Inhoudsopgave van Summer 2021 - Atomic Ranch

TYPE OF HOME: Wide-gable ranch ARCHITECT: Michael Koteles BACKGROUND: This 1950 single-story home is believed to have been designed by the architect for his own family. Built into a hill, the home has a walkout lower level. The kitchen was given a contemporary update by a previous owner in the 1990s and retained no original features. COLOR SCHEME: Gray flooring and countertops and pale wood cabinets are paired with accessories in vibrant mid century shades of orange, aqua and yellow. INNOVATIVE IDEA: The small space feels grander thanks to the custom-angled upper cabinets that merge with original beam ceilings.…

One of the first things that attracted Tyler and Jessica Wichmann to their Sacramento area home was its atrium. “It was the biggest draw for us. My wife and I are big plant people, and we’ve collected cacti, succulents and houseplants over the years,” says Tyler. The home was built in 1976 by the Streng Brothers, Bill and Jim Streng. Along with Carter Sparks, the home’s architect, they built nearly 4,000 homes in the area during the mid century. The three-bedroom, two-bathroom 2,100-square-foot home was built for its climate, as Sparks placed indoor atriums (rather than an exposed courtyard) and AC units in his designs, both of which make the home especially suitable for the hot Sacramento summers. “The atrium is built for the valley, as it gets us that…

Have you ever wanted the details of an iconic mid century home with a modern living floor plan? Then buckle up, because we’re taking you behind the scenes of a new build in Dripping Springs, Texas, with the Atomic Ranch Project House. You’ll get to see the process from start to finish, with reveals in each issue throughout the year. And along the way you’ll learn exactly what goes into designing a custom home with mid mod spirit. “There’s this question about Mid Century Modern style I think people often ask themselves: If I could design my own mid century home from scratch, what would I do? We decided to follow along with this project to see exactly that,” says Jickie Torres, editor of Atomic Ranch magazine. Check out who…

A Backyard to Swoon Over This poolside lounge area has all the elements of a summer hangout spot you’d never want to leave. It’s located in Cardiff-by-the-Sea, just outside Encinitas, California; designer Ryan Prange says, “The vision was Bali meets Cardiff.” Mission accomplished. Can we come over? Mile High and Mid Mod These homeowners carefully brought their 1955 Franklin L. Burns Construction home in Denver’s Harvey Park neighborhood back to its MCM roots. Stay tuned to see more of their home—including a vibrant bathroom and an outdoor breeze block wall. Creating Outdoor Conversation Areas Find ideas from simple to aspirational for creating inviting seating areas in your backyard, bringing the comfort of the indoors outside. Retro Road Trip: Guangzhou Circle When Italian architect Joseph di Pasquale designed this iconic building…

If you’ve ever been to Joshua Tree National Park, you know how magical it feels. The landscape is filled with surreal boulder formations. Sentient-seeming Joshua trees outstretch their spiky arms toward a night sky filled with stars. After exploring the surrounds of Joshua Tree, Bob Bogard and Michael von Wittenau were hooked on the tranquility of the High Desert. They were looking for a retreat that was near their primary residence in Palm Springs, and when they came across this 5-acre ranch in Pioneertown—with historic structures, sweeping views of natural rock and an intriguing pedigree—they knew it was the perfect fit. MID CENTURY MAKEOVER Bob and Michael are married and have been a couple for 26 years. Michael is in the hospitality industry, and Bob is the director of public…

ATOMIC RANCH: What excites you the most about the idea of building new mid century-style homes? JICKIE: It’s a unique opportunity for Mid Century Modern fans to recreate everything they love about the era’s design and architecture, while getting the modern conveniences that you can’t always renovate into an old home. I wouldn’t love seeing an authentic mid mod house get stretched and enlarged or blown out so much that you lose the integrity of the home. But seeing someone create something that is an homage to the great architects of the period while building a floorplan for today? With great storage, ample amenities, dream features and room for how we live today? That can be a really exciting and intriguing thing to see. AR: What do you expect to…

They fell in love at Modernism Week. New Yorkers Philip Heckman and Rex Bonomelli were in Palm Springs for the 2015 edition of the annual ode to mid century design and style when on a home tour they discovered El Rancho Vista Estates, a neighborhood designed by Wexler and Harrison and developed by Roy Fey in the early ’60s. A home in the development was for sale and would soon be theirs. PRINCIPLES TO DESIGN BY “We were drawn to the potential of this home, which was for sale, because of the huge, empty backyard with mountain views,” Philip, an Emmy-nominated costume designer for television and stage production, says. “It was essentially a blank canvas with the exception of the original kidney-shaped swimming pool with original coping. Also, the Capri…

Craving a change of scenery? Whether you file these away for future reference or you’re able to get out now, these five Mid Century Modern hotels from Chicago to Portland and beyond are worth the trip. / The Watergate / Washington DC If the name and location has you thinking Richard Nixon, you’re right. It’s not just this hotel’s décor that has history. Designed by Italian architect Luigi Moretti, the hotel opened in 1967. Its modern style was a subject of controversy and consternation. Then on June 17, 1972, five men broke into the Democratic National Convention in the Watergate complex and hid out in Room 214 of the Watergate Hotel. Decades later, the hotel nods to the history that is forever tied to its name. Room 214 is now…

Martin McGee credits his love of Space Age design to the way its pieces feel very contemporary, yet still future-forward, even 60 years after the style’s peak. Once he started collecting, “I just kept going,” says Martin with a laugh. So, when Martin began to look for an office, he knew it needed to be a place that could display some of his favorite collectibles. But his first look at the space that would eventually become his office left him unimpressed. It was rundown, dingy and not somewhere Martin wanted to work. But after some consideration, he realized that with a little bit of TLC, the space could be transformed. It had originally been an office for a flooring business, but new walls, flooring and wallpaper remodeled the once shabby…