Project overview - This little gem was built in the 1950s, back when the neighborhood still felt like the edge of town. Seventy years later, it's now on prime real estate—an easy bike ride or reasonable walk to the IU campus. When it went up for sale in 2017, the home was a time capsule, barely touched since its original build. Our investment clients saw the potential, and so did we. We knew it needed more space to make financial sense, but we also felt strongly about preserving the neighborhood’s character—and the home’s humble midcentury roots.

Client description - Without a specific homeowner in mind, our design team had a unique challenge: create something with broad appeal that still felt personal. We turned to the Swedish concept of lagom—"just the right amount"—to guide us. It helped us find balance: between preservation and modern needs, between restraint and a little bit of drama. This renovation shows how thoughtful updates, even on a spec project, can still have heart.

Design solutions - Swedes have a word that means “just the right amount”: lagom. It is a guiding philosophy for us at SYH, and especially applied in this renovation. Part of the soul of this house was about living in just the right amount of space. Super sizing wasn’t a thing in 1950s America. So, the solution emerged: keep the original rectangle, but add an L off the back.. That’s where all the public spaces now live—open, airy, and full of light—while the front 1,500 square feet hold an office and four bedrooms. From the street, the house keeps a low, modest profile—very Hoosier in its understatement. But in back, it surprises you with soaring ceilings and walls of glass.

Outcomes & testimonials - In the studio, we started calling this house the “Mullet Ranch”—business up front, party in the back. The name stuck, because it captured what we were after: a renovation that honors its midcentury spirit while stepping confidently into the now. The balance between past and present, simplicity and surprise, helped this home sell quickly, and to new owners who saw and loved both sides of the story.

Photography by Gina Rogers and Jane Daniels.