Ortons infuse 40-year-old home with new touches of their style

 

 

Written by Heather Jones Skaggs

Photographs by Dawn Harrison
When Eden Orton and her husband Hayes started looking for a larger home for their growing family, they knew they wanted more than just more square footage.

“We knew we needed a bigger yard, more space and a quieter neighborhood,” Eden says.

The Ortons found a home in the historic Green Valley community that was convenient to area amenities and close to the elementary school that their children will attend.

“We loved the location and the potential we saw,” Eden says.

The corner lot home was perfect for the family of five. Isabelle and Parker, the Ortons’ children, are close to school and friends, and Bo, their Goldendoodle, has a spacious yard to call his own.

The family also enjoys the nearby park and lake.

“We like to feed the ducks at Star Lake and also enjoy the food trucks that come out monthly. We also enjoy the playground at Green Valley Elementary,” Eden says.

Many young families, like the Ortons, are looking for comfortable neighborhoods with access to great schools and modern conveniences. These established neighborhoods with larger lots and houses with good structures have great appeal.

Although their house is about 40 years old, the previous owners kept it in immaculate shape, and Eden says you can tell the house was very much loved and cared for by the previous owners.

With the home in excellent shape, Eden and her family focused on personal style and living space as they embarked on a few renovations to meet their needs.

“We started remodeling in March 2016, creating a master bathroom and master closet,” Eden says.

To do this, the den area was turned into the master bedroom, and they added barn doors to separate the bedroom from the bathroom.

To open up the living space, the Ortons knocked out three walls between the dining room, kitchen and living room. The house only had hardwoods upstairs, so hardwoods were also brought in downstairs.

“We also used reclaimed wood in the living area and had built-in bookshelves made,” Eden adds.

For the kitchen space, Eden had a vision.

“I have always dreamed of having an open kitchen space with classic finishes, so that is exactly what I created,” she says.

Along with updated cream and white cabinetry, Eden brought in a reclaimed island with white marble countertop.

Iron barstools with wood seats were added to line the island and create a great place for friends to sit and chat. The kitchen also got a new backsplash, and all new stainless steel appliances.

A stainless farmhouse sink completes the rustic charm that flows from the kitchen throughout the home in hues of cream, rich browns and grays.

 

The Ortons’ renovations took three-and-a-half months, but they have a few more ideas and projects down the road as they settle into their Green Valley home.

“We plan to add French patio doors in our bedroom area and plan on creating an outdoor living area with fireplace.”

Any home can be made your own no matter if it is new construction or an established home with a few years under its belt.

But Eden points out that it is the people who live in a house that make it a home.

“It is a place where my husband and I can build our relationship, our children can play, eat, sleep and grow. It is a place where our dog can enjoy playing with his humans in his backyard,” Eden says.
The family thinks back to the lives lived in the house and hope to enjoy it as much as they did.

“We are forever grateful to the previous owners for having so much pride in their house, which is now our home,” she says. “We feel honored to be able to raise our children here