AVONDALE ESTATES, Ga. | Keith Brown and Karen Hennessey wanted to give their ranch house the sleek, modern style they had come to appreciate from stays in boutique hotels in cities such as Paris, Cairo and Johannesburg.

The nation's housing market is battered, but Bryan-College Station has avoided the big blow.

Marv Bondarowicz/The OregonianNew GE Profile appliances include this electric range with convection oven and the three-speed, vented microwave. Linda Beck jokes that she's on a learning curve with the convection and not long ago cooked a roast so quickly that...