Table of contents for Renovation Guide 2024 in Atomic Ranch

WALNUT, PHILIPPINE MAHOGANY. Luan (also spelled Lauan) or board and batten. Most of us would light up with glee to find original Mid Century Modern wood paneling in a home. And if you’re lucky enough to have this feature now, here’s how to care for and maintain it. Most mid-century era wood wall paneling is made from Luan, which is a general term for thin plywood sheets made from a variety of Shorea species of hardwood found in Southeast Asia—most commonly The Philippines, Indonesia and Malaysia. Philippine mahogany was the most popular and it was the Luan of choice for Joseph Eichler’s homes. Over time, the term “Luan” was used to reference any type of tropical hardwood. You might be surprised to know that this material is also often used…

SOMETIMES MASTERPIECES ARE FOUND in the most unassuming of places. Hidden in plain sight in Fort Wayne, Indiana, there’s an extremely rare Louis Kahn building. Known as Arts United, the building is the city’s only performing arts center. But its true claim to fame is that it’s the only Louis Kahn building located in the Midwest and the only performing arts center the architect ever produced in the world. That’s why the city is now doing all it can to not only preserve it for future generations but also update the building to be more easily accessible to all audiences. A Grand Vision Wanting their own version of New York’s Lincoln Center, the Fine Arts Foundation of Fort Wayne, Indiana, commissioned Louis Kahn, one of the most preeminent US architects…

When Patrick Seehafer discovered this Portland home on the Internet while living abroad, he knew even without seeing it in person that it was the kind of property he and his family could live on long term. “It was recessed off the street and set lower, so it really gave it a suburban-recluse vibe that we were drawn to immediately,” he says. Patrick made the purchase and held onto it for a few years before enlisting Skylab Architecture to undertake the detailed renovation in 2009. “We loved the envelope—the footprint. It was just about the right size,” Patrick says. While the home’s square footage was functional for his family, he wanted to transition from classic ranch to a more open, distinct and modern type of living. “The house had really…

LIGHTING TILE WALLPAPER HARDWARE…

“It started as a temporary addition to a house they were going to raze within 3-5 years. The fact that we saved it, and I believe improved the original, is the best part.” When the request for a temporary addition to a Leawood, Kansas, home reached Chris Fein, founding principal at Forward Design Architecture, he saw potential for more. Built in 1950, the house got the owners into the neighborhood they liked, but it was too small for their family. Convinced they would need to start from scratch to get the space and flow they wanted, Chris suggested an alternate solution that met the homeowner’s long-term needs and avoided demolishing the original structure. “We believe as a firm ethos that the most sustainable thing that could be done is to…

WHEN HOMEOWNERS JARED AND MIKELL RICE discovered a mid-century style home for sale in a small pocket of Bethesda, Maryland, they jumped at the chance to buy it. The kitchen had been renovated and didn’t feel like it went with the house, so they took time figuring out exactly what they wanted in a kitchen. Mikell owns her own design firm and wanted to open the space up. “We knew we would need to renovate the kitchen when we bought the house in 2018,” she says. “It was dated, ugly and quite literally falling apart under our feet.” Updating the kitchen to match their own mid-century vision was the perfect way to honor the uniqueness of the home. Improved Circulation Teaming up with Sarah Snouffer, principal at Third Street Architecture…

ARTHUR DALLAS “A.D.” STENGER IS arguably the most notable Mid Century Modern architect in Austin, Texas. His signature use of clerestory windows, local limestone, beamed and vaulted ceilings, and a flat roofline in his home designs are unmistakable. Stenger built over 100 residences in Austin, but you’ll be hard-pressed to find a better example of Stenger’s work than this 1956 home in the Zilker neighborhood. “Arthur Dallas Stenger houses are recognizable and sought after in Austin neighborhoods. They’re relics of an expressive craft and sensitivity to human scale,” says Cindy Black of Rick + Cindy Black Architects, who renovated this home in 2015. Cindy was tasked with a master suite and dining room addition focusing on upgrading the worn-out materials common to the ’50s but preserving many aspects of the…

WHEN HOMEOWNERS RACHAEL AND ED EIBLE purchased this originally 1,700-square-foot home in the lovely South Gate neighborhood of Sarasota, Florida, it was the answer to a several-year search. They spent many years living in the home before embarking on a project to breathe new life into it. “Our goal was to create a home outside the status quo,” Ed says. Ed and Rachael own two separate home design and construction companies: Architura Space Planning & Design, where Ed is the co-founder and president and Rachael is project manager, and construction company ARC Development & Project Management, where Rachael is president. They utilized both of their companies to bring their vision to life to create the home of their dreams. Rethinking Retro Part of the post-World War II housing boom, the…

STRIKING THE RIGHT BALANCE BETWEEN a sleek and charming Mid Century Modern design and contemporary updates to accommodate modern living can be a challenge. Luckily for the homeowners of this 1955 gem by August Liliquist, the design team at Atelier Drome brought the two together in a total renovation to create this retro-infused kitchen space. At 2,440 square feet, this split-level home is located in the Magnolia neighborhood of Seattle and boasts of plentiful outdoor views, including glimpses of Mt. Rainier. The main goals of the homeowners were threefold: create an open plan for the kitchen and dining room, bring more light into these spaces and honor the home’s original architecture and design. Opening Up To begin, the layout of the home had to be reimagined to allow for the…

What would you do if you came across an extremely rare MCM home that had just come up for sale? If you’re Lee Braun and her husband, Peter—both realtors specializing in mid mod homes—you snatch it up before anyone has the audacity to change it. Together, the couple bought a Mid Century Modern Alcoa Care-Free Home—one of only 24 built across the country. Alcoa (Aluminum Company of America) wanted to enter the housing industry and opted to have their homes feature their material, aluminum. In fact, some of the homes include as much as 7,500 pounds of it. But this house is even rarer because it’s one of the very few Alcoa homes still standing. In recent years, many of the homes have been torn down or gutted to fit…