Interior designer Jeffrey Neve reimagines a ranch house in Lafayette as a spirited family home
“What I love about this client,” says interior designer Jeffrey Neve of the young family who hired him to redesign this home, “is that we’ve been been working together for over two years and the house is constantly evolving.”
To begin, Neve and his team took the 3200 square foot single story rancher down to the studs, inserting higher ceilings and rethinking the home’s flow. “We approach design from the perspective of the client and what they want to accomplish,” Neve explains. With two rambunctious young boys and an active goldendoodle, it was important that all the finishes, fabrics and furnishings be able to withstand major wear and tear. The client also loves to entertain.
A master suite was added. So, too, was a mudroom and an office. The backyard was terraced. With all of the main rooms now opening on to the outdoors, the interior is flooded with natural light.
But, as all interior designers know, there are often things about how a family lives that must be inferred and interpreted. It’s a skill set that requires the patience of a saint, the observational powers of Sherlock Holmes and the ability to change speeds with the dexterity and ingenuity of a driver navigating the Dakar Rally .
“In the beginning,” Neve shares, “the plans called for the living room to be the dining room.” It was only after living in the house for almost six months that the clients realized that the dining room wasn’t being used.
Instead, when the family entertained, everyone gathered in the kitchen and breakfast nook. “So we switched light fixtures, sold a table and chairs and reimagined the dining room as a proper living room with the piano,” laughs Neve. A coat closet just off the kitchen was moved closer to the entryway. Opened up, it’s now a bar that caters to the family’s frequent guests.
Neve was also able to convince the client that the blue and white palette that they had their heart set on would benefit from colorful accents that might better telegraph the family’s energetic style. “In the great room we added pops of coral,” he says, “in the kitchen and eat-in area we added a deeper coral in the Captain’s chairs.” In the living room, a vibrant magenta pink pops against a navy blue sofa from Palette and Parlor.
Next up, a sport court, a swimming pool and an outdoor pavilion will be added to the backyard. “It’s been so fun to continue tweaking and updating the house to fit the client’s needs,” says Neve.
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