the midcentury ranch for a new generation
6 min readThe Midwestern Ranch arrived in the middle from both East and West Coast influences. Plus there was a local influence (pssst – it was Frank Lloyd Wright).
The Midwestern Ranch has many influences. If you’ve been following me for any amount of time, you know how much I love a ranch. Today I’m digging into what I see as the major inspirations of my local variety.
The Midwestern Ranch arrived here from both the East and West Coasts, where the two movements met and melded.
Continue reading “What Every Ranch Owner Needs to Know about the History of the Midwestern Ranch”10 min readAs the proud owner of a mid-century ranch you’re probably looking for ways to enhance the mid-mod character of your home. Today let’s tune up your Mid-Century Living Room.
No matter how big your mid-century living room make-over dreams are, ALWAYS create a master plan for your whole home before you get started. You’ll be so glad you did. Prioritizing what really matters to you will allow you to budget your money and time for the best possible home you can create, and one that perfectly fits your lifestyle.
Today let’s look at how you can tune up a Mid-Century Living Room at three levels. The mid-century living room isn’t just a show-piece, its the heart of the home.
Continue reading “3 Scales for your Mid-century Living Room Update”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!
Continue reading “Why you need some updates to get a modern mid-century kitchen RIGHT”6 min readLong before the millennial Mid Mod craze for grey painted houses with color pop doors, the color people chose to say “I’m in with Mid-Century architecture In-Crowd” was a particular shade of dark brick red.
Searching for a bold Mid-century Color? Cherokee Red (with a few variations) was the signature color of the early mid century period.
Cherokee Red defied the soft-spoken powder blue and baby pink color schemes of milder and more traditional post-war homes. It made its mark before the 60’s Mod drive toward bright orange flowers and avocado appliances. Cherokee Red was the color of choice especially among the mid-century architects who trained with Frank Lloyd Wright at his Taliesin schools. Continue reading “Exploring Mid-Century Color: Cherokee Red”
5 min readI’ll bet you love mid-century house hunting as much as I do – you’re reading this, after all. Here are some handy tips to find more mid mod fun all around you!
Wondering how you can find a Mid-Century Neighborhood or houses near you? Whether you are hoping to buy a mid century dream house of your own, or are just scoping for fun and inspiration, this will set you on your way.
If you found me through my instagram, you already know I collect the mid-century ranches that I spot and love in my travels and daily life. Check out my page on Mid-century Neighborhoods for some snippets of the mid mod hunting I’ve done recently!
Continue reading “How to find a Mid-Century Neighborhood”7 min readToday, a breakdown of the Midcentury Modern style – both at NASA and at home – in one of my favorite recent movies: Hidden Figures.
I just re-watched Hidden Figures. It is a fantastic movie that checks all my boxes: painful-but-inspiring untold underdog history about nerd girls who are determined to show everyone what they can do. Plus, it is beautifully shot with a fantastic soundtrack and some really great acting. What more could I ask?
If you haven’t seen it yet, stop reading this blog post and go stream it RIGHT NOW. Continue reading “Midcentury Style Frames Storytelling in Hidden Figures”
5 min readHere’s an interesting example of the residential ARCHITECTURE being constructed at the same time as the ranch house was filling the country. Farnswoth house has been called the “reducio ad absurdum of the notion of a dwelling.”
The Farnsworth house is clearly NOT a ranch but it was built during the height of the ranch era -constructed (just a year before my own home) in 1952. It is an peak example of the purely architectural residential design then and a strong contrast to the standard single family homes being built at that time. Continue reading “Residential Architecture in the Age of the Ranch: Farnsworth House”
2 min readA little insight into my ranch’s inception. It, along with some 300 other local homes, was built in 1952 by a local contractor. Today, I find out a little more.
My ranch was built in 1952 by one Harold Berwick. The permit – left with some other house papers in a basement cabinets – lists him as “owner” rather than contractor but he never occupied the space, just developed it on spec and passed it along. He apparently did a super speedy job of construction. Continue reading “Harold Bewick: Builder of My Ranch”
< 1 min readVisiting my friend Malea last weekend, I took a chance to peruse her amazing collection of children’s books. I was reminded how very traditional the architecture shown in most children’s books is … and how much it doesn’t have to be.
These would make a great gift list if you were looking to hook any kids or young-at-heart friends on Mid-Century Modern this Christmas.
Here are three great kids books that show off the exuberance of Mid Mod. Continue reading “Mid-Century for the Kids in your life”
3 min readCliff May was an artist: a saxophone player turned furniture designer who inspired a modern housing movement. Today I meditate on his 1946 style book, Western Ranch Houses.
For my birthday, I took a break from scraping and re-painting from precariously balanced ladder platforms … just kidding, I was up and painting on the platform at 7am. However I did STOP at 8:15 when I hit the milestone of getting the second coat of paint on all the area that needs a ladder jack platform to reach. Then I took the rest of the day off from manual labor. Instead went down to campus to the Kohler Art Library to (metaphorically) check out Cliff May’s 1946 Sunset Western Ranch Houses. Continue reading “Cliff May and the Origins of the Ranch House”
