the midcentury ranch for a new generation
19 min readBrandy McLain from Modern House Numbers is back again with her wealth of knowledge and enthusiasm for great modern and mcm design!
Are you looking for ways to make your home’s exterior shine? Updating your house numbers is one of those small, manageable tasks that can dramatically enhance your home’s exterior without breaking the bank.
Plus, it’s a fun way to inject a bit of personality and style into your home.
Quickly … if you’re thinking about exterior updates? Don’t miss this FREE live Curb Appeal Clinic hosted by Modern House Numbers and Mid Mod Midwest on September 6th!
25 min readTo make great choices for your mcm home, work with people who love mcm design. With so much bad advice out there, you need an mcm dream team!
Adrian Kinney is one of my favorite fellow MCM obsessives! Our most recent conversation covers what you need to know about assembling the right team to help you find and update your mid-century home. And we continue with a more in depth discussion about finding a mid-century home that will work for your remodel plan and budget.
Continue reading “MCM Dream Team, assemble!”22 min readLighting up your mid-century landscape hinges on making the right design choices.
Even the most beautiful mid-century yard can disappear into the night, so I brought mid-century landscape mastermind, Jim Drzewiecki back to talk about how to light up your landscape and choose plants that keep your outdoor space stunning year-round.
Continue reading “Light up your Mid-Century yard with Ginkgo Leaf Design”19 min readMCM homes are so charming! And MCM expert Atom Stevens agrees. We’re talking about unique period details, historical insights, and preservation tips for mid-century gems.
I’m so excited to dive into the history of design in mid-century homes with none other than Atom Stevens, MCM history buff and Cliff May expert. Atom and I chatted a while ago and he’s back to share even more of his mid-century expertise.
Atom’s passion for mid-century homes shines through in everything he does, from helping people buy and sell these gems to diving deep into their historical significance. He believes that knowing the history of a home adds immense value, making it feel more like a cherished heirloom rather than just a piece of real estate.
Continue reading “Turning up the MCM Charm with Atom Stevens”21 min readToday, we have a fantastic chat lined up with Brandy McLain, co-founder and one of the creative geniuses behind Modern House Numbers.
Della and Brandy McLain, founder of Modern House Numbers, are digging in to discuss all things house number. From current requirements to history, plus tons of great style tips!
If you’ve been thinking about giving your home’s exterior a fresh look, you’ll want to keep reading!
Continue reading “House Number Basics with Modern House Numbers”19 min readWhen I think about perfecting an original mid-century or mid mod home by polishing and upgrading its original details, I think of Susan Halla of Make It Mid-Century.
Today, I’m thrilled to bring you my most recent conversation with Susan Halla from Make It Mid Century. Susan is an absolute treasure trove of knowledge when it comes to period-appropriate choices for your home, whether it’s mid-century modern or mid-century modest.
Mid-Century vs. Mid-Century Modern
We kick off with a bit of myth-busting around the terms “mid-century” and “mid-century modern.” Susan beautifully analogized it to the difference between a square and a rectangle: mid-century modern is mid-century, but not all mid-century is mid-century modern. Think of mid-century as the broader era, spanning roughly from 1945 to 1975, encompassing a variety of styles from faux colonial to streamlined modern. Mid-century modern, on the other hand, is a subset with its own unique flair—think clean lines, large windows, and funky rooflines.
Continue reading “Mid-Century vs. Mid Mod with Susan Halla”19 min readIn our latest podcast episode, I had the absolute pleasure of chatting with the amazing Adrian Kinney. Adrian has joined me on the pod before. He’s a realtor, mid-century modern (MCM) guru and heads up Mid Mod Colorado. Listen for his insights into what makes mcm homes so special and how to navigate today’s tricky market to find a mid-century gem.
We kicked things off by talking about how Adrian defines his ultimate mcm home—the elusive “unicorn.” For Adrian, the unicorn is an untouched mid-century time capsule that’s stayed true to its origins. A house where every detail, from the kitchen cabinets to the bathroom tiles remains from the 1950s or 60s.
While I share Adrian’s passion for these vintage beauties, I also love rolling up my sleeves and blending the old with the new. We discussed how to go about creating spaces that honor their mid-century roots and keep their retro charm alive while making the home work for modern life.
Continue reading “Unicorn Houses and Tight MCM Markets with Adrian Kinney”24 min readRemember the delightful Jim Drzewiecki from Ginkgo Leaf Studio? We barely scratched the surface of all the listener landscaping questions we received last season. So, naturally, I had to bring him back on the podcast to continue our chat! Today, we’re diving in on hardscaping and adding feature elements to your landscape.
Hardscaping includes any solid surfaces in your yard – think patios, walkways and driveways. These elements aren’t just practical; they set the stage for the entire landscape design. While many folks think landscaping is all about plants, according to Jim it’s actually the hardscape that lays the groundwork for everything else.
Continue reading “Mid-Century Hardscapes and Feature Elements with Ginkgo Leaf Studio”27 min readWhen you find yourself in a remodeling time crunch, the most frequently skipped step in the process is actually the most essential part of any well planned and executed remodel.
Planning your dream remodel takes time. It takes introspection, at least. There’s no getting around that. But often, time is exactly what you don’t have. Life happens. You might need to move or have sudden changes in your family’s scope and scale. You might have an opportunity to take advantage of that requires fast action.
When you’re in a hurry, do you sometimes skip important steps?
Same!
So … when you find yourself in a remodeling time crunch, watch out for THIS! Because the most frequently skipped step in the planning process is actually the most essential part of any well planned and executed remodel.
Continue reading “An Architect Chat – The secret to planning your Dream Remodel”26 min readStraight outta the DM’s “Do you have an un-flip quick start guide?” If you’re wondering what there might be to salvage about your farmhouse flipped mid-century house, the short answer is there’s plenty.
I encounter many brutal flip examples of mid-century homes through both students and clients. Kitchens that look like a Home Depot display. Vast expanses of gray LVP flooring. So many six panel doors. Like so, so many.
What do you do when someone beat you to the mid-century home of your dreams and stripped the charm right out of it? Can you ever go back? Well, sure you can. And you may even find that the flippers did you a few favors.
One of the things about a flipped house is that it becomes hard to see what is possible. And to hone in on what could change when it isn’t possible to roll the whole thing back.
