaids recently: it was hilarious, and we couldn’t help but notice small wardrobe details like a heart-shaped earring and distinctive skirt patterns. Also, we wanted most of the rival character’s dresses. Anyone else feel the same?