Atomic Ranch Spring 2019

WHY DO WE DEVOTE A WHOLE ISSUE TO PALM SPRINGS, CALIFORNIA? This desert oasis has captured the hearts of vacationers for years. Close enough to Los Angeles to be accessible, it became Hollywood’s playground. Drawing in icons like Frank Sinatra, Lucille Ball and Desi Arnaz, the town and its surrounding communities turned into a hotbed for midcentury design. Modernist architecture quickly popped up around Spanish-style homes and hotels—creating a town that was to become a style mecca. Fast forward to 2019 and Palm Springs still draws vacationers, celebrities and design enthusiasts. Thanks to extensive preservation efforts, the town is brimming with incredible architecture and has a bright future ahead. Modernism Week—held every February—draws visitors from across the country and around the world who want to tour iconic homes, experience a…

Inside Scoop! Our Case Study Series Continues! Learn about the project that has long captured the hearts of modernists. Plan Your Next Getaway Florida, California, Hawaii and more! Where will your modernist passions take you on vacation? We’ve got all the details to help you plan. Tips for Buying Your Dream Home On the hunt for your next midcentury marvel? Our real estate experts weigh in with the info you need to know. Surprising Mod Suppliers Mid mod furnishings and décor pop up in some unexpected places—and we’ve found the best secret sources. Cool Stuff…

FAMOUS FOR POOLS, PALM TREES AND MOD HOUSES, Palm Springs has a unique take on midcentury style that has captured the hearts of modernists around the world. Bring the vacation destination’s signature style to your own backyard with the ease of online shopping through AllModern.…

WHEN A SELLER OF A MODERNIST HOUSE CALLS AND ASKS MY OPINION ON PRICING, I try to be helpful, but I’m not a real estate agent or appraiser. What I can ask is, how did the caller arrive at that price? If it was based on solid comparable houses, they are likely on the right track. But sometimes, the seller has invented a price, fixated on it, and only wants to hear agreement from me. Here’s a typical tale. Three siblings, Rick, Hudson and Janine, must sell their mom’s 1962 modernist ranch designed by a talented local architect, Bob Cartwright. They ask Rick’s wife, Barb, to be their realtor. Barb has never sold a house like this before. The best modernist realtors have a network of inspectors, appraisers, roofers, architects…

• If a house is by a well-known architect, the USModernist Library helps realtors, buyers, sellers and appraisers find historical information, including photos and often advertisements for the fixtures, which may need to be replaced or repaired. Find it at usmodernist.org/library.htm. • If you have an Eichler home (a developer working on residential subdivisions 1949–1966), there is a whole network of Eichler realtors, connected with Eichler-friendly appraisers, eichlernetwork.com. • If you’re refinancing your home, seek out a bank that deals with a lot of historic properties, as it will have appraisers who know the market better.…

LIKE THE REST OF THEIR MODERN HOME, the kitchen/dining room in Blake Siler and Lincoln Bogard’s 1960s ranch went through an awkward phase, one in which it had a Tuscan makeover. Thanks to careful styling and a passion for the midcentury aesthetic, the couple helped the home move past this rough design phase. Not far from Palm Springs, the makeunder of this Bermuda Dunes, California, kitchen required the homeowners to pretty well start from scratch. “The house came with a newly installed gloss white IKEA kitchen and an amateur-poured concrete countertop,” says Blaine. “I blame the Home Depot for telling people they can do things they shouldn’t.” Out went the gloss white cabinetry and concrete counter; in came the walnut cabinetry and white Caesarstone counter, each cleaner and decidedly more…