Reimagining the Family Ranch with Eheart Interior Solutions

Opening up the floor plan gave this ’90s home in Fort Collins a new life

In August 2022, a family came to Eheart Interior Solutions with a typical dilemma experienced by those living in a ’90s home: They liked their house and neighborhood, but they needed more room. They had an addition in mind, though it’d run them upwards of $200,000 and could ruin the deck they’d just installed. Emily Chase, interior designer with Eheart, had a better solution.

“Whenever somebody approaches us with an addition, I always hear them out and listen to what they’re hoping to do,” Chase says. “Then I say, ‘If we could do that within the walls that you have, would that be something you’re interested in?’”

Many times, the response she gets is, “Well, sure, but I don’t know that you could.” Then when she shows them her plans, they’re shocked at how much space they have to work with.

A place for clutter

The family had young kids, so two of their priorities were a more functional laundry room and a separate mudroom to contain coats, shoes and backpacks. Their space had become cluttered, and they needed a designated place for it all to go.

“It was very clear that their formal dining room had become a mudroom,” Chase says. Jackets and backpacks had taken over the space, and with school about to start, she knew it would only get worse.

Eheart’s exclusive general contractor, Dan Mulder, of DPM Construction LLC, transformed the dining room into the family’s new mudroom and enlarged the adjacent laundry room. The mudroom now has cabinets, drawers, benches and coat hooks on inky green shiplap panels to keep the clutter from invading the family’s gathering area. It’s a clean, serene space. Chase calls it “contemporary organic.”

Addressing hidden problems

During the design phase, the family also decided to remodel their primary suite. It was dated—there was a step up to the tub and a mountain outline on the top of the shower glass—but it also posed a big problem. The shower pan had failed, and the whole floor had rotted.

Mulder replaced all the floor joists and exterior wall studs. He also discovered that the ductwork had two-foot holes in it, so his crew patched everything up, rerouted the exhaust line and revented the hot water heater, which had been installed incorrectly. They insulated the floor so the noise from the basement wouldn’t travel up, and they added an independent heating and cooling system to the primary bedroom for extra comfort.

Now the primary suite has a beautiful steam shower, a freestanding tub and lots of dark wood cabinets and drawers to store linens and towels in. The lower cabinets are big enough to hold hampers, keeping dirty laundry out of sight.

“I feel like I gave this house a whole new life,” Mulder says. “We made it function and turned it into a high-efficiency home. And guess what? We still finished on time.”

Creating space

Another main priority was a larger family room to bring everyone together. The old space was cut off by a desk nook and a stone wall with a fireplace, so they decided to open it all up.

“The parents are both professionals, and their kids are in activities, so their time is really limited,” Chase says. “They wanted to maximize their time together and be able to have somebody cooking or doing dishes while their kids do homework or watch a show. They wanted to feel like they were all in the same space.”

Mulder replaced the fireplace and relocated it to the far side of the living area beneath the TV, and Chase framed the space with furniture. The pair also removed the kitchen’s old windows (which looked out at the neighbor’s house) and added a short, narrow window with a shelf for plants to sit on. Natural light floods in through the adjacent dining and living areas, which have large windows overlooking the deck and backyard.

The new kitchen incorporates tons of storage and a deep quartz countertop, plus a dual island that affords a lot more counter space. The main island features an apron sink and drawers and cabinets that match the color of the shiplap panels in the mudroom. The second island is 11 feet long and is mainly a space for the kids; four stools on one side and a dozen drawers and two cabinets on the other make it the perfect place for them to sit and do homework. The surface also has hidden outlets to plug in tablets and laptops.

Entertaining is easier in the new kitchen and living area, thanks to the open floor plan, multiple islands (which are perfect for a game-day buffet) and a butler’s pantry that hides the mess. Mulder refers to it as the “functioning kitchen,” allowing the main kitchen area to stay clean and clear. The pantry really is a functioning kitchen, with its own sink, dishwasher, pull-out fridge, countertop and open shelving.

Chase knew the family loved music, especially vinyl records, so she designed a pull-out cubby for their record player in the kitchen and a space for their album collection underneath. It’s hooked up to a smart home unit that can be played throughout the house.

“It has a good feel when you’re in the house and they have music playing,” Chase says. “It just feels really cozy, which is what they wanted.”

_________________________________________

Turn your existing home into a new space with Eheart Interior Solutions and DPM Construction LLC. Learn more at eheartdesign.com and northerncoloradoremodeler.com.

Photography by Boxwood Photos