Rambler Revival
First-time homeowners combine patience and planning to renovate their midcentury rambler.
First-time homeowners combine patience and planning to renovate their midcentury rambler.
Finding the perfect midcentury home is always a challenge.
Finding one while long-distance house hunting for Minneapolis from Seattle takes both dogged determination and a measure of luck. Homeowners Tiffany and Nate Mueller know this from experience and have documented the process in their blog, Hello Refuge.
“We wanted something that had some remnant of character that we could build off, then this one popped up,” says Tiffany, referring to her family’s sixties-era rambler in the southwest suburb of Edina. An interior stylist and co-owner of Hello Goodbye Studio with her husband, Tiffany ventured to the Twin Cities alone to tour the house after the seller accepted their offer.
“When I saw it in person, it was a little scary,” she says of the sadly neglected ranch. Built in 1964, the house had majestic windows and great bones, but the grimy kitchen cabinets and bathroom mold raised concerns. Undeterred, the Muellers relocated with their two young daughters in July 2016 with plans to give the house new life.
“We moved in and thought we were going to update bathrooms and kitchen, all the fun stuff you see on HGTV,” recalls Nate. Instead, the couple spent several months correcting drainage issues in the backyard and replacing weatherworn siding, soffits, and fascia. Although far from glamorous, the projects afforded them the opportunity to put their personal stamp on the property. They painted the exterior black, and dressed up the front entrance with modern house numbers originally designed by architect Richard Neutra, a custom mailbox, and midcentury-style lighting sconces.
DRAMATIC ELEMENTS
Inside, the pair gutted both upstairs bathrooms to eradicate the mold and update the harvest gold color scheme. A reproduction midcentury media console was modified with a white quartz countertop and vessel sink to create the vanity in the main bath, illuminated by a globe chandelier overhead. Brilliant white subway tile, chrome fixtures and Mutina Tex-black floor tiles in both bathrooms add dramatic flair to otherwise utilitarian spaces. Although pricey at $28/square foot, the flooring was worth the investment, says Nate, noting that the smaller footprint of the bathroom made the expense manageable. “You mix in cost-savings in other places, so you can splurge on wow factor pieces like that.”
The Muellers’ 1964 rambler was built by one of the developers of Southdale Center, the first shopping mall in the United States.
To stay on budget, the creative duo focused on simple strategies to spruce up the main living areas, including fresh paint and artfully staged home furnishings. “We wanted a place where as a family we could cuddle up together,” says Tiffany, referring to the modern sectional sofa placed opposite the two-story fireplace in the family room. Nate adds, “We rearranged the furniture three or four times, until we finally found that sweet spot for how the room is supposed to be laid out.”
Floor-to-ceiling windows flood the space with natural light, prompting Tiffany to paint the walls midnight black. A plush shag area rug and macramé wall art add a bohemian flair that is a striking contrast to the original midcentury credenza, leather wing chairs and modern wall-mounted bookshelves. “Keeping those sleek lines but adding those textures makes it very livable,” says Tiffany.