Ranch Archives - MidMod Midwest

How to plan a Mid-century landscape…is that a thing?

42 min readLet’s talk mid-century landscaping with a certified expert – Jim Drzewiecki of Ginkgo Leaf Studio.

I get asked about the right landscape design for a mid-century a lot.

And, while I do design outdoor “rooms” and have a landscape at my own house, I am far from the expert on designing beautiful gardens. Seriously…I only just succeeded in not killing (most of) my houseplants in the last couple of years.

So to tackle all your landscaping questions I called up a landscaping expert.

A chat with an MCM Landscape specialist

And big giant bonus? An expert who specializes in design for mid-century homes. Jim Drzewiecki, APLD, award-winning principal designer, is the founder and owner of Ginkgo Leaf Studio where he and Hannah Paulson design beautiful landscapes for all kind of homes.

Here’s the secret to a great mcm landscape

Long story short: The best way to design a landscape to fit your mid-century house is to … listen to the house! Jim so good at doing just that. He’s interested in the shapes and materials on a good MCM house. And not locked into (probably) overgrown and (almost certainly) DIYed plant placements from decades of yore.

3 easy visualization tools to pre-plan a perfect remodel

6 min readGetting your dream house is about more than pinterest perfect finishes or fresh paint. Try these 3 easy visualizing exercises to pre-plan a perfect remodel!

Imagining an ideal version of the home you already live in is harder than it may seem. People are so adaptable . We get used to our homes to the point that we hardly even see them. It is easy to point to a tired paint color or chipped tile, visualizing a whole new space is hard. Never fear! You can use these three exercises to help break outside of your regular experience and pre-plan a perfect remodel!

The Design Boost you NEED to love your Mid-Century Ranch Remodel

4 min readCan we talk about the secret to a great remodel? Spoiler: its planning.

If you’re thinking about a Mid-Century Ranch Remodel, hang on a minute. I want to talk to you about the ABSOLUTE MINIMUM design boost you need to get a mid-century ranch remodel you’ll love.

A little design goes such a long way. Every homeowner needs a boost of design thinking at the start of a project to set them on the right track.

[NEW VIDEO] Why I LOVE Mid-Century Ranch Houses

2 min readI’m taking the gospel of why we should all love Mid-Century Ranch Houses to as many different media as possible! Today: VIDEO!

It should come as no surprise to any regular of Mid Mod Midwest that I LOVE Mid-Century Ranch houses. Sometimes if feels all I can talk about! But there’s a good reason for that: Ranches ARE GREAT!!!

Check out this three minute video to learn why! Or just scroll down for a text summary if you are in more of a reading than a watching mood!

What Every Ranch Owner Needs to Know about the History of the Midwestern Ranch

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.