master plan Archives - MidMod Midwest

Plan a happy remodel! Match your expectations to your energy.

23 min readThis year, I’m going to encourage you to focus on starting where you are, setting realistic goals, and making progress at your own pace.

Welcome to 2025 and a fresh start for planning your mid-century remodel! Let’s agree to make this year all about matching your energy to your expectations.

This year, I’m going to encourage you to focus on starting where you are, setting realistic goals, and making progress at your own pace.

You’re probably asking, “Della, where is all this tempered enthusiasm coming from?” And given my usual levels of untempered enthusiasm for remodeling, that is a reasonable question. Thanks for asking.

Remodeling Cost Mindset Reset

28 min readLet’s reframe the four financial fallacies that hold most people back from kicking off their remodeling plans.

If you’ve been holding off on home updates because of worries about the remodeling cost, I’m here to shift your mindset.

Let’s tackle the most common budget myths that might be holding you back, and talk about how you can plan a remodel you’ll love with the budget you have.

Any remodeling project comes with costs. And it is often expensive. But often what holds would-be remodelers back are the stories we tell ourselves about money.

Through my conversations with clients and students, I’ve come to believe there are four common financial fallacies that stop people from improving their homes.

How to Fit Your House for a Home Office

26 min readWith so many of us working from home, it’s more than time to chat about how mid-century homes can accommodate modern home office needs.

So, how do you design a functional, charming and stylish home office that fits in to a mid-century-sized house?

Mid-century homes weren’t originally built with home offices in mind, but that doesn’t mean you can’t create a workspace that fits seamlessly into your home’s aesthetic.

Yes, You Can Use the Holidays to Plan Your Remodel!

27 min readUse the holidays to focus your remodel plans.

I want you to use your holiday prep time to plan your remodel.

Okay, Before you tell me, Della, that’s crazy. I can’t plan a remodel right now. The holidays are when I’m busiest.

You’re right. Of course you can’t. You know me. I wouldn’t ask you to make your life harder when it’s already full. But … what if I told you that you could also use this time to focus your remodel planning and make real progress without spending time picking out tile or making phone calls?

Instead, make your future life easier by harnessing all of the satisfactions (and frustrations) that are part of the celebratory times in your house.

An Architect’s Remodeling Regrets

< 1 min readThis week, I share some of my biggest remodeling regrets and lessons learned from my own mid-century home. Biggest take away? Make small, low-risk updates first and then be sure to create a Masterplan for a remodel you’ll love without the regret.

We all have remodeling regrets.

Yep, even mid-century loving architects like me. And some of my personal regrets helped shape the Mid-Century Masterplan method I now use to help homeowners like you. But it can feel lonely when you’ve made a choice you don’t love.

So this week I decided to get personal and share some of my biggest mistakes in my own home, hoping you’ll feel some solace if you’ve made a mistake. And if you haven’t, you can learn from mine and avoid making the same ones!

An Architect Chat – The secret to planning your Dream Remodel

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.

Speedy Strategies to Plan a Remodel You’ll Love (in the time you have)

38 min read30-ish minutes to learn how to plan a remodel in 30 days?

Believe it! You can check off maintenance, meet a deadline and still get a remodel that enhances your home’s MCM charm and suits your life and family!⁠⁠ Listen to my new workshop for all the speedy remodel planning skills.

Letting cycles of life guide your remodel

< 1 min readLaundry is a great way to illustrate how daily cycles impact your design choices and how to consider future cycles of life as you plan.

There’s a secret to planning a truly successful remodel – one that tailors the house you have to the life you want to lead in it. You need to take account of the cycles in your life as you tailor your home to match your lifestyle.

To help you do that … let’s talk about how the way you do your laundry can define how you remodel your home.

Get Your Remodel on Track

17 min readHow do you get your remodel on track once it feels off?

Do you have a sneaking suspicion that you need to get your remodel on track?

You’ve been daydreaming about your perfect mid-century remodel for months (years?), but somehow reality just hasn’t caught up to your Pinterest board.

Sometimes it can feel like your remodel planning has gone completely off the rails. Or at least dropped off your radar.

Fear not, my friend, because you are not behind in your home improvement plans. Your remodel is on track. I repeat, you are not behind. You are doing great! I’m going to prove it to you!

The Owners’ Suite: A Brief History and Foolproof Advice

19 min readAn owners’ suite has become a must have in modern homes, but less than a generation ago almost half of homes were still without indoor plumbing. So how did our bathroom expectations change so drastically in such a short time? And more importantly, how the heck do you fit an owners’ suite into a modest mid-century ranch?

Does the primary bed/bed configuration – the owners’ suite – in your mid-century home leave a lot to be desired? Maybe you a have a glorified powder bath tucked in next to your bedroom through a pocket door. Perhaps your ranch has one bath for you, the family, and any dinner guests who use the main floor!

If you wish for a little more from your bed and bath configuration … You’re not alone!!