Californians have accepted and grown to love the ranch style. But it can be more than that. There are ways to make your rancher special. First of all, be realistic. Your home is never going to be an Italian villa or an English tudor. You have to be true to the bones of the house. That doesn’t mean you have to be boring. Beef up the base and crown mouldings to 6 or 8 inches from the 3 inch standard builder issue. Add trim around doorways, windows, even cased openings between rooms.
Use colors and tones that evoke a rich and warm palette. Give the rooms an identity by texturing the walls with striated patterns or glazing. Replace carpet with hardwood, rough stone or slate, even breaking up the standard living/dining room area with a curved hard surface walkway.
When it comes to furnishings, use a few large pieces that make the rooms look bigger and more important. Off white sofas with industrial chic is a hip look right now. Throw in an antique chair covered in rich velvet and you’ll end up with a room that looks sophisticated, modern and very architectural!
Embrace the mid-century aura of your home and be proud of what it represents!
designstateofmind 
I would like to know what is the best size baseboards for 7′ ceilings? I love the look of 6″ base, but feel like it dwarfs the room.
That’s an interesting challenge. 7′ ceilings are quite low and I understand how you don’t want to make it appear even lower… If you really want 6″ baseboards, consider doing one that graduates from very thin at the top to thicker at the floor. This will visually add height. You didn’t mention what the flooring is, I assume wood? If so, use the direction of the flooring to conteract the ht.. horizontal versus vertical will help. A great look for lower ceilings is to paint the baseboards a color (not white) and use a lighter color on the walls. Then they ground the space, not diminish it. Hope this helps!
I had never thought about any color other than white for the baseboards. I thought that with white base and crown + colored walls would help to ‘lengthen’ the walls. I really appreciate your input.
PS. The floors are tan/beige porcelain travertine.
Happy to help! Darker at top and bottom and light in the middle actually gives visual ht. For more hints and advise follow on Twitter @swallacedesign or like us on FB at SteveWallaceDesign. Have fun!
Sent from my iPhone. Steve Wallace Interior Designer
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