Table of contents for Renovation Guide 2021 in Atomic Ranch

CERTAIN DECORATING TRENDS HAVE MORE STAYING POWER THAN OTHERS. Case in point: the sleek cabinetry of the Mid Century Modern kitchen. A classic feature that’s still in vogue, this cabinetry is typified by clean lines and a dollop of warmth expressed through the use of wood and dynamic color or playful patterns. With more than 25 years of experience in the woodworking industry, the owners of Able and Baker, Josh and Jen Ganzhorn, know how to make cabinetry so beautiful it registers as both an enduring element of the kitchen and irresistible architectural eye candy you can’t help but stop to appreciate. These experts share their insights to help you create the cabinetry of your dreams. What Speaks to You The kitchen usually takes center stage in an open-plan mid…

Jamie Goehring’s 1962 Douglas Wiley home sits just outside Vancouver, Canada, in New Westminster. The 4-bedroom, 3-bathroom is a pop of Palm Springs in the Pacific Northwest. “It’s quite the place,” says Jamie. “I don’t think there any other houses like it in town.” But this home wasn’t always so picture perfect. Jamie and his team spent six months renovating the home, using a detail-driven design process along the way. RENOVATION PROCESS Creating the perfect team for the perfect home was no easy feat—Jamie had to let an architect go early on in the design process who he felt was “killing the cool vibe.” Instead, he turned to friends Nathan Berry of Westwind Finishing and Paul Kane. Paul and Jamie designed the renovation, while Nathan and his team implemented it.…

Year Built: 1963 Location: Olympia, Washington Bedrooms: 3 Bathrooms: 2 MODERN MOVES Historical flair and energy efficiency combine with updates like a custom fir-and-walnut entry screen and flagstone flooring at the entry. Custom cabinetry and fun, playful pops of color blend with sophisticated details like light fixtures from Schoolhouse Electric, Rejuvenation and Tom Dixon, as well as Heath Ceramic tile around the fireplace. OPEN THE WAY A few major design changes included removing a central chimney and wall to create an open great room as well as relocating and redesigning a staircase to allow for more functionality for the family while staying within the Mid Century Modern style. MCM UPDATES The mid century aesthetic was carried throughout all the major parts of the renovation. The team vaulted the great room…

SOMETIMES A ROOM RENOVATION IS SO CLEVERLY CREATIVE that it doesn’t fit into only one Mid Century Modern style category. Such is the case with this kitchen. When Thomas Schaer, principal of SHED Architecture & Design (shedbuilt.com), was asked to identify the kitchen’s design style, he explained how the elements were respectfully pulled from various periods. “The style of the house is Pacific Northwest mid century, but the style of the kitchen is a tough one,” Schaer says. “It is not retro, classic or modular. It is a contemporary kitchen (the flowing counter and complex asymmetrical cabinet composition are not typically mid century or classic); the materials—walnut and colored laminates—are a nod to the mid century palette; and the vent slots under the sink are a nod to kitchens from…

HAVE YOU EVER STAYED AT A HOTEL so intriguing you changed careers? Padraic Slattery has. Slattery’s skills are rooted in finance and accounting, but the history and design of the Commodore Astoria in Oregon he visited 11 years ago was so captivating that his life’s calling flipped 180 degrees. Lacking formal design, architecture or construction training, Slattery relied on his imagination and design resources on Microsoft Windows to begin restoring dilapidated mid century buildings. He became “obsessed” with transforming neglected or written-off properties, eventually establishing his Seattle-based firm, Padraic One Design. “I saw an opportunity in a competitive field where design aesthetics were not a core consideration, if at all,” Slattery says. “I made it a mission to overthrow the outdated culture of the apartment industry, which generally suffers from…

A FIREPLACE IN ANY MODERN HOME FUNCTIONS not only as a place to gather or cozy up, but also as an important design piece that can pull a whole room together and make a statement. Renovating a hearth, mantel or chimney may seem daunting, but with a few pointers you can achieve a smart and sophisticated look. We asked contractor Roger Krost of Conspec Building Systems for tips and tricks you can use when building the perfect centerpiece for your home. Better Safe Than Sorry. “Before any work can be done, determine that your fireplace is structurally sound and safe to use,” Roger says. Examine the firebox, flu and chimney systems for cracks or voids. What may seem like little imperfections can actually be extremely dangerous. Roger recommends using a…

Get the Look: Purist Perfection Take cues from this vibrant, curated home faithful to its MCM roots—from flooring to interior siding to the bright kitchen cabinetry. Discover where to find period-appropriate materials to replicate the look. Everything in Its Place: MCM Storage Solutions Don’t let clutter infringe on your otherwise clean-lined space. Browse these mid century- and MCM-inspired storage solutions, from bookshelves and wall units to credenzas and beyond. Pretty (and Brutalist) in Pink Contemporary global architectural firm Adjaye Associates re-envisioned this Los Angeles structure with reference to the building’s Brutalist past and made a bold color choice conversant with the mid century palette. How to Use Tile for a Wow Factor Tile is perhaps the most decorative of renovation materials and is rife with possibilities to inject color, pattern…

• Assign someone to help coordinate all the trades. “One of the things we always suggest is that people figure out who the project manager will be to coordinate the trades. The cabinetmaker needs to know and be in communication with the electrician if there’s under-cabinet lighting, for example,” says Josh. When there’s no one there to coordinate, Josh and Jen caution, things take longer than they should, raising costs. • Spend time figuring out the project details early on during the design phase. “Sometimes people are so excited to be remodeling they just want to jump in and figure things out as they go along, but that can result in projects that take longer, added costs and missed opportunities,” says Jen. • When getting quotes, specifically on cabinetry, Josh…

The small house had potential. Built in 1959, the four-bedroom, two-bath house had belonged to just two owners, the most recent an elderly couple who had purchased the single-story ranch now known as Palm Paradiso in 1968. Located on an oversized lot in Chattanooga, Tennessee, the home had fallen into disrepair but had something that drew realtor Gary Crowe’s attention. He had to have it. “I had restored three other homes in the neighborhood, and during the time I was restoring the first one back in 2014, I had my eyes on Palm Paradiso, as well as a few others,” Gary says. ”I watched it closely as I was restoring those two, leaving notes from time to time and knocking on the door to see if they would sell. I…

Year Built: 1962 Location: New Westminster, British Columbia, Canada Bedrooms: 4 Bathrooms: 3 Year of Renovation: 2015 Length of Renovation: 6 months SAVE Thanks to previous owners’ work in the basement, Jamie didn’t have to do too much. “I didn’t put a lot of money into the basement because it was basically done ... I really put the money upstairs.” SPLURGE “We kind of splurged everywhere,” says Jamie with a laugh. But he and his team put extra time and resources into refurbishing the interior beams. They stripped and sanded the beams back down to the original wood color and then sealed them so they would match the exterior beams. “There was a team of guys that was doing it for weeks,” says Jamie. BASEBOARD-LESS Much of Jamie’s inspiration for…

Year Built: 1954 Location: Orange, California Original Architect: A. Quincy Jones and Frederick Emmons Bedrooms: 4 Bathrooms: 2 Year of Renovations: 2019 Length of Renovations: 4 months and 1 month SAVE While Lin’s main focus was not budget but making the space as authentic as possible, he did find budget-friendly options for some of the furniture and other vintage elements. He recommends that first you educate yourself fully on the period and learn about the different materials involved. “Read books and get to know Mid Century Modern homeowners (who are the true experts) so you can gain an intimate knowledge of resources,” he says. Once you’ve done the research, he says to look for places where you can find original, vintage items being sold by other Mid Century Modern enthusiasts.…

THIS 1960 RAISED RANCH IN OMAHA, NEBRASKA, with its vintage details and design potential, was just the thing that the clients of Andrea and Brian Kelly of AToM were looking to remodel. A must-have for the home was an open kitchen. In the original layout, the kitchen was separated from the living and dining spaces. Working with an expert, Andrea and Brian came up with a solution that would deliver exactly what their clients wanted. “The renovation included removing all interior walls between the kitchen, dining and living rooms, including the central load-bearing support for the roof,” the Kellys say. “Along with our structural engineer, we proposed a solution to modify the stick framing above the ceiling plane and carry the load with new columns and beams, which would be…

SOMETIMES THE BIGGEST AND MOST EFFECTIVE CHANGES for your home’s curb appeal are the hardest ones for passersby to detect. This was the case for this handsome Salt Lake City, Utah, gem built in 1957. The original architect is unknown, but what the current homeowners did know is that they wanted to keep the changes to the original exterior design as seamless as possible, while addressing a few functionally aimed improvements. “The existing entryway was odd,” says Olivia Lucas, Design Coordinator for Source Construction Inc., the firm that handled the home’s major renovations. It was awkwardly enclosed and unwelcoming, and the homeowners felt like it could be better utilized. “Turning [the entry] into a grander space added a sense of largeness to the home,” she says. “We added tigerwood, which…

Year Built: 1959 Location: Chattanooga, Tennessee Original Architect/Builder: Unknown Bedrooms: Originally 4, now 5 Bathrooms: Originally 2, now 4.5 Year of Renovation: 2020 Length of Renovation: Eight months SPLURGE The gorgeous tile found throughout the home helped create a cohesive design theme and was well worth the cost for realtor Gary Crowe, who led the renovation project. “Hands-down the tile was the biggest splurge, not only from a cost standpoint but from a delivery point of view as well,” he says. “Covid had just hit, and everything was shutting down. The tile is manufactured in Spain by Hisbalit Mosaico, so the shipping was a major cost, as well as the timeframe for it to get to me, which was about five months. I had no backup plan as the entire…

For many Mid Century Modern enthusiasts, finding the delicate balance between past and present is an arduous yet fulfilling aspect of appreciating this design style. When an Eichler home came on the market in Orange, California, part of the larger Eichler tract home neighborhood in the area, award-winning designer Lin He saw an opportunity to restore the home’s former glory. The founder and president of Rellion Inc., Lin got his start in the design world remodeling homes in Newport, California. He started his own company as a way to further his goals in developing and redeveloping homes. “In any project, there are three players: the homeowner, the designer and the house itself,” he says. “The interaction of these three is what it all comes down to.” “I found period-accurate appliances…

Inspiration can come from a variety of places. For homeowner, designer and longtime mid mod enthusiast Katherine McBride, it was the neighborhood that drew her to her family’s current home and provided many of her design ideas for the remodel. “We had lived in a gem of a Mid Century Modern neighborhood in Olympia, and so we kept an eye on it for any listing that would come up,” she says. When one finally did, she knew it would take a labor of love to create the home she had in mind because of the compartmentalized layout and the many remodels throughout the years by previous owners. “I wanted it to feel comfortable, warm and homey; not a museum but like someone could live in it,” she says. After completing…