Most of us know a house—we may have passed it every day—that captures our imagination and makes us wonder what it would be like to live there someday. For Ken Turchi, a marketing executive and active community volunteer, and his partner, Josh Gurvitz, an event planner, that place was a mid-century modern home less than a block away from their Arden residence, about 15 minutes north of downtown.

Turchi was so intrigued that he wrote a letter to the owner, offering to buy it. He was undaunted when a response didn’t arrive, and several years later his patience paid off when he finally held the key to the home in his hands. “I’ve admired the house for almost 20 years, so when I went into it and saw how beautifully it had been preserved, I knew it would be perfect.”

Turchi grew up with Danish-modern furniture, geometric-patterned prints, and novelty accessories, which influenced his own style. As a young homeowner, he developed his tastes by collecting 1950s lamps and accent pieces. Later, he discovered furniture by Dunbar, the iconic American company in Berne, Indiana, and purchased pieces in San Francisco, Washington, D.C., and other cities. As his collection grew, so did the need to find an environment in which to house it.

Turchi has owned four homes, each one a reflection of his style at unique times in his life. A bungalow in Broad Ripple was succeeded by a larger home in Arden. In 1996, he relocaed within Arden and began his first collaboration with friend and designer Lynn Smith of DesignSmith. They incorporated Turchi’s preferred bright colors into the decor and blended his kitschy department-store memorabilia with family mementos and treasured pieces of furniture. Then he met Gurvitz, who had an eye of his own, and they merged households and tastes.

With more furniture and objects than space, it was fortuitous that the opportunity arose to purchase Turchi’s dream home in 2007. While many distinctly period houses get updated and altered over the years, Turchi was surprised and pleased to see how little the home had been altered since its inception. Only time had worn the home, and Turchi wanted to return its original luster, calling on Smith to work with him again.

“This home was tastefully understated,” says Smith, “and we wanted to be true to the original intent.” Their approach to the renovation was to maintain the integrity of the house, carefully bringing the original mahogany and cherry finishes back to life and incorporating typical mid-century materials like terrazzo, mosaic tiles, and oversized parquet in a new way into the renovation. The bright colors that Turchi and Gurvitz love moved into the private spaces, allowing the architectural details and the understated furniture collections to stand on their own in the living and dining areas. Somehow, the bold geometrics in the couple’s favored upholstery and their bright, graphic paintings seem to mature in this new environment.

The original owners lived downtown, and O.C. Winters built this as their second home in 1954.The features tell their story of a couple who came here to relax and entertain on weekends. Large, open spaces with calming views of the outdoors allow for easy movement from room to room. Sliding glass doors between rooms (“Brilliant,” says Smith) create intimacy when the need arises or permit large gatherings of friends. The stereo system is hidden behind doors and has a secret panel in the back for service; a (worn-out) movie screen pulls down from the ceiling. The bar has a counter that slides forward, revealing a sink. A device that washes glasses rolls out, and there is cabinetry beneath just for glasses.

In the kitchen, the inside of an upper cabinet is fitted with a mirror and a small rack so the lady of the house could apply makeup as she passed through from one room to the next. There is even a little door in the kitchen where the milkman would have left milk bottles. The new owners insisted on preserving these unique features, even though many of them won’t be used. The home’s original metal St. Charles cabinetry delights Turchi, whose 1950s Flare ranges sit side by side with all the touches of a contemporary kitchen. All these details seem so well-thought-out and modern that it is hard to believe that this house was built more than a half-century ago.

The home’s flexibility suits the current home-owners as well as it fit the original owners. A beautiful baby grand piano occupies a prominent space in the living room. Turchi, an avid student of the piano, gives an annual recital for his friends and colleagues. Remarkably, the home’s acoustics are excellent. Gurvitz, a busy wedding planner who works at The Paper Cottage, enjoys hosting these events, planning the guest list, the food, and the flowers. It seems that history repeats itself: The place is tailor-made for the pair to entertain in a low-key yet gracious way.