Tuesday, March 23, 2010

Featured Guest - Keith Beal


I was surfing around Rate My Space awhile back and found Keith Beal's "My 59 Modern Ranch". I thought it was pretty amazing and wanted to share it with you.

Keith is a remodeling contractor in Cincinnati, Ohio. He bought the house he's currently in about 6 years ago. It's a brick ranch built in 1959. He said "as soon saw it I knew this was the one! The whole house has cathedral open beamed ceilings. lots of glass and sits on about 4 wooded acres. But...the place was in major disrepair. The big challenge was that the house was sliding down the hillside. This probably scared off most buyers but this can be fixed. After months of negotiations with the former owner we finally reached a sales agreement. "

  


"This is the "before" photo. I removed the wall on the left side between the kitchen and dining room and added a skylight in the kitchen. These 2 changes were probably the most dramatic.







This is the "after" photo taken at the same location as the previous "before". I rearranged and painted the existing cabinets, re-used the laminate countertops and built a microwave cabinet (lower left) and enclosed the fridge. SS appliances can upgrade just about any space.


This view is from the entry. There are 2 steps up to the dining/kitchen. The wall you see ran all the way across separating the dining room and kitchen. This was a big change."
I love this shot! (Pam)


 

 
"A night shot of the kitchen. Lighting is so key to a space. I had to use track lights (12 of 'em) due to the beamed wood ceiling. Not a big fan of track lights but I used the mini halogens in black and they're fine.



The Laundry room off the kitchen. Can you see the stacked w/d on the left? I  was undecisive about saving the brick wall (not insulated) but decided to keep it. This exposed brick actually ran thru to the kitchen on the fridge and stove wall. I covered it up and insulated it. The used brick wall contributed to the darkness of the kitchen and felt it didn't contribute to the contempory look I was after."

(The words in quotes were taken off of Keiths post on RMS)



After seeing the previous photos of the interior of Keith's home I would describe it  as open, spacious, mid-century modern.  I would never fathom that the spaces above would be inside the following structure:
A very nice setting for sure, but the outside is very modest. Not that it is bad, but it is so unexpected!  Who would have thought that this quaint home would have so much style inside.
You can see more of Keith's work on Flickr and on his Rate My Space Post


Hope you enjoyed the tour of Keith's home. Thanks Keith for letting me feature your awesome home!


Thanks for stopping by everyone!


Pam


* just wanted to let you know Keith did not compensate me for this feature and I cannot personally recommend him since he hasn't done any work for me. As always, when considering hiring a contractor you can ask someone who he has done some fabulous projects for and ask their opinion. I'm sure he has a couple of references that you could call should you be in need of a contractor in the Cincinnati, Ohio area.







4 comments:

  1. Well Keith does amazing work Pam! I never saw his home, I love his kitchen and the color choice was awesome!

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  2. Wow! You would never believe the inside when seeing the outside. The details inside are amazing. I love the beams and the exposed brick! So cozy and warm looking.

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  3. I also saw Keith's home on RMS and like you, thought it was terrific. Although my tastes run more towards English country than 1950s modern, I could easily see myself in this home. It is warm and modern at the same time. Kudos to Keith.

    Debbie
    dcm9@u.washington.edu

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  4. This home had good bones! That's why it worked out so well. The property is fabulous. Interesting to see, thanks for sharing!

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