Nicole and Vince Lombardo purchased and moved into their family home more than a decade ago, but even before then, the home felt familiar.
“We actually knew the original homeowners; I used to lay out at this pool when I was in high school,” said Nicole Lombardo, regarding the ranch-style residence in Edmond’s Tall Oaks neighborhood.
The Lombardos lived in the home for almost 11 years, adding four kids along the way, before they decided to renovate it. They turned to J.D. Terry of Lone Oak Custom Homes to lead the project by opening up the kitchen, adding storage and updating rooms and finishes to make it truly their “forever home.”
“I just needed (the approach) to be a little outside of the box,” Lombardo said. “We wanted someone who was willing to work with us and get creative because the home is an older ’70s ranch; it just doesn’t fit cookie-cutter trends.”
Lombardo worked well with Terry’s talented team, including carpenter Harley Guthery and designer Heather Lay of Heather Lay Interiors. All collaborated to bring in more warm-toned woods — adding custom built-ins, extending the home’s original wood floors and recovering wooden beams and columns — to make the rooms functional and inviting. Lombardo said she especially loves the wainscoting in the bedroom, masterfully executed by Guthery. “Like a work of art.”
Lombardo and Lay agree the bedroom design is quite special, as is the laundry room, with its earthy terracotta tile and putty-colored cabinetry. The private rooms are as thoughtful as the large gathering areas, and that’s by design.
“I always encourage my clients: Obviously you want to focus on the spaces that your guests see, but guests aren’t in your home every day. You are,” Lay said. “You are in your laundry room every day, and you are in your primary bedroom every day, so let’s not totally neglect those.”
Lombardo wanted the home to feel updated while remaining true to its age. She also wanted casual designs to fit her family’s casual lifestyle. To achieve this, Lay brought in copper, lacquered brass, marble, soapstone and materials whose patinae only get better with time. Designs also complement Lombardo’s affinity for collecting.
Designs also complement Lombardo’s affinity for collecting. “I am an avid junker and real estate saler,” Lombardo said. “I like the old stuff — the quirkier, the better — and Heather really embraced that for me. Most of the designs that she and J.D. came up with incorporated the way that we already live.”
“We really wanted all of her furnishings, antiques and eclectic gadgets to be the star of the show,” Lay said, “and then the hard finishes to be kind of in the background, where they just look beautiful and they’re never going to go out of style.”
The renovation has only enhanced the home’s familiar charm, which is fully realized when the Lombardos are hosting friends and family.
“At minimum, there are six of us around the table at night, but generally there’s an extra kid here or there, or my parents are over, or we’re having another family over,” Lombardo said. “It’s just a really accommodating family home.”