Whole-Home Harmony: Cohesive Color and Thoughtful Design Details Unify This Home’s Bold Transformation
Posted by KraftMaid on 23rd Jun 2025
In a stunning transformation of their mid-century ranch house, a Lexington, Kentucky, couple crafts a seamlessly styled sanctuary with bold color choices and thoughtful design elements.
As Amanda Cecil and Matt Collins embarked on the renovation of their mid-century ranch house in Lexington, Kentucky, their vision was clear: create a home that was inviting, cohesive, and timeless throughout.
“We wanted to tie all these rooms together so that when guests were here, they could flow from one spot to the other, and everyone can still feel kind of connected,” explains Cecil.
Working with the architect and kitchen design team at Estate Renovations, the couple transformed a 1965 home that felt too compartmentalized into an expansive yet connected living space. They achieved this not just through reconstruction efforts – like removing the long dividing wall between the kitchen and the living room to establish a spacious open floor plan – but also by implementing design details that create a seamless transition between rooms while beautifully reflecting their distinct personal style.
COLOR CONNECTION: THE UNIFYING POWER OF A SIGNATURE HUE
The couple’s use of the deep neutral green of Sherwin Williams’ Laurel Woods, a custom color option available through the KraftMaid® ColorMatch™ program, infuses a striking visual throughline to create a sophisticated atmosphere. It also evokes a serene forest feel, grounding the space with a sense of natural elegance.
Covering walls, the butler’s pantry, and the wet bar – as well as the ceiling, trim, and doors – this moody hue also complements the dark green wall tile in the bathroom. The color wash approach contrasts with prevalent design features of warm wood tones, bright whites, and gold accents, bringing a touch of drama to the home.
AN ORGANIC TOUCH: BALANCE ROOTED IN WARMTH
The repetition of wood elements in different corners of the home offers a cohesive wave of warmth while subtly nodding to its mid-century design. “We didn’t want to come in and blow it into a really modern look – we wanted to stay a little traditional, but also a little more modern.” says Cecil. “And I think for both of us, it was just a priority that it just be timeless.”
That perennial appeal is attained with the consistent presence of KraftMaid’s medium-brown Husk on Cherry wood, seen on kitchen cabinetry, the bar island, and the powder room vanity. Husk’s ability to bring out Cherry’s fine grain pattern adds a refined organic element and luminous contrast to dark green – even as it echoes its nature-inspired charm, striking a bold balance.
A TOUCH OF GOLD: ELEVATED CONTINUITY
Bringing a pop of consistent color is a clever way to create style continuity, a strategy clearly reflected in the prevalence of gold faucets, lighting fixtures, and hardware on cabinetry throughout the home, from kitchen to powder room and beyond. The intentional use of gold tones serves as a visual thread that further ties together various spaces within the home.
These prominent gold details also elevate the couple’s overall aesthetic. While harmonizing beautifully with the warmth of wood cabinetry and flooring as well as the sophistication of dark green, the inclusion of gold offers an unexpected touch of luxury. The additional use of gold to accent the hood trim and bar island in the kitchen along with chair backs represents a departure from cool-toned stainless steel often favored in today’s kitchen design.
COOL CORRELATION: WHITE ELEMENTS BLEND BRIGHTLY
The thoughtful interplay of cool whites throughout this ranch house imparts an airiness that offsets the darker surrounding color palette. Light-reflecting surfaces allow the rich saturation of green and the warmth of gold and KraftMaid wood accents to shine – and refine.
In the kitchen, the white backsplash paired with equally bright countertops provides a crisp, clean look that complements the brilliance of crown molding, archway trims, lights, and upholstery. We see similar color combinations in the bathroom and powder room, where luminous tones of white appear on the vanity, flooring, bathtub, and tile grout.
YOU CAN DO IT, TOO
Inspired to create a clear, concise style in your home? KraftMaid can help make all you imagine a reality. Use our free tools to explore your style and get a sense of how your vision can take shape as a finished project. You can also kickstart your remodel project by browsing our photo gallery of design ideas.
