mid mod Archives - MidMod Midwest

How to Choose Window Treatments for Your Mid-Century Home

34 min readChoosing window treatments for your mid-century home can be a challenge. The good news is, when it comes to window coverings less is (usually) more. Let’s narrow down your options!

The window treatments you choose to cover up your windows will have a big impact on the overall aesthetic of your home, inside and out, actually. This is true if you live in a magazine spread worthy post and beam home or a simple builder-basic ranch house.

So … what are the right window treatments for a mid-century home? And why are they either: floor to ceiling, pinch pleat curtains or modern up down, insulating shades.

There’s more to it than that, obviously. But let’s talk …

Expand your MCM house with an Outdoor Room

37 min readOutdoor rooms are spaces around your house where you could be extending your enjoyable living areas, sometimes with just a few simple tweaks.

With spring around the corner, it might be time to spend a little more time in- and on – your yard. Let’s make it COUNT! You can easily feed two (or more) birds with one scone when you create an outdoor room – a space designed to expand your living area without necessarily adding any more solid wall or roof!

Make an outside space you want to spend time in that ALSO fixes design or lifestyle challenges you’ve been having in other spaces. Done right, an upgrade to your yard can be an upgrade to your house, too!

Mid-Century Furniture you can aspire to

What makes mid-century furniture so great, and what pieces of mid-century furniture – specifically – might you want to hunt down for your house? Let’s talk about finding the perfect vintage item, saving up for the perfect iconic chair, and when you just want to go “mid-century” instead of mid-century.

Getting to a Plan for Your Remodel

29 min readA clear plan for your remodel is the key to avoiding stress, staying on budget, and making sure your mid-century home updates improve your daily life.

You’ve been dreaming about updating your mid-century home. But you feel overwhelmed about where to start. Let’s explore how to create a clear plan for your remodel—one that helps you move forward with confidence, avoid costly mistakes, and makes your home work better for you.

What you DON’T need to get to a plan

The best part? You don’t need a 50-page architectural set of blueprints and specifications to make a successful change to your home.

What you do need …

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.

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.

Get Those Good Master Plan Vibes

22 min readHow can a master plan help you feel ready to remodel?

A Master Plan means you have, well…a plan. It helps you have the right master plan vibes to move your remodel forward.

Too many people trip on the fallacy that they have to choose a perfect planning process or just “skip” right to the building part. There’s a middle ground.

Any time you spend on Mid-Century Master Plan thinking will set you up for more success. And a master plan doesn’t have to be a perfect object to be successful. In fact … perfectionism might be the problem.

New Mid-Century House Quick Start Guide

31 min readDo you have a new-to-you mid-century home (…congratulations!) and don’t know where to start? I get it—taking on a new home, especially one with some history, can feel overwhelming. You might be tempted to dive into big projects right away, but I’m here to help you start smart and avoid remodel regrets.

I get it … It’s tempting to jump right into renovations when you purchase a new mid-century house. Sometimes, and for some projects, that makes sense.

But before you do anything drastic, I’m going to encourage you to take a step back and live with your house for a little while.

Think big picture, start with small tweaks

Now, you don’t need to spend months or years planning before tackling ANY projects. But the best thing you can do to move quickly is create a Master Plan, even if it’s a quick version.

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!

Sanity Saving Strategy to Finish a Remodel Strong

32 min readFinish a remodel strong with thoughtful final choices, course corrects when you need them, and mindset resets to help you bring your cats home…or whatever personal remodel milestone will help YOU stay positive and avoid remodel regret later on.

Are you mid-remodel right now, or maybe you’re just starting to think about one? Whether you’re already living among the dust and chaos or you’re just dreaming about your future project, it’s critical to focus on how you’ll finish your remodel strong.

This week we’re diving into the importance of your remodel mindset as you approach the final phase, making those last choices that will impact how you feel about your home for years to come.