A Ranch Reborn
With woodworking skills and an eye for antiques, first-time Pennsylvania homeowners transform a dated 1970s ranch into a prim paradise.
First-time homeowners with a knack for woodworking and collecting antiques undertake a perfectly prim makeover in their 1970s Pennsylvania ranch.
AAllie Sosnoski
spent many years dreaming about decorating her first home. “I have been obsessed with interior design ever since I was a little kid,” the 28-year-old explains. “I can remember looking through magazines, dreaming of what my future house would look like. Even before my husband and I had a house of our own, you could find me in an antiques store buying things I loved for someday.”
That day finally arrived, but that first home was not a stately Colonial or a rambling farmhouse—it was a dated 1978 ranch with blue carpeting near Harrisburg, Pennsylvania. Allie and her husband, Bill, were ultimately won over by the 1,200-square-foot, threebedroom home’s “good bones,” as well as its renovated kitchen and large common rooms that would suit their growing family, which now includes their 1-yearold daughter, Peyton.
Allie describes her personal style as “ever-evolving” but says it definitely leans toward prim. “When we first bought our house, I would have described my style as country/craft,” she reflects. “Since then, I have added more authentic and primitive pieces and am always on the hunt for something new to add to my collection. I love how unique each primitive piece is. You will almost never find two pieces that are exactly alike.”
It helped that Allie grew up with a mother who was also a primitives enthusiast and a part-time antiques dealer with a booth at a nearby antiques mall. “I can remember my mom being so passionate about country decorating,” Allie says of her childhood home. “Our house always felt so homey and inviting.