design ideas Archives - Page 7 of 8

What if I Need to do Maintenance Before I Remodel Plan?

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.

I Want to Update My Mid-Century Home. Where do I Start?

13 min readIf you are brand new to owning a Mid-Century Home and wondering “Where do I start?” Start small. Here are the first steps to get you on the right path!

What comes first when you’re brand new to your mid-century home and wondering “Where do I start?”

It doesn’t matter if you are a brand new homeowner, someone who’s been in their house a few years and feeling ready to make some changes or you don’t even HAVE a home yet but want to start making your life look a little more MCM!

Now, you’re ready to start planning what you would like to do to make your house into your home so … where do you even begin?

How can you start the remodel process without getting in completely over your head?

Today, let’s talk about how to stick your toe into the kidney-shaped pool of mid-century home updates.

Your Remodel needs a Master Plan not a Floor Plan

14 min readToo many people skip over essential steps in planning their home remodel … and it shows. With the Master Plan Method, you take the time to plan your remodel right, right from the start.

A great home remodel needs more than a good floor plan. It needs a master plan.

Having a master plan is more than pinning a bunch of things you like. It’s more than having the furnace guy or the roofing guy come out and say, ‘Oh yep. Your home inspector was right. Plan for a remodel.’ And it’s more than having a perfectly tidy, organized blueprint for your house.

Why you need some updates to get a modern mid-century kitchen RIGHT

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!

Fake Shutters are the absolute worst

3 min readShutters once had a real function. They were a security measure, a way to close up houses safely at night or when the occupants were away. But they serve no purpose on a modern house. Please don’t glue fake shutters to your siding!!!

So here’s the thing. Almost nothing makes me eye-roll harder in recent, residential design than badly-deployed fake shutters. Fake shutters on ranches are even more irritating: not only don’t they work properly, they contradict the mid mod aesthetic!

Continue reading “Fake Shutters are the absolute worst”

Internet “MidMod” kitchens are more Modern than Midcentury

5 min readThe definition of a true MCM 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.

I recently came across a list post of gorgeous midcentury modern kitchens to emulate. As I scrolled, I realized they had one thing in common – clearly none of them were actually midcentury kitchens. So today I’d like to break down the differences between a kitchen built in the midcentury era, and those done in a midcentury style, now. Continue reading “Internet “MidMod” kitchens are more Modern than Midcentury”

Three places to find more space in your house without adding on!

3 min readYou can remodel your home and substantially increase your living area without adding on a single square foot! Staying within your existing footprint is easier, cheaper and more sustainable.

Every little bit helps. You can avoid adding to the impermeable surfaces of the world by remodeling within your existing building footprint rather than building new OR expanding beyond the current boundaries. Look around the house for space you already have. This is the low hanging fruit in any remodel by measures of speed, difficulty, return on investment, and baseline cost. Continue reading “Three places to find more space in your house without adding on!”

(Nearly) Instant Gratification updates with Paint

2 min readAfter all this work in the basement – slow but steady – I decided to take on something a little more quickly satisfying: painting the bedrooms grey. Check it out!

Prioritizing the exterior and basement has meant living with some fairly unpalatable existing conditions on a daily basis. In fact, I’ve been sleeping in a room covered with powder blue lead paint with the previous owners pictures hooks in the walls for over a year. Why?

This weekend I got serious about making a change. Continue reading “(Nearly) Instant Gratification updates with Paint”

The Six Major Elements of (Nearly) Every Entry

4 min readThe components elements of an American house entry are fairly consistent, country or city, large or small. Ranch entries are even more consistent: Door, Lights, Mailbox, House numbers, Wall and Overhang. If you have your own door (and maybe even if you don’t) you have most of these to play with.

You probably have the ability to fix up each and every one of them (except the overhang) in a weekend project. Here are a couple overarching ideas to bear in mind when you go to work. Continue reading “The Six Major Elements of (Nearly) Every Entry”

Micro Update: Up-Down Insulated Blinds

4 min readInsulated blinds are one of my favorite micro updates. In addition to a warmer (or cooler) house they provide privacy, controls over your daylight and a stylish update to your aesthetics. Win. Win. Win. Win.

The snap in the air this week reminded me to adjust my insulated blinds up at night instead of leaving them at half mast for daytime privacy. I love, Love, LOVE my cordless, up-down, cellular blinds. They are energy efficient, streamlined and private, and I think they could be an improvement to any home. Continue reading “Micro Update: Up-Down Insulated Blinds”