the midcentury ranch for a new generation
Stress-free is a BIG promise.
Of course, there will be some stress in a remodel. You can worry about labor and material costs. You will feel the pressure of timing. You might rack yourself over design details.
But you can cut stress out of the remodeling process in as many places as possible!
Continue reading “Lead a Stress Free Remodel”15 min readUse a personal style guide to make choices about your remodel up: you’ll have less stress and a more beautiful result!
I’ve talked about the value of style guides for design planning SO MUCH you might be sick of it.
If so, sorry, not sorry.
Your remodel is your home. It’s important!
Creating a master plan for your home update will help you prioritize what you and your home need most … then make it happen! But you also need to keep an eye on the details. Creating the Style Guide you need for your project works to keep those “little” things on track the same way.
Continue reading “The Style Guide You NEED to Keep Your Remodel On Track”10 min readMid Mod Midwest is hiring!
Mid Mod Midwest is hiring! And that’s not all…we have a LOT of news to share! From podcast format changes to new faces, we’ll cover everything you need to know in this tiny but mighty mini-sode!
Mid Mod Midwest is hiring a designer to create amazing schematic designs for mid-century remodels.
Our new Master Plan Design Lead is someone who loves solving tricky layout problems and making snap pronouncements about what people ‘could do’ for their homes. You’re crazy about mid century design and enjoy thinking creatively about how to stay true to the style while creating spaces that work for our modern lives.
Continue reading “Mid Mod Midwest is Hiring!”3 min readWe designed kitchen options to connect everyone in the main social spaces of this 1954 stunner, plus to the outdoor entertaining area and lake views.
Here’s what we were dealing with: the classic closed off mid-century kitchen … but also it was re-finished in 90’s beige. Yikes!
The rest of the house was pretty stunning. Built in 1954, this architect-designed home already had both a unique beauty and an amazing location, nestled next to Lake Michigan. The owners have plans to make the most of the yard by adding a pool and asked us to design main floor options to optimize indoor and outdoor flow.
Our goal was to make the most of the layout to create a flowing, open living and social space. Improve the flow between outside and inside space to connect out to the yard and (future) pool beyond. Create a flowing, open living and social space to contrast with a pleasantly separated office / studio wing.
Each scheme improves flow between outside and inside spaces to transform and expand social spaces and to connect out to the yard and (future) pool beyond. We also provided options for grab and go storage at entry points to make coming and going a breeze.
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.
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.
Continue reading “How Do I Pick a Mid Century Faucet? (Or any other finish material for my remodel?)”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!
Continue reading “Am I Wrong to Love Mid Century?”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!
vv14 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.
But just changing the surfaces of things doesn’t have a power to change your life the way adjusting your layout can-do.
Continue reading “How Do I Get the Best Value in a Remodel?”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.
Continue reading “What if I Need to do Maintenance Before I Remodel Plan?”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.
Continue reading “How do I Keep My Remodel Mid-Century? “
