Before & After: They Gave Their Portland Ranch House a "Midsommar Modern" Revamp
Moody florals meet custom millwork and gleaming brass in this Pacific Northwest midcentury reno by Bright Designlab.
![Before & After: They Gave Their Portland Ranch House a "Midsommar Modern" Revamp](https://images.dwell.com/photos-6272473203005894656/7235021127532584960-small/boy-boy-fabricated-the-framing-for-the-flue-shroud-and-base-which-was-then-finished-with-plaster-and-given-a-limestone-benchtop-the-arto-ceramic-tile-extends-into-the-kitchen-which-has-a-preserved-wood-ceiling-with-new-skylights.jpg?#)
Moody florals meet custom millwork and gleaming brass in this Pacific Northwest midcentury reno by Bright Designlab.
![Boy Boy fabricated the framing for the flue shroud and base, which was then finished with plaster, and given a limestone benchtop. The Arto Ceramic tile extends into the kitchen, which has a preserved wood ceiling with new skylights.](https://images.dwell.com/photos-6272473203005894656/7235021127532584960-large/boy-boy-fabricated-the-framing-for-the-flue-shroud-and-base-which-was-then-finished-with-plaster-and-given-a-limestone-benchtop-the-arto-ceramic-tile-extends-into-the-kitchen-which-has-a-preserved-wood-ceiling-with-new-skylights.jpg)
"We’re not cookie cutter—that’s why people come to Bright Designlab," says principal designer and firm founder Alissa Pulcrano. The owners of this midcentury ranch in Southwest Portland knew the drill, as they’d worked with Pulcrano for twelve years on three different homes. Their latest project was "a rare time capsule," says the owner, and it had not been touched for decades: "We saw so much potential. The vaulted ceilings, the backyard space...and the zigzag layout felt like the right flow for us."
The couple, a music-loving engineer and a nurse, wanted to update the home for better function and feeling while shaping it into a place where they could relax away from the world. "This home whispered vintage camp vibes to us from the start," says Pulcrano. "So, the story naturally became to create a highly curated and comfortable retreat for everyday life."
![The 1958 home in Southwest Portland has an unassuming cedar-shingled exterior.](https://images.dwell.com/photos-6272473203005894656/7235021149213270016-medium/the-1958-home-in-southwest-portland-has-an-unassuming-cedar-shingled-exterior.jpg)
The Southwest Portland home was built in 1958. Bright Designlab had the exterior window frames powder-coated to match the Valspar Black Evergreen paint that can be found throughout the interior.
George Barberis
With its split-level layout and kitschy original finishes (like the orange counters in the kitchen), "it was also a little bit Brady Bunch," says Pulcrano. The new design would veer into a more playful domain: "One of the catchphrases we used to start the design language was ‘midsommar modern,’" she explains.
Their first area of focus was to rework the living areas by connecting the living room and kitchen and inserting a custom circular plaster fireplace to serve as a gathering spot between rooms. "We wanted a central place where you could actually sit," says Pulcrano. "People tend to gather in the kitchen at the island, but we also wanted to draw people to the hearth."
Before: Living Room
![Before: Previously, the main living room had been set up as a games room, but the new plan restores it to its lounge status.](https://images.dwell.com/photos-6272473203005894656/7235021122273255424-medium/before-previously-the-main-living-room-had-been-set-up-as-a-games-room-but-the-new-plan-restores-it-to-its-lounge-status.jpg)
Before: The living room had been set up as a game room. The new plan restored the space to lounge status.
Courtesy of Bright Designlab
After: Living Room
![The floor has tile from Arto Ceramic via the Portland-based Tempest Tileworks, with a rug from Kush Rugs. A sculptural Bofred floor lamp sits with a Montauk sofa and coffee table by Michael Robbins.](https://images.dwell.com/photos-6272473203005894656/7235021124858863616-medium/the-floor-has-tile-from-arto-ceramic-via-the-portland-based-tempest-tileworks-with-a-rug-from-kush-rugs-a-sculptural-bofred-floor-lamp-sits-with-a-montauk-sofa-and-coffee-table-by-michael-robbins.jpg)
The floor has tile from Arto Ceramic, via the Portland-based Tempest Tileworks, with a rug from Kush Rugs. A sculptural Bofred floor lamp sits with a Montauk sofa and coffee table by Michael Robbins.
George Barberis
See the full story on Dwell.com: Before & After: They Gave Their Portland Ranch House a "Midsommar Modern" Revamp
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