Design Archives - Page 14 of 22

Remodels By, For and With Women

How did I become so invested in empowering women to be strong leaders in their own home improvement projects?

As a young female architect, I’ve faced skepticism and dismissal from male colleagues and contractors throughout my career. But over many years and many projects I’ve learned to push back confidently and achieve the results I believe in. Not everyone has the luxury of building this confidence over time, especially women homeowners who may only go through one or two remodels in their lifetime.

Better Remodels (For Everyone) with a Master Plan

I created the Master Plan method as a direct response to my experience in residential architecture.

How to actually enjoy your remodel

15 min readYou can enjoy every phase of your remodel, from planning to leading to living in your finished home!

I bet you can’t wait to enjoy your remodel … being done. You’re set to tuck into your new banquette with your morning coffee or to slip into your Onsen tub and be so HAPPY that it’s all done.

But I’m here to tell you that you don’t have to wait until everything is finished to enjoy your remodel. You can enjoy every phase of your remodel, from planning to leading to living in your finished home!

I know we frequently hear how stressful remodeling is and all the challenges homeowners face along the way. The process of remodeling is often viewed as something to slog through on your way to the the prize.

And, sure, remodels can be like that.

Build that guest room in your basement

19 min readYou may have a remodeling secret weapon beneath your mid-century home…your basement!

Basements are the best. Bonus space for creating cozy guest suites, great game rooms or awesome home offices without the expense of an addition right under your feet. So, if you’re lucky enough to have a basement go ahead and make the most of it!

And (of course) I can help. I get to explore options for mid-century basements all time as part of the design process. When design clients are hoping to accommodate occasional visitors, create an income suite, deck out a retro den or create a great teen space the basement is the first place to search for space.

How to make your remodel more expensive (or cheaper)

Are you hoping to make your remodel more expensive? I bet you aren’t.

But so.many.people make the same remodel planning mistakes that are pretty much guaranteed to make your remodel more expensive than it needs to be! Plus they won’t add any value to the remodeling process, the life you’ll lead in the house when it’s done, or how much you like the look of your finished project.

Now, I can’t tell exactly what your remodel plans will cost or how to plan the idealized, cheapest best project.

Many of the choices you can make that will add or reduce your costs depend on more than one factor in your life.

How to measure your house

20 min readMid-century homes aren’t just livable, cute and in style right now. They were actually built in a way that is easier to document, measure and understand. Which means measuring for any remodeling project is (almost) a breeze for a remote design team like Mid Mod Midwest or a homeowner like you!

Before you can come up with an amazing plan to update your mid-century home, you need to know where are you starting from. Today you are going to learn how to measure what you’ve got, so you can start the process of transforming your home to fit your life.

Old school measuring techniques like graph paper and measuring tapes may be the perfect fit for you and your project! If you’re more tech savvy, you can use a tablet to document your house…or a home scanning app might be just the ticket for you.

As you probably know by now, the masterplan method begins with three key elements pre design phase. You need to dream about what you want your life to be in your new home. You need to discover what’s up with the house you’ve got right now. And then you need to distill your personal mid-century style.

So, what’s the best way to measure your house?

A basement owners suite – the upside of upside down living

23 min readHave you ever wondered if your bedroom is in the right spot? Could the best place for your bedroom be in the…basement?

Could you be overlooking the perfect spot for your dream owners’ suite?

If your mcm home has a basement you might be!

Private spaces on the lower level (usually a walkout or half-level) are much more common in areas with great views where you want to see those vistas while you’re awake and share them with friends and family in the public spaces.

But adding a dreamy bedroom with an amazing en suite in the basement (or on a lower level) offers some real advantages…even if your only views are of the other adorable mid-century homes in your neighborhood.

Let’s explore the possibilities of a basement owners’ suite through one of my favorite recent master plan projects!

MCM Beds and Baths: Chats with Della and Sarah

Do you ever wish you could just sit down and chat with an experienced friend about how to make the right choices for your mcm beds and baths?

Well, that’s what Sarah Yearout, a realtor with Mid-Century Homes in Boise, and I do every week over on Instagram.

I love trading stories and tips from my perspective as a mid-century architect with her and getting her tales from the realtor trenches. Our two areas of experience overlap and stand apart from each other in such fun ways! We each have unique insight into what people who love mid-century homes are looking for and are finding in the world right now.

And we’re just bubbling over with good advice to share! Sarah and I have weekly chats on Instagram about mid-century home updates and answer common (and less common) questions about how to make the most of your mid-century home.

Today, you get to listen in on our best recent and not so recent chats about mid-century bedrooms and bathrooms. We touch on house history, quick fixes and fun finishes, so settle in with a sharp pencil or flex your fingers for some good notes app typing because we are about to give a lot of very good advice.

Mid-Century Bath Design Basics

21 min readMake the most of your bathroom remodel with these essential mid-century bath design concepts. Get just the mcm style you’re going for, whether you are upgrading, backdating or starting from scratch.

Most mid-century bathrooms are pretty modest by modern standards. They tend to be small and there often are too few of them in the house. Upgrading or restoring the mid-century charm in a bathroom while making it work better is one of the most consistent requests from both design clients and Ready to Remodel students.

So, how can you give yourself a serious bathroom upgrade while remaining true to the mcm feel of you home? The right choices for you are going to depend on your family and your taste and the home you’re working with.

Easy Owners’ Suite Space Steals

16 min readDon’t have an owners’ suite in your modest mid-century home? Want one? Let’s talk about how to make that happen.

Did you know that there’s a right and wrong way to add an owners’ suite onto your house? Well, if you care about costs, there is! Today, we’re going to talk about how you can effectively steal space for an owners’ suite in and around your mid-century house – whether you’re just expanding your closet space a little or adding a whole new wing.

Bedroom Storage Secrets

19 min readLooking for clever bedroom storage solutions designed to fit into to your (modest) mid-century bedroom? These bedroom storage secrets will help you create a mid mod inspired space that meets your modern storage needs.

Bedroom storage in mid-century homes leaves a lot to be desired!

So how can you and your mid century bedroom have at all? Is it even possible to make a space with ample bedroom storage, peaceful sleeping area, de facto, laundry folding station, and maybe a little work from home spot too?