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Before-and-after photos highlight an interior remodel that produced a one-of-a-kind ranch in California

By reconfiguring existing space in their San Francisco home, lighting experts Nancy McCoy and Peter Judge were able to remodel a typical '60s ranch into an open, light-filled home with interior details that reflect the way this busy, creative couple live and work. Before-and-after photos illuminate the transformation of the once-ordinary front entry, the outdated kitchen, and the faux-lava fireplace.

To learn more tricks this couple used to remodel their home, read Personalizing an Everyday Ranch in the August/September 2007 issue of Fine Homebuilding.

Before: Containers could only do so much to dress up this ranch's unexceptional entry. Photo by: Nancy McCoy

After: A clue to what lies within. Because the original entry was too impersonal, the new owners warmed it up by wrapping the vestibule in clear-finished Douglas fir sidng and trim. New side lites and wall-sconce add light from two directions.

Before: Fire good, lava bad. The centerpiece of the original living room was the faux lava fireplace surround. Photo by: Nancy McCoy

After: With the help of Berkeley, California, metalsmith David M. Bowman, Peter built a new surround of bronze, anigre, and mahogany.

Before: In the original floor plan, the kitchen occupied an exterior wall; the dining room was relegated to a windowless corner. Photo by: Nancy McCoy

After: Entertaining in a better place. The remodel transposed the kitchen and dining spaces, making the dining room feel more spacious and open. Pockets doors between the two rooms can be closed for a more formal setting.

Photos by Charles Bickford, except where noted

From Fine Homebuilding189 September 1, 2007