Tabla de contenidos para Winter 2023 en Atomic Ranch

curb appeal EVEN THOUGH THIS ROCKFORD, MICHIGAN, home was built in 2013, it has the spirit of a mid-century ranch-style house. “The architecture is by Chad Gould Architect LLC, with interior (and exterior) design by Rock Kauffman Design,” says Scott Branc, president of New Urban Home. “Our clients wanted to build a new home in a Mid Century Modern style and approached New Urban because we are regionally known as a builder/renovator of Mid Century Modern style homes. We helped them assemble a design team that worked particularly well with mid-century aesthetics.” It was important to the design team to stay true to the mid-century style and they drew inspiration from the beautiful evergreen scenery surrounding the property. “We put a concentrated effort into choosing design elements that worked not…

WHEN IT COMES TO CHRISTMASES PAST, no mid-century collectible seems more appropriate than Holt-Howard’s ceramics. Named after founders Grant Holt and Robert Howard, the company got its start with Christmas items in New York City in 1949, from winking Santa mugs to angel candleholders and even Christmas planters. Their playful designs quickly earned them success, and the business expanded and relocated to Stamford, Connecticut, in 1959. They changed certain Christmas designs each year and their product lines were meant to be collectible. One of their other enduring lines outside of Christmas was Pixieware, which includes shakers, cruets and other kitchenalia with cartoonish pixie heads. By 1969, Holt-Howard was bought out by General Housewares Corporation but still produced items with their signature stacked capital “HH” until 1979. By 1990, their pieces…

The West Bench neighborhood in Boise, Idaho, tends to attract homeowners who stay permanently and put down roots. From its growth in the 1960s, many Mid Century Modern houses were being built, and many families and homeowners were settling down in this cozy, timbered neighborhood, intending to call the West Bench suburb their permanent home. This is also true for Jessica and Morgan Sorensen, who, decades later, stumbled across a listing for a home in West Bench. The serendipitous sighting of this house on @BoiseMidCenturyHomes’ Instagram account changed their future. They knew it would be the perfect place to settle down. “I grew up very close to this area and we have always loved the neighborhoods in this area of Boise,” Jessica says. “We were not in the market for…

atomic kitchens When Nikki Luzanski and Steve Karpeles found this 1965 mod in a desirable neighborhood of Lansing, Michigan, the kitchen had undergone the dreaded ’90s renovation. Most of its mid-century charm had been replaced by maple cabinets with raised panels, soffits and linoleum tile floors. The homeowners brought in Elin Walters of Exactly Designs and leaned on her Mid Century Modern expertise to restore the space to its former glory. “The goal of the renovation was to get rid of the ’90s look and take it back to a vintage look, making better use of the storage and allowing for seating of some sort,” Elin says. “The space needed better flow with the adjacent living room.” FIXER-UPPER The narrow kitchen sported an island on wheels and a built-in desk…

From the moment George Geary and Neil Bonner set eyes on the dazzling two-bedroom, two-bathroom bungalow in the historic Racquet Club Cottages West complex in Palm Springs, California, they knew it was destined to become theirs. “We fell in love with the complex when we went on a Modernism tour seven years ago,” says Neil, designer and owner of The Ivy Guild, a silk floral and plant wholesaler. “We knew we would eventually love to own a Mid-Century home in Palm Springs.” When the couple visited the area in 2020 ready to buy, they returned to the complex. “It was the first home we saw. We walked in and knew ‘this is it,’” says George, a certified culinary professional, author and food historian. “We saw a bunch of houses and…

OPENNESS, LIGHT, SIMPLICITY, FUNCTIONALITY— these essential principles characterize Mid Century Modern architecture, first introduced to the United States by influential European designers such as Ludvig Mies van der Rohe, Erich Mendelsohn and, most importantly, Walter Gropius. In Walter Gropius: An Illustrated Biography, Leyla Daybelge and Magnus Englund explore this German-American pioneer’s impact through his legacy as an architect, designer, philosopher and educator. From founding the pivotal Bauhaus school to becoming the director of Harvard’s Graduate School of Design, Gropius believed art and design should be integrated with industry and technology and worked tirelessly to liberate and improve the lives of ordinary people by simplifying modern life. THE FORMATIVE YEARS With a family background in architecture and fascinated by the Wild West from a young age, Gropius’ early career was inspired…

You already know that your favorite design era is Mid Century Modern, but do you know how to incorporate it into your home to reflect your own sense of style? Whether it’s your first time working with an interior designer or your 20th, there’s an art to the process of partnering with a design expert to find out which mid-century pieces, palettes and patterns suit you. Palm Springs designer Michael Norpell gently guides his clients through a series of specific questions to ensure they will feel right at home with their MCM décor. Here, he walks us through the steps he walks with them to guide you through the process of planning your own mid-century marvel. The connection of interior and outdoor living areas is very important to…

Neutral yet dynamic is the best way to describe this renovated home, originally built in 1956 by local builder Donald Drummond. Similar to Eichlers in style but built on a much smaller scale, Drummond homes are highly sought after in the Kansas City, Kansas, community. Located in the Prairie Village neighborhood, this house is imbued with irresistible class, but that wasn’t the case until interior designer Lisa Schmitz joined the project. “Our first impression was that the home was dark and dated,” Lisa says. “The updates seemed to be from a different time frame and not complementary to the original design.” The homeowner, a local artist, wanted to create a timeless oasis that highlighted the best of mid-century design while keeping it modern. “It was important to keep mid-century themes…

Mid Century Modern and Minimalism go hand-in-hand, but it can be tricky to decorate for the holidays without cluttering those iconic views. Having grown up in an Eichler home, professional organizer Amanda Burns Clark is no stranger to maximizing the limited storage space. “Due to our small amount of storage—we have a carport and a single-car garage—it’s a ‘use it or lose it’ type of situation,” she says. When you keep only the items you love, it’s a joy to bring out the decorations and kick off those holiday traditions. CREATING CORE MEMORIES “I wanted that same Mid Century Modern environment for my own children,” Amanda says. She describes her holiday-decorating style as retro, colorful and playful. “I have three young children. No decoration is too precious, but I’m trying…