What You Can Decide in an Hour

14 min readIn just one hour you really can make big or small decisions that put your remodel on the path for success.

In just one hour you really can make big or small decisions that put your remodel on the path for success. 

Taking a whole remodel from start to finish is a big undertaking. Just planning to start your remodel sometimes feels like it’s taking forever…and it really can be a black hole that seems to absorb as much time and energy as you have to put into it. However, it is possible to set yourself up for bursts of decision-making that shift the momentum in your process. 

Taking time to mull has its value. Doing your research is important. BUT, if you’re feeling stuck in analysis paralysis, today’s episode is for you. It’s all about what you can decide for your remodel in an hour.

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Interview with Adrian Kinney: Why MCM Homes “Live so Well.”

37 min readDella chats with Denver area mid-century Realtor, designer and advocate Adrian Kinney on what he’s learned restoring SEVEN Cliff May homes and helping match mcm homeowners to so many more.

Today’s podcast is a chat with Denver Area mid-century Realtor, designer and advocate Adrian Kinney on what he’s learned restoring SEVEN Cliff May Homes and helping match mcm homeowners to so many more.  

Adrian shares his mcm origin story, all the deets on his favorite projects and some surprising insights from a decade of mcm remodeling. 

Listen along as as two true mid-century super fans dish about the value of design, detail the features that make mid century homes a great fit for modern lives, and get real about square footage. Adrian also shares insights about a hot housing market and why today’s pickier buyers are excited about mid century homes (hint: they want to make sure they are buying something that is worth the $$$). 

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Lead a Stress Free Remodel

Stress-free is a BIG promise. 

Of course, there will be some stress in a remodel.  You can worry about labor and material costs. You will feel the pressure of timing. You might rack yourself over design details. 

But you can cut stress out of the remodeling process in as many places as possible!

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Am I Wrong to Love Mid Century?

When HGTV, Home Depot, every contractor you’ve spoken to so far, and some of your friends and family are all questioning why you like that feature of your mid century house, it can feel like maybe they’re right and you’re not. You can ask yourself, am I wrong to love mid-century?

No, of course not! Your mid mod home is great!

How can you find other people besides me to reinforce you when you love mid-century? You need a community of people who can share war stories, advice, and wins from their experience and updating, repairing, and maintaining mid century homes.  So, today, we’re going to talk about how to make that happen!

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Can I open up a wall?  And other questions about your structure!

14 min readIf you’ve ever wished to just open up a wall in your house but worried it would be too expensive, too difficult or downright risky, I hope you’ll feel less so at the end of this episode!

If you’ve ever wished to just open up a wall in your house but worried it would be too expensive, too difficult or downright risky, I hope you’ll feel less so at the end of this episode!

True, there are some areas of your house structure you don’t want to carelessly change – for fear of bringing down the whole thing!  

You sure do need to know where your bearing walls are and what they are.  But once you know where your home’s structure is … and isn’t … you’ll be better able to “see through the walls” and open up some great flow in your home!  

Tune in for some rules of thumb for identifying structure AND some easy design cheats to open up space in the structure you have without costly re-engineering!  

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How Do I Get the Best Value in a Remodel?

14 min readMake sure you get the best value in your remodel and JUSTIFY your time, energy and expense by considering how you can tweak the layout of your home to fit your life!

Here’s how you can get the best value in a remodel … you can super charge any remodel using adjustments to your home’s layout.  By the way … this episode and topic are the PERFECT preamble to this weekend’s Mid-Century Design Clinic. Listen up here and then go save your seat for the Workshop!

Look, beautiful finishes can make your life so shiny and pretty. 

  • You can wake up in the morning and smile because of the color of your bedroom wall. 
  • Touching the surfaces of your kitchen cabinets can bring you genuine joy multiple times a day.
  • The perfect paver stones under your feet on the patio can be warm, smooth, and classy.

 But just changing the surfaces of things doesn’t have a power to change your life the way adjusting your layout can-do. 

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Essential Mid-Century Resources to Get You Started!

3 min readA rundown of 11 essential mid-century resources to get you started in planning an MCM remodel. Learn the best articles, books, blogs, shops and sources!

I don’t know about you, but when I get into a topic, I really go down the rabbit hole. So, of course, I love to stay up on my reading regarding Mid-Century Resources. Do you?

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Establish the Remodeling Level that suits you

Do you know your remodeling level? It’s important to figure out how involved of a renovation you really want to take on long before you start! Consider your home’s condition, your lifestyle needs, your budget, and your willingness to deal with chaos.

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How to Buy a Mid-Century Home: An Architect’s Guide

12 min readToday, let’s do a deep dive into the best ways to find and buy a mid-century home!

Whether you’re looking to buy a mid-century home that is 100% move in ready, or a dire fixer-upper on a fire sale budget,  I can help. Here are a few great universal MCM house hunting tips.

I’m a designer who specializes in helping homeowners update and improve their MCM houses. So, I have a particular interest in people looking for a fixer-upper. This post will focus on how you can find buy a mid-century house full of potential just waiting for you to make it your own.

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What even IS Mid-Century Style?

3 min readTake the Mid-Century Style Quiz to find how this BROAD design concept applies to you and to your MCM home!

Mid-century modern style is a very broad design category.   The term “modern” has been applied to styles of furniture furniture, clothing, art, and architecture for more than 100 years now.  “Mid-Century style literally just means style from “the middle of the century.” That’s not particularly helpful to those of us trying to nail down the style for our own purposes!

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