the midcentury ranch for a new generation
6 min readThe Midwestern Ranch arrived in the middle from both East and West Coast influences. Plus there was a local influence (pssst – it was Frank Lloyd Wright).
The Midwestern Ranch has many influences. If you’ve been following me for any amount of time, you know how much I love a ranch. Today I’m digging into what I see as the major inspirations of my local variety.
The Midwestern Ranch arrived here from both the East and West Coasts, where the two movements met and melded.
Continue reading “What Every Ranch Owner Needs to Know about the History of the Midwestern Ranch”10 min readAs the proud owner of a mid-century ranch you’re probably looking for ways to enhance the mid-mod character of your home. Today let’s tune up your Mid-Century Living Room.
No matter how big your mid-century living room make-over dreams are, ALWAYS create a master plan for your whole home before you get started. You’ll be so glad you did. Prioritizing what really matters to you will allow you to budget your money and time for the best possible home you can create, and one that perfectly fits your lifestyle.
Today let’s look at how you can tune up a Mid-Century Living Room at three levels. The mid-century living room isn’t just a show-piece, its the heart of the home.
Continue reading “3 Scales for your Mid-century Living Room Update”13 min readHave you ever considered remodeling your mid-century ranch is an act of radical sustainability?
Think about it! There are 15 million of these modestly-sized, well-built houses across America located in walkable neighborhoods close to local businesses and schools. Taking on a sustainable mid-century remodel means helping people occupy them, love them and preserve them. In doing so, you prevent their demolition to build something larger or just building new homes on greenfield land elsewhere, and this is a significant environmental win.
Yes, mid-century modern style is cool and fun, but more than that – coming up with design tools to help 15 percent of US housing stock stay relevant is IMPORTANT WORK.
Continue reading “Your Sustainable Mid-century Remodel: Why and How”7 min readThe definition of a true mid-century era kitchen is not the laminate counter tops and pastel appliances. You can recognize a classic ranch kitchen by its layout and by the driving philosophy behind it.
The “retro” look of an original kitchen can charm you or turn you off but the important updates needed for a MODERN mid-century kitchen are much more than cosmetic. Let’s talk about how kitchens (and the people who use them) have changed in the past 60 odd years!
Continue reading “Why you need some updates to get a modern mid-century kitchen RIGHT”6 min readMid-century designers loved showing off the gorgeous grain of natural wood. They used it to clad their walls, floor and ceiling, as well as for cabinets and furniture. Looking for a great mid mod material? Look no further than warm-toned wood.
When you’re a proud owner of a mid-century home considering updates, start by taking stock of what mid mod characteristics you have on hand. While you catalog the mid-century features your house has to offer, note all the parts made from natural wood.
If your home turns up short on mid-century charm, you can take action and improve it. Start by adding more natural wood elements. Think: Continue reading “Mid-Century Materials: A Valentine to Natural Wood”
10 min readWhen you’ve just bought a house, the new responsibilities can be overwhelming. Don’t worry. All you need is a great plan!
The right plan can help you figure out what will make you happiest and what is the best solution for your home. You are in the driver’s seat with a road map, once you roll up your sleeves to fully plan a mid-century renovation.
Be confident you’re making the right choices for the right reasons!! Continue reading “How to Plan a Mid-Century Renovation you’ll Love”
6 min readLong before the millennial Mid Mod craze for grey painted houses with color pop doors, the color people chose to say “I’m in with Mid-Century architecture In-Crowd” was a particular shade of dark brick red. Â
Searching for a bold Mid-century Color? Cherokee Red (with a few variations) was the signature color of the early mid century period.
Cherokee Red defied the soft-spoken powder blue and baby pink color schemes of milder and more traditional post-war homes. It made its mark before the 60’s Mod drive toward bright orange flowers and avocado appliances. Cherokee Red was the color of choice especially among the mid-century architects who trained with Frank Lloyd Wright at his Taliesin schools. Continue reading “Exploring Mid-Century Color: Cherokee Red”
3 min readGetting the glass in these windows took me three months of waiting for the right weather conditions (and free time) and about three hours of work to install!
I am SO EXCITED that they are finally in!
Remember back in OCTOBER, when I posted about putting up this fun cedar slat wall? Well, the project is still ongoing.
Getting these DIY windows in was such a simple job that I’ve been waiting to get wrapped up for SO LONG now. It took a few moving parts: having the glass cut to size and having the right weather conditions to caulk it into place. Plus I’ve been crazy busy on all previous good-weather work days working INSIDE the garage to build the mudroom part of the project.
Technically THAT progress update should be Part 2, but I forgot to post about it in November and now I just want to shout from the rooftops about my brand new DIY windows!
Continue reading “Progress: Transforming the Breezeway into a Mudroom (Part 2)”
5 min readI’ll bet you love mid-century house hunting as much as I do – you’re reading this, after all. Here are some handy tips to find more mid mod fun all around you!
Wondering how you can find a Mid-Century Neighborhood or houses near you? Whether you are hoping to buy a mid century dream house of your own, or are just scoping for fun and inspiration, this will set you on your way.
If you found me through my instagram, you already know I collect the mid-century ranches that I spot and love in my travels and daily life. Check out my page on Mid-century Neighborhoods for some snippets of the mid mod hunting I’ve done recently!
Continue reading “How to find a Mid-Century Neighborhood”2 min readThe big chunk of work for this fall is transforming the long narrow breezeway into a cosy and effective mudroom plus a little bonus garage storage. Â
This is phase one of … well many. I’ve pushed the project a little late in the season so before I get started on constructing the new mudroom structure within the existing breezeway I’ll be closing off both ends. To the street side, that means the new and permanent extension of the garage wall. On the back yard side I put up a quick temporary wall of translucent plastic to secure the garage and keep it somewhat weathertight. Continue reading “Progress: Transforming the Breezeway into a Mudroom (Part 1)”
