original features Archives

The Bathroom Saga with Aletha VanderMaas

49 min readJudging previous owner’s questionable renovation choices is great fun! It’s so satisfying to rip into those trendy, out-of-period “upgrades” that feel so wrong for your charming mid-century home. Less fun? When you realize that the person who made those decisions is YOU, ten years ago.

Even those of us who are now professional mid-century designers have skeletons in our closets (and in my case, basements). My fellow designer, Aletha Van der Mass of True Home Restorations, and I have both walked that path. And now we both spend our time helping others avoid making the same mistakes.

So today, in the interest of community (and laughter through tears) we are both sharing our shameful home renovation stories.

Finding the right mid-century home for you with Susan Halla

44 min readSusan Halla, founder of Make It Mid-Century and mid-century enthusiast, joins me this week to dish about her own recent house hunt.

If anyone knows what they’re looking for in a mid-century home, it’s Susan Halla. She has spent the last decade making retro-focused DIY doable for mid-century lovers of all stripes.

When she had to move, she knew she needed another perfect mid-century house to make her home. And she’s just completed a multi-city search that was laser focused on finding a relatively untouched, not too high end mid-century home.