Atomic Ranch Renovation Guide 2023

This weekend, with the arrival of warmer weather and rare, record-breaking Southern California rains (finally) in our rear view, I decided to break out the vintage tiki glasses, dust off the blender and make my husband and I a couple of paper-umbrella-worthy drinks. As I looked at the odd glazing drip and crazed surface of my grimacing ceramic, I had to stop and appreciate that this thing has survived a few decades and hands of who knows how many tipsy revelers to make it here today to continue its diligent serving of my cocktail. It’s with the same awe I think about the houses and architecture we are so enamored with that are lucky to still be standing and even luckier to be placed in the hands of our readers…

FIND MORE MCM RENOVATION WISDOM HERE! House Tour: Making an Arkansas Gem Shine A new generation of homeowners adds their personal touch to this 1960 home while taking care to respect its story and style. Cool Stuff: Fun and Functional Mod Home-Office Products Want your home office to be a mid mod haven of focus—and maybe even fun? These products will make your work space work for you. Mod Index: Warren Platner, Multi-Talented Architect and Designer Warren Platner knew early on that he wanted to be an architect. He studied architecture at Cornell, graduated in 1941 and began a long career of design. Learn more about his work and life. Rooms + Essentials: Our Picks for MCM Bathroom Tile Looking for some fresh ideas for your bathroom? Check out these…

LIGHTING TILE & WALLPAPER HARDWARE…

Aside from the design components of your mid-century home’s façade, there’s no stylistic component quite like hardscaping to boost your home’s curb appeal. Joe Raboine, vice president of design at Oldcastle APG, the largest manufacturer of architectural building products in North America, says the right hardscaping can also make your landscaping pop. “Landscaping makes up roughly 20 percent of your home’s value,” Joe says. “Installing a paver walkway and refreshing plants with flowering shrubs, raised beds and some fresh mulch does wonders for curb appeal. Depending on the size and scale of your landscaping, you may spend around $6,000, but recover at least $5,000 when you go to sell.” So, what are the keys to using hardscaping elements that will enhance your mod home’s design? Joe shares his tips: AR:…

JULIA CHILD ONCE SAID, “The more you know, the more you can create. There’s no end to imagination in the kitchen.” Of course, she may have been talking about her delectable cuisine, but the same can be said about kitchen design—in this case, kitchen cabinetry. Costly Cabinets New kitchen cabinets for an average-size kitchen are expensive, running anywhere from $15,000-$30,000 or more. Cost of materials, size of cabinetry and space may all affect the total price. A recent study showed that the average cost for refacing cabinets runs about $7,158, which is a fraction of the price to update your kitchen cabinets. To save money, the DIY route is a great option, but this approach may be beyond your skill set. Thankfully, aesthetics don’t have to be compromised to save…

WHEN YOU’RE RENOVATING an architecturally significant home, the end product aims to impress. When new homeowners purchased this Bellevue, Washington, home in the Lake Hills subdivision, the fact that the home belonged to developer George Bell of the Bell and Valdez building company, which built more than 4,000 homes in the area during the 1950s and ’60s, made the results of their remodel rather high stakes. Thanks to Rick Chesmore and Dave Buck of Chesmore/Buck Architecture, they succeeded. In particular, the rear of the home is a stunning example of leaving a modernist design better than you found it. “This modest waterfront Mid Century Modern home had been added onto many times in the last 65 years, which created a very disjointed floor plan. The new owners had an interest…