Barbra Bright

Taggart and Stefanie Hansen needed their home to be flexible in the coming years. They’ve got two college-age kids who live at home part time, and the Hansens plan to have Stefanie’s parents live with them in the future. So they bought their 1950s ranch house in Springfield, Virginia, knowing they would make updates to accommodate their multigenerational family.

Travis and Jami Turner were excited to find a house on a tree-lined street in Austin, Texas, that had a backyard and views of a creek. It seemed like the perfect place to start their next chapter together as a family with two young sons. But major issues with the existing home required the couple to knock the structure down to the slab.

“After” photos by Tiffany Ringwald Photography Kitchen at a Glance Who lives here: Michael and Megan Beaver and their two kids Location: Ballantyne, North Carolina Size: 180 square feet (17 square meters) Designer: Jena Bula of Delphinium Design Builder: Ekren Construction Before: The couple felt the beige ornamental cabinetry had to go. “I would be working in the kitchen in a big, cozy sweater, and it would get snagged,” Megan says. Plus, a decorative valance over the window blocked light.