Before and After: A Brown ’60s Kitchen Is Now a Clean, Happy Space

Name: Heather Morgan, husband, three kids (Saige 8, Ivy Mae 4 Judah 1), two cats
Location: Davis, California
Size: 1,222 square feet
Years lived in: 3 years, owned

We are a labor and delivery nurse and an engineer-turned-landscape designer making a simple life for our three kids. We live in a small space and both work part-time in an effort to focus on our family life and the needs of our little ones post the birth of our youngest child who is medically complex. Since we spend so much time at home we celebrate an indoor/outdoor lifestyle, with original large windows that open our space to the outside.

We strive to keep a clean and simple aesthetic for our family with touches of the coast we left behind while celebrating the original touches of our little 1950s ranch house. Everything in our home has been lovingly curated on a budget by my husband and I. From the hand-poured concrete counters to the art on our walls, every piece is from a place or an artist we know intimately.

Describe your home’s style in 5 words or less: Coastal Mid-century Modern Family.

What is your favorite room and why? The kitchen! The original kitchen was closed to the small dining and living room and had been redone in the ’60s with a handful of cabinets, yellow and brown linoleum, and about two feet of counter space. We opened it to the dining room, added washable IKEA cabinets with copper pulls, and poured concrete countertops. It is bright and happy, clean, and very family-friendly. It makes me happy every day!

If you could magically change something about your home, what would it be? Space for a playroom would be a dream!

What’s the last thing you bought (or found!) for your home? My husband made me concrete planter frames that slide on top of our outdoor fire pit during the 100-degree summers we have here.

Any advice for creating a home you love? Great organization so the only things you see on a regular basis are the ones you picked on purpose. Also “decorate” for your dream life. Every furniture, book, or art piece we own either serves a function or reminds me of the life we are living and the one we plan while sitting around the table after the kids are in bed.

Thanks, Heather!

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