Sunny living room remodel

After: Sunny living room remodel

Click to Enlarge

• 

  Amazing home transformations

  Get ideas for your own house from our collection of inspiring Before and Afters

  more

Raising the ceiling of this nondescript 1940s tract ranch house infused drama and light into what had been a cramped, dead-end living room.

Now a soaring ceiling, a striking stairway leading upstairs, and a sculpturally ribbed cast-concrete fireplace create an inviting gathering place.

Tall glass doors replace the small windows flanking the fireplace, brightening the room. Bookshelves built into the staircase add a library look.

Inset stainless steel tiles on the fireplace echo and update the painted brick on the original fireplace. A large mantel mirror draws the eye toward the balcony. The random-plank flooring is reclaimed antique chestnut.

What makes it work

• Stair storage There's room for books and art objects under the landing
• Fireplace focal point The inset stainless steel tiles draw  the eye and reflect light
• Tall glass The doors allow in light and shadows that wash the floor

Design  Terry Martin Associates, AIA, Los Gatos, CA (408/395-8016). Interior design: McDonald & Moore, San Jose (408/292-6997). Builder: De Mattei Construction, San Jose (408/295-7516)