Putting The Swing Back Into This 1960s Midcentury Ranch Took Vision

August 19, 2024 | Karen Eubank | | Monday Morning Millionaire

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Photos by: Apertureal Real Estate Imagery The living room features the original Terrazzo floor and a dramatic rock fireplace wall. Please perish the thought of ever putting a TV on it.

To me, there is nothing more exciting than finding a cool 1960s Midcentury Ranch that’s had only three owners. That means it’s well-built and incredibly livable. Of course, buying a ’60s house means you must have a vision.

That’s exactly what Noé De Leon’s clients had. De Leon is a Realtor with EXP Realty and was showing his out-of-town clients around Dallas a few years ago. They were set on new construction. He asked if they minded a quick stop at a house he wanted to see as a remodel project for another client. Not only didn’t they mind, they wanted to see it.

“Suddenly, they were walking around and discussing ideas for it,” De Leon said. “They thought it was super cool, but we were looking at new construction, so I didn’t think much more about it.”

However, as soon as his clients landed back home in Arizona, they called De Leon and said they wanted the Midcentury Ranch. They didn’t care that it was a huge project because they saw the potential.

They had vision.

That vision included major updates and definitely some sleek finish-out. They definitely needed someone to put the swing back into their ’60s home.

Lauren Dickson of LDI Studio knew just how to make a Midcentury Ranch swing again. She’d worked with De Leon on a few spec homes and done some Ranch flips. Dickson knew how to create a “wow factor” without fighting the existing architecture, so De Leon knew she’d be the perfect fit for his clients.

“We clicked immediately,” Dickson said. “The clients had a strong vision and did not want to blow out walls, which I loved.”

The most challenging aspect of the project was space planning. However, Dickson’s ingenuity allowed her to redistribute space from various areas, creating a more efficient floor plan and flow. She managed to incorporate must-have features like a wine room, a home gym, and a luxurious principal bathroom.

The house now boasts an open feeling, with each space clearly defined. The entry was vaulted to create a grand entrance, and the kitchen’s ceiling height was raised to 10 feet, allowing natural light to flood the space.

The newly designed kitchen features Thermador Professional Collection appliances, rift-cut white oak cabinetry, and Calacatta Michelangelo marble on the countertops and island.

“The taller ceilings and windows were my solution to making the space feel larger without having to remove a wall,” Dickson said. “My biggest accomplishment in the project was being able to respect the existing architecture of the home while still creating an updated design. It’s modern, timeless, incredibly functional, and ideal for entertaining.”

Dickson’s exceptional work on this 1963 Midcentury Ranch was recognized with prestigious awards, including first place in the ASID Celebrating Design Texas 2023 for residential kitchen design and Best in Show in the Dallas Design Community.

This reinvented Midcentury Ranch has four bedrooms,four-and-a-half- bathrooms, a media room, a gym, a wine room, and a home office.

This house has always been cool. According to the archives of the Dallas Morning News, it was one of the first custom homes built in Russword Acres. During the planning stages, a 1960 advertisement described the neighborhood.

Exclusive home sites in Dallas’s first prestige subdivision with all power and telephone cables underground. Estate-size lots amid winding creeks and native trees are available for homes with living areas of 3,000 square feet and over. For the exclusive in prestige living … see RUSSWOOD ACRES.