the midcentury ranch for a new generation
38 min readI finally met Aletha VanderMaas, of True Home Restorations! Aletha is a talented designer and one of the OG tastemakers of mid-century Instagram.
Do you remember the first person you encountered who validated that your mid-century house was great and that you should LEAN INTO its charm when updating it to suit your own life?
That’s such a magical feeling. To realize that you’re not alone in wanting to steer clear of the HGTV “paint it white” world. Today I want to introduce you to one of MY OWN first sources of great Mid Mod inspiration.: Aletha VanderMaas
Continue reading “Mid Mod Design Details with Aletha VanderMaas”39 min readWe can learn so much from other flavors of modernism. A few MCM insights from my recent visit to the Barbican Estate in London, England
I’ve just been off on a little sister holiday jaunt to England. While I spotted mid-century architecture everywhere I went … one place stood out as the most remarkable: the Barbican Estate.
Since visiting it, I’ve been tunneling down rabbit holes of architectural history, the differences in housing policy in both Britain and America in the post war era to today, how public housing has worked and hasn’t overtime and tying it all back to my forever-interest in mid-century homes.
Continue reading “I found The Barbican Estate (American Architect edition)”Today, we are going to talk about The Thing™️ that will drive you nearly nuts during your remodel … and the mindset reset you’ll NEED to deal with it well.
I don’t actually know what that thing will be, for you. But that doesn’t matter. In any remodel there will come a point where the entire project feels like it will boil over. I’ve never heard of one where The Thing™️ didn’t come up.
Here’s how it will go for you.
Let’s talk about tile for a mid-century update. You’ve got options. You can go with bold custom color in your favorite shade or recreate a bathroom in powder blue or Mamie pink.
You can get playful with shapes and even textures.
Not to make this scary but … tile choice also runs the risk of tipping into a trend that will ultimately put a timestamp on your whole remodel.
When I’m walking through a remuddled house with a client – one that has one or several very dated remodels layering over it’s original mid-century charm – tile is one of the first things I check to assess what year that remodel went down!
Continue reading “Mid-Century Tile Tutorial”36 min readThe open plan is a hallmark of modern living. Flow between spaces is a cornerstone of mid-century design. But do open plans always work in mid-century homes?
Right here at the top, I’m writing you a permission slip: If you like an open plan space, you can have it. Let’s open up your layout!! We’ll figure out structure and flow and make it happen.
And if you DO NOT LIKE open plan areas … you are not required to have any big open floor plan areas in your home. We can find pockets of rest, create visual and sound separation between spaces, and introduce elements to separate a too-open layout.
The right answer for you is the right answer for you!
There’s been a lot of debate over the “right” or “wrong” nature of an open floor plan over the last couple of years. The pandemic years, in particular, created a big push back against a long standing real estate trend for big flowing spaces.
Continue reading “Can an open floor plan be too open?”34 min readChoosing window treatments for your mid-century home can be a challenge. The good news is, when it comes to window coverings less is (usually) more. Let’s narrow down your options!
The window treatments you choose to cover up your windows will have a big impact on the overall aesthetic of your home, inside and out, actually. This is true if you live in a magazine spread worthy post and beam home or a simple builder-basic ranch house.
So … what are the right window treatments for a mid-century home? And why are they either: floor to ceiling, pinch pleat curtains or modern up down, insulating shades.
There’s more to it than that, obviously. But let’s talk …
Continue reading “How to Choose Window Treatments for Your Mid-Century Home”37 min readOutdoor rooms are spaces around your house where you could be extending your enjoyable living areas, sometimes with just a few simple tweaks.
With spring around the corner, it might be time to spend a little more time in- and on – your yard. Let’s make it COUNT! You can easily feed two (or more) birds with one scone when you create an outdoor room – a space designed to expand your living area without necessarily adding any more solid wall or roof!
Make an outside space you want to spend time in that ALSO fixes design or lifestyle challenges you’ve been having in other spaces. Done right, an upgrade to your yard can be an upgrade to your house, too!
Continue reading “Expand your MCM house with an Outdoor Room”What makes mid-century furniture so great, and what pieces of mid-century furniture – specifically – might you want to hunt down for your house? Let’s talk about finding the perfect vintage item, saving up for the perfect iconic chair, and when you just want to go “mid-century” instead of mid-century.
Continue reading “Mid-Century Furniture you can aspire to”29 min readA flexible remodel plan is key if you want a “feel good remodel.” Taking the time to set a big picture vision gives you a starting point to edit and pays off in enjoyment at every stage: before, during and after.
Let’s talk about how to plan a feel good remodel. Look, I’ll bet you want a mid mod remodel that looks good. Everyone does. Me, too!
It’s pretty doable. There are plenty of remodels out there that look shiny and special when they are done. You don’t necessarily need the master plan method to get a good looking remodel. There are other ways to make that happen.
And some (but not all) of those good looking remodels will actually work well, too. They’ll make the lives of the people they’re for better, more connected, more comfortable, easier.
So, if you’re smart, you want a remodel that will feel good to live in when it’s all done. The master plan process can help you get there. That’s a big part of what it’s for!
But making a master plan can also – and this might even matter more in the short term – help you FEEL GOOD about the remodel while it’s happening!
Continue reading “Your Flexible, FEEL GOOD Remodel Plan”43 min readArranging furniture in a mid-century home is about more than just fitting pieces into a room. It’s about creating flow, function, and style.
Do you feel like your furniture just isn’t working for your mid-century home?
Your living room feels cramped. Your bedroom layout is awkward. You just don’t love the flow of your home.
As much as we love mid-century homes, they were built in a different time and for people with a different lifestyle than we live today.
Continue reading “Furniture Placement in Your Mid-Century Home”
