PATH THROUGH THE PAST

Check out the stunning results of a Maryland homeowner’s gut rehab to remake a 1970s ranch home to be in synch with his dual passions for farmhouse ambience and primitive furnishings.

Inspired by childhood memories of his grandparents, a Maryland decorator has transformed their former ranch-style home from its 1970s look to farmhouse ambience with plenty of primitive touches.

As a young boy, Gary K. Ball Jr. loved spending summers with his cherished grandparents, Ann and Lee Rose, at their country home in Easton, Maryland. That idyllic lifestyle inspired his own dreams of someday living in a farmhouse amid the picturesque landscape blanketed with a forest of pine trees. It’s a dream that ultimately came true. After Gary’s grandfather suddenly passed away in 2012, his grandmother moved in with him for mutual care and camaraderie. In 2017, with his grandmother’s blessing, Gary launched a bold project to transform his grandparents’ late-1970s ranch-style home into the farmhouse he envisioned.

The makeover entailed gutting the interior and starting over with a reconfigured floor plan, new kitchen and baths, and a front porch addition. Gary, who has a keen eye for decorating and a knack for handiwork, designed and oversaw the renovation. He also undertook the demolition, even tearing out the wiring and insulation. The only elements he salvaged from the home’s former iteration are four rugged wood ceiling beams in the front room. Once the six-month project was complete, Gary and his grandmother moved back into the home—just in time for Christmas.

Guiding Gary’s design selections along the way were his passions for farmhouse ambience and primitive furnishings, which he has merged thoughtfully and cohesively. “I try to do farmhouse colors, but I don’t care for farmhouse furniture per se, so I put in older pieces of furniture and accents,” he explains.

Gary comes by his talents naturally. His parents, Kathy and Gary Sr., are longtime country decorating enthusiasts who run a Facebook group called GKPrims Decor. Gary Jr., a computer trainer by day, helps his parents with shipping and social media. He’s also a frequent shopper who chooses many of his accessory pieces, particularly textiles and signage, from their inventory. “If I see something I like, I get it and figure it out later,” he says.

At holiday time, Gary takes charge of the indoor and outdoor decorating, which includes setting up more than a dozen trees in varying shapes and sizes. That’s where his grandmother’s influence comes in. One tree is a tribute to her extensive collection of discontinued Billy Buttons ornaments and figurines from Department 56.

“I buy trees I like, and then I buy the ornaments I like, and then I have to buy more trees because I have so many ornaments, and it just keeps growing,” Gary says. After weeks of decking the halls, and everywhere else, he hosts a gathering for family and friends. They all enjoy a meal and the warmth of the holiday—together.

The laundry room is a highly visible passageway between the garage and kitchen, so it commands a strong holiday treatment. Gary places a twiggy tree in an agateware bucket and stands it on a small wooden chest for height. The tree is dressed with a quirky garland of foam snowballs and snowman heads and topped with a punched-tin star. H

Shiplap walls in the dining area in Gary K. Ball Jr.’s home lend farmhouse flair and lighten a space dominated by the dark tones of the floor and furniture. A signature of Gary’s decorating is the abundance of signage rather than artwork. “It’s hard to find something to go on a wall that doesn’t have a floral print on it or an image of somebody,” he says. “I just like the look of old wood.”

To convert a quiet corner into a charming holiday tableau, Gary angles a tall cupboard into the space and nestles an ultraslim tree to one side. He sprays the tree with artificial snow to match the wreaths on the cupboard doors and then hangs golden ornaments and drapes burlap ribbon, which complement his yellowware and agateware. For further cohesiveness, he intersperses berry sprays among the wreaths and pottery to pick up the red undertone of the chippy cupboard.

Laminate wood floors, which flow throughout the home, and pert white cabinets form the basic building blocks for a cheerful kitchen. The black island and barstools add visual drama, while the speckled countertops mediate the contrast between light and dark. Twin carriage-lantern pendant lights offer a prim touch among the modern amenities, while homespun window treatments bedecked with a feathery swag frame the pine forest beyond.

The front room is a veritable gallery for an eclectic mix of vintage collectibles and family pass-downs artfully spaced around a refurbished pub table and ladder-back chairs. It’s a versatile arrangement that maximizes wall space—from the rich-hued floor to the reclaimed ceiling beams—while allowing smooth traffic flow. Gary often accessorizes with Ball canning jars as a nod to his last name.

A serene composition in the front room pairs Gary’s affinities for farmhouse and primitive styles. Across the chippy lower half of a Hoosier cabinet is an elongated weathered dough bowl, which he layers with wood and metal barn stars plus faux snowballs and evergreen clusters. On the wall above, he hangs a tobacco stick ladder horizontally to fill the space and frame a twiggy wreath. “I like to mix metal with wood,” Gary says. “It gives it that rustic look but also the modern farmhouse.”

Gary’s front room Christmas tree is dedicated to his grandmother’s collection of Department 56 Billy Buttons figurines. He alternates the happy, glittery characters with snowflake ornaments and fills in the spaces with fanciful sprays and picks in red and white. A smartly attired snowman head is the crowning glory.

The home’s holiday showstopper is the grand living room tree, which Gary scales with a sweeping Yuletide banner and oversize orbs and snowflakes. The tree’s joyful red-and-white color scheme, along with coordinating textiles and wrapping paper, bring lightness to the dark-hued floor and sofas while accentuating the bench/coffee table fashioned from barnwood. If you don’t have the correct size table runner, use a pair of hand towels, place mats or other fabric as bases for sit-around decor.

After the sun goes down, the front porch beckons with a warm golden glow. Gary swathes the facade with tiny white lights, from icicles dangling at the roofline to the illuminated deer family gathering on the lawn.

Gary welcomes family and friends to view his holiday masterpiece, indoors and outdoors. He starts decorating in early November and finishes in about three weeks.

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