Blog - Page 20 of 35 - MidMod Midwest

How Do I Pick a Mid Century Faucet? (Or any other finish material for my remodel?)

14 min readIf you’re struggling to pick out a mid-century faucet (or any other part) of your remodel … start right here!

What should you do when you can’t make up your mind, when finding a mid-century faucet seems impossible?

Before I get into that: ARE YOU SIGNED UP FOR THE FREE MASTERCLASS? IF NOT, WHY NOT? Come (LIVE) on Saturday 27th at 11am central or watch the On Demand Replay as soon as the class is over.

The abundance of choice is a HUGE factor in feeling in over your head when you are trying to choose finishes for your home update. With the entire internet at your finger tips … or even the plumbing supply show room that your plumber directed you to … you can feel like anything is possible and nothing is certain.

Avoid Remodeling Overwhelm with a plan: get Help at this weekend's mid-century master plan master class!

Here’s the thing though – only a few of these myriad options are actually going to be right for your style and your house when you get right down to it.

Am I Wrong to Love Mid Century?

When HGTV, Home Depot, every contractor you’ve spoken to so far, and some of your friends and family are all questioning why you like that feature of your mid century house, it can feel like maybe they’re right and you’re not. You can ask yourself, am I wrong to love mid-century?

No, of course not! Your mid mod home is great!

How can you find other people besides me to reinforce you when you love mid-century? You need a community of people who can share war stories, advice, and wins from their experience and updating, repairing, and maintaining mid century homes. So, today, we’re going to talk about how to make that happen!

Can I open up a wall? And other questions about your structure!

14 min readIf you’ve ever wished to just open up a wall in your house but worried it would be too expensive, too difficult or downright risky, I hope you’ll feel less so at the end of this episode!

If you’ve ever wished to just open up a wall in your house but worried it would be too expensive, too difficult or downright risky, I hope you’ll feel less so at the end of this episode!

True, there are some areas of your house structure you don’t want to carelessly change – for fear of bringing down the whole thing!

You sure do need to know where your bearing walls are and what they are. But once you know where your home’s structure is … and isn’t … you’ll be better able to “see through the walls” and open up some great flow in your home!

Tune in for some rules of thumb for identifying structure AND some easy design cheats to open up space in the structure you have without costly re-engineering!

How Do I Get the Best Value in a Remodel?

14 min readMake sure you get the best value in your remodel and JUSTIFY your time, energy and expense by considering how you can tweak the layout of your home to fit your life!

Here’s how you can get the best value in a remodel … you can super charge any remodel using adjustments to your home’s layout. By the way … this episode and topic are the PERFECT preamble to this weekend’s Mid-Century Design Clinic. Listen up here and then go save your seat for the Workshop!

Look, beautiful finishes can make your life so shiny and pretty.

You can wake up in the morning and smile because of the color of your bedroom wall.
Touching the surfaces of your kitchen cabinets can bring you genuine joy multiple times a day.
The perfect paver stones under your feet on the patio can be warm, smooth, and classy.

But just changing the surfaces of things doesn’t have a power to change your life the way adjusting your layout can-do.

What if I Need to do Maintenance Before I Remodel Plan?

Today’s question is actually one I don’t get asked often enough. Here it goes: How can I get started now on my fun mid-century home update plans when I have this feeling I should do maintenance before I remodel?

Don’t forget to sign up for the summer Mid-Century Design Clinic by July 31st to get the early bird pricing!! Plan a deck or patio update perfect for you and your home!

I don’t get asked because way too many people assume it’s the wrong question to ask! Is this you? Do you think you have to take care of some maintenance and repair work first. You should replace the furnace, get a new roof on, repair that rotted deck – before you can do the fun things … before you can start making your house into your home?

I understand the logic of this. And if you are someone who likes to work before they play, eat a good dinner before desert or just generally earn their fun … I get it. It sounds adulting and responsible home-owning 101.

But it this case, it’s the absolutely wrong idea.

How do I Keep My Remodel Mid-Century?

14 min readWhen you need to make a major update to your mid mod era home, use these four Mid Mod Cornerstone design concepts to keep your remodel mid-century!

Last week was all about starting small. This week we’re talking about how you can plan dramatic changes for your home without erasing its mid-century character. This episode is for people asking, how do I keep my BIG remodel Mid-Century while I tweak … or transform? My friends, I’ve got the answer for you.

Today, I’m introducing a new framework I’ve been working on for a while: the four cornerstones of mid-century design.

These are design principles common in the mid-century era and found in virtually every home built in that era – even the most modest ranch.

I Want to Update My Mid-Century Home. Where do I Start?

13 min readIf you are brand new to owning a Mid-Century Home and wondering “Where do I start?” Start small. Here are the first steps to get you on the right path!

What comes first when you’re brand new to your mid-century home and wondering “Where do I start?”

It doesn’t matter if you are a brand new homeowner, someone who’s been in their house a few years and feeling ready to make some changes or you don’t even HAVE a home yet but want to start making your life look a little more MCM!

Now, you’re ready to start planning what you would like to do to make your house into your home so … where do you even begin?

How can you start the remodel process without getting in completely over your head?

Today, let’s talk about how to stick your toe into the kidney-shaped pool of mid-century home updates.

Adding sweet primary suite storage

3 min readWhether you choose open clothes storage, walk in closets or built-in wardrobes, storage solutions can transform your owners’ suite into a relaxing retreat.

Here’s what we were dealing with: A storage SOS from a less than stellar primary suite.

This a 1960 split level had a defining window arrangement that was worth saving. But the storage in the primary bedroom was less than functional and the bathroom was in dire need of an update. For this couple storage was key. They wanted a space that was easy to wake up in, smoothed their path into the day and helped them avoid chaos and clutter.

Our goal was to reimagine the layout of the space to make it more comfortable and fill it with practical storage. Designing with those tasty windows in mind, we worked out a range of possibilities from simple finish updates to a more lavish bed and bath improvement.

Our Sweet Solutions

With each of the following layouts, we designed ways to add practical storage, a feeling of spaciousness and visual connection to the great wall of windows. We also provided furniture layout options for more privacy.

Scheme 1 – Welcoming Walk-through Closet

Scheme 2 – Low and Loving It

Scheme 3 – Closed Up Clothing Storage

Want a sweet owners’ suite of your own?

Learn the secrets to maximizing your square footage in this blog post.
Got all the space you need, but none of the MCM style you love? Discover your mid-century style and era!
Want someone to do the design for you? Check out my mini-masterclass for mid-mod lovers seeking a Master Plan right here!

Set Remodeling Goals, the Right Way!

12 min readUse remodeling goals to keep yourself on target as you plan the perfect mid-century home update!

Keeping a home update on track from start to finish is no easy task. It’s so personal, expensive, long term and generally overwhelming that you’re sure feel stressed about it from time to time. But you can push back on those feelings if you are anchored by strong remodeling goals.

Let’s talk about how to set your mid-century remodel on the right course, right from the start with a simple remodeling goals planning exercise.

Skip Remodel Overwhelm … Like this!

11 min readWant to know the fastest way to remodel overwhelm … trying to do it all at once!

Baby steps, my friend. Take your remodel one step at a time. Just skip right past the classic remodel overwhelm – that moment when it all becomes too much. Planning a whole remodel at once – deciding on every detail – is crazy difficult. But if you focus your planning on one step at a time, you can cut the crazy in half.