midcentury modern Archives

You don’t need to keep a tub for resale value.

27 min readYou don’t need to keep a tub for resale value. In fact, about half of my clients don’t.

So much of the advice out there about home improvements is focused on the bottom line, treating your home as a commodity.

And sure, remodeling always has a cost. There are financial factors involved.

But I firmly believe that return on investment and resale value are the absolute last things you should be thinking about when you plan a change to your home. Hear me out.

If you’re planning on selling your mid-century home soon, leave it alone. Don’t do anything to it.

If you’re planning to stay, you are better off focusing on what will make the house your home.

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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.

The Right Siding for Your Mid-Century House

36 min readAre you considering new siding for your mid-century home? Before you call a contractor or pick a sample, let’s talk about what mid-century siding is and how to make good choices for your house.

During the 80s and 90s, when appreciation for MCM was at a low ebb, too many of our sweet ranches were re-wrapped in narrow strip beige vinyl, covering up their original colors and patterns.

If you’ve been dealing with that kind of generic cover-up, or if your siding is simply damaged or in poor repair, you might be considering a replacement.

Before you call a contractor or pick a sample, let’s talk about what mid-century siding is and how to make good siding choices for your home.

find the right color for your mid-century siding

Loving Your Home is the Real Remodel ROI (with Adrian Kinney)

38 min readAdrian Kinney is back to talk all my latest obsessions – housing history, passive solar and planning YOUR perfect home for a grea remodel ROI. Adrian has joined me on the pod before. He’s a realtor, mid-century modern (MCM) guru and heads up Mid Mod Colorado.

I can pretty much talk all day with any number of my mid mod friends. And Adrian Kinney is definitely in that number! He’s a realtor, mid-century modern (MCM) guru and owns Mid Mod Colorado. Here’s one thing we agree on today: loving your home is a huge part of your real remodel ROI.

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.

Adding Insulation to Your Mid-Century House

27 min readIs your house too chilly in winter or too toasty in summer? Let’s explore improving your home’s energy efficiency, without compromising its mid-century charm, by adding insulation.

Mid-century homes weren’t built with modern insulation standards in mind. Many of our homes leak heat in cold climates or let in too much warmth in hot ones.

The good news is that these homes often have excellent air seals thanks to plaster walls and old-growth materials, which provide a solid foundation for energy improvements.

Easy Wins for Cozy Living

If you’re looking to make your home more comfortable without a major remodel, start with the low-hanging fruit:

Attic Insulation: One of the simplest ways to improve energy efficiency.
Basement Sealing: Insulating rim joists can make a big difference with minimal effort.
Air Sealing: Check around windows, doors, and outlets to prevent drafts.

These are straightforward projects that you can tackle yourself or with professional help.

Get your parents’ dated mid-century house ready to sell

28 min readAs you get ready to sell your parents’ mid-century home, you may feel pressure to “modernize” before listing. But don’t!

What should you do to get ready to sell a house built in the mid-century era – a house built back in the 1950’s or 60’s?

Should you rip out a tired kitchen? Quickly tear off that old, beat up siding and replace it with some easy care vinyl?

No, please don’t.

One of the saddest things that can happen to a mid-century house is that the current owners jump into a bunch of unnecessary repair work right before they sell it in the misguided idea that that’s what future owners will want.

Don’t make un-necessary changes

Instead, let me make your life easier. Do less. Because there is someone out there searching for your parents’ time capsule house.

Here’s a checklist of how to get the house ready to catch that person’s attention…and then move on with your life.

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.