Table of contents for Winter 2024 in Atomic Ranch

Atomic Ranch|Winter 2024

NO PLACE LIKE HOME

editor's letter THERE’S NOTHING LIKE the feeling of coming home. I’ve spent the fall season settling back in from travel: My brother got married in Hawaii! He’s the youngest in the family, so it’s a momentous and extra-special occasion that was kicked off with bridal-party trips to the deserts (Palm Springs and Las Vegas) and culminated in the big day. In the afterglow of all the love and festivities, and as much as none of us wanted wedding season to end, it was still nice to come home. Marry that (if you will) with the fact that we all put so much hard work, TLC and time into our homes—restoring or perfecting their modernist character and history. Being home and sincerely enjoying the fruits of that labor is all the…

1 min

Atomic Ranch|Winter 2024

Mod Merry Marketplace

Kate McEnroe New York Infuse your Christmas with retro ’50s kitsch charm. Keep your drinks cool, serve up festive cocktails and add a touch of nostalgia—all in sleek Mid Century Modern style. Lume Home Lume Home (pronounced loom, as in “to illuminate”) makes original ceramic lamps, dishware and other functional objects inspired by Modernism, bringing handmade warmth and distinction to every room. Trevor Wayne The Trevor Wayne store is a fantastic place for one-of-a-kind original art, décor and gifts. Leaning toward a fun pop art, rock ‘n’ roll edge, it’s hard not to smile walking in. If you’re looking for a statement piece, this is the place! Car Pool Tables Real car parts, wheels, working lights, chrome and professional billiards playing top! Adorn your home and impress guests with a…

2 min

Atomic Ranch|Winter 2024

An MCM Time Capsule

This home’s story begins in the 1950s, in Wayzata, Minnesota, a small town on the Northern shore of Lake Minnetonka about 10 miles from Minneapolis. Gordon and Kaye Jones hired architect Loren B. Abbett to design their home, although Gordon, with his engineering background, was involved in all aspects of the design. The redwood-clad, 2,390-square-foot home situated on almost two acres was completed in 1957. Gordon and Kaye didn’t have children, so when Kaye passed away in 2019, six years after Gordon, it fell to their niece, Sherry Holtmeyer, to sell their home. “The house had been a real labor of love for Gordon and Kaye,” Sherry says. “It was their mark on the world. I felt like if it was torn down, they would have been erased. I wanted…

7 min

Atomic Ranch|Winter 2024

A Very Vintage Holiday

Christmas is a time for nostalgia, and while Cathy Burns, a retired grade school teacher, is known to get creative with her décor, the key ingredients for the season’s festivities are always the tried-and-true ones. Cathy has been living in this Eichler in the Fairhills tract of Orange, California, for the past 46 years and although she’s certainly bucked some tradition (she wallpapered the wall in the dining room some years ago because, well, she wanted to and she could), during the holidays it’s all about tradition. “We moved in ’78. The house was 14 years old by then,” Cathy says. “We were looking for something a little bit different. We didn’t have a plan that it would be Mid Century Modern. We lived in a little house in Fullerton,…

5 min

Atomic Ranch|Winter 2024

The Key Ingredient

WHEN RENOVATING YOUR KITCHEN, don’t forget the impact your appliances have on the overall look and feel of the design. Choosing appliances that reflect your unique style by delivering a classic mid mod vibe with a chic edge will spice up your kitchen. With the perfect blend of functional features and a sleek, hip retro design, iio (pronounced eye-o) offers a range of appliance options certain to elevate your culinary space. James Brown created iio with the innovative mission to create appliances with a mid mod appearance. To help you navigate through the twists and turns of choosing the right appliance for your home, James offers his seasoned perspective on what you should consider when selecting atomic appliances. GO RETRO Rather than opting for a standard stainless-steel, cookie-cutter fridge or…

3 min

Atomic Ranch|Winter 2024

RENOVATIONS FOR TWO

atomic kitchens WHEN YOU LIVE IN A HOME FOR A LONG TIME, it can become part of your DNA. For one Fort Collins, Colorado, couple, a 1957 Mid Century Modern home did just that. The couple raised their two children there and now that the kids are adults and have moved out, the couple embraced the opportunity for a fresh start. Instead of downsizing or purchasing a new home, they decided to bring in the talents of Forge & Bow Dwellings to do a complete renovation, including the kitchen. Forge & Bow is a forward-thinking, boutique home-remodeling and custom home-building firm based in Fort Collins. Annie Obermann, principal for Forge & Bow, describes how this renovation project began: “The couple were very invested in the area and truly had a…

4 min

Atomic Ranch|Winter 2024

Stewards of the Past

What would it be like to live in a mid-century home that’s almost entirely original? That’s the dream the Cooper family gets to live every day. “There’s still usually a moment, maybe about once a year, when I’m inside and the fire is going, it’s snowing outside and I think, ‘I can’t believe I get to live in this room,’” says homeowner Jenn Cooper. “It’s so beautiful and comfortable.” HOUSE HISTORY The 1,500-square-foot house was constructed in 1957 as the model home for the master-planned community of Arapaho Hills in Littleton, a suburb of Denver. “This was the model and show home, the first home they built,” homeowner James Cooper says. The original business partnership for the community was between architect and builder Edward B. Hawkins and contractor Clyde Mannon.…

11 min

Atomic Ranch|Winter 2024

By the Fireside

Cozy yet sleek fireplace inspiration for any mod home. 1. THE FIREPLACE IN RICHARD NEUTRA’S 1958 HASSRICK HOUSE is pulled forward from the wall and its contrasting bright tone creates a pop against the darker surroundings. Cedar tongue-and-groove ceilings bring warmth to the room, while an expansive glass wall connects to the exterior. Split Rail lounge chairs provide a stylish spot for fireside relaxing. 2. BUILT IN 1958 BY CARTER SPARKS, THIS WAS THE FIRST OF A SMALL SET OF 55 CUSTOM HOMES IN SACRAMENTO, California, separate from the tracts he worked on with the Streng Brothers. Next to the impressive fireplace is original built-in cantilevered seating against brick walls painted taupe by the homeowners. A frosted clerestory between the living room and bedroom brings warmth to the space, while…

1 min

Atomic Ranch|Winter 2024

resources

Renovations for Two Page 22 To contact Forge & Bow, visit the company’s website at forgeandbow.com. Backsplash: Ann Sacks, Savoy Classic Field Tile, Bronze Shop Tile and Stone Products, kohler.com. Island: Quartz Countertop Kitchen Island in polished Skara Brae, cambriausa.com. Kitchen perimeter: Quartz Countertop in polished Pental Coastal Gray (polished), weaverstoneco.com. Cabinet paint: Sherwin-Williams 2851 Sage Green Light, sherwin-williams.com. Drawer pulls: CB2, CB2.com. Light fixtures: Crate & Barrel, crateandbarrel.com. Function & Flow Page 28 Interior design: Karen Nepacena, Destination Eichler, destinationeichler.com. Architect: Erin Eyerly, eyerlyarchitecture.com. GC/builder, custom millwork: Daniel Awand Surfaces: Frozen Terra, caesarstoneus.com. Laminates: Wilsonart, Wilsonart.com. Formica, formica.com. Pinoite, panolam.com. Arpa, arpaindustriale.com, Print HPL, abetlaminati.com. Range: Bertazzoni, us.bertazzoni.com. Range hood: Futuro Futuro, futurofuturo.com. Kitchen handles, hardware: Colonial Bronze, colonialbronze.com. Tile/backsplash details: Fireclay Tile in triangle shape, fireclaytile.com. Feldspar glaze,…

1 min

Atomic Ranch|Winter 2024

Hazy Sunshine

SOCIAL MEDIA IS the launch pad for many things these days, and in the case of Julianna (Jules) Berg and Alexandra (Alex) Hardin-Gonzalez it’s responsible for helping to blossom a design-minded friendship and business. Hazy Sunshine, a bespoke outdoor living décor brand they created together, offers high-quality items reminiscent of the past but with new materials that will stand the test of time. The patterns and colors lean funky, vintage, retro and unique, with many of them inspired by archived designs. “We were both members of a Mid Century Modern Facebook group that I was an admin for. I saw what she was doing and I instantly fell in love,” Alex says. “We started talking and a friendship bloomed over the course of about a year. We had a great…

3 min

Atomic Ranch|Winter 2024

Function & Flow

atomic kitchens NESTLED IN WALNUT CREEK, CALIFORNIA, a classic 1955 Eichler was in need of upgrades to brighten and honor the original design. Homeowners Dianne and Tyler Ott arranged a collaboration between Karen Nepacena, principal designer at Destination Eichler, and Erin Eyerly, architect at Eyerly Architecture. The kitchen, dining room, breakfast nook and the family/media and living room areas took roughly four months of construction in addition to months of design and project planning. “After the homeowners addressed typical projects required in an older home, like replacing siding and upgrading electrical panels, they decided they were ready to invest in other areas of the home, starting with the kitchen and shared living spaces,” Karen says. MID-CENTURY EMPHASIS The classic Eichler with Mid Century Modern bones had been renovated with materials…

6 min

Atomic Ranch|Winter 2024

It Takes a Township

The search for the perfect home is never easy—there are lots of boxes to tick in terms of the house itself, its surroundings and its proximity to other parts of your life. It gets even more complicated when that house also needs to be a Mid Century Modern home fit for raising a family. That was the challenging situation Jesse Lawson and Jason Pino faced while house-hunting in the suburban town of Concord, Massachusetts. Finding a home within established communities lined with homes designed by mid-century master architects was competitive as well as cost prohibitive. So, the couple trolled Zillow consistently, keeping their eye out for every hidden gem with a peaked roof. And finally they found it: an Acorn Deck House built in 1971, rough and ready for a…

11 min

Atomic Ranch|Winter 2024

atomicranch.com

House Tour: Merry, Minimal & Modern Professional organizer Amanda Burns Clark maximizes limited space. Find inspiration from her own home. Modernist Index: I. M. Pei Discover the life and works of I. M. Pei, the architect famous for the Louvre Pyramid, the National Gallery of Art East Building and more. These Holiday Cookies Were Made for You ’Tis the season for holiday cookies! Since your home and décor are Mid Century Modern, why not your cookies too? Here are some of our favorite holiday cookies in your favorite style. Cool Stuff: Mid Century Modern Gifts You know it’s a good gift when you are tempted to keep it—and these MCM gift ideas all passed that test! Browse some of our top gift picks. Follow us online on Facebook, Instagram and…

1 min

Atomic Ranch|Winter 2024

Christmas Tree

RAISING the Rockefeller Center Christmas tree is a cherished tradition with roots dating back to 1931. It all started on a cold night during the Great Depression when workers at the Rockefeller Center construction site decided to bring a little cheer to their rather grim holiday season. They pooled their money to buy a 20-foot balsam fir and decorated it with homemade garlands made by their families. Though modest, this first tree symbolized hope and resilience in difficult times. In 1933, the tradition became official when Rockefeller Center held its first public lighting ceremony. That year, the tree was adorned with 700 lights and the event marked the beginning of an annual spectacle that would grow in scale and grandeur. But from 1942 to 1945, no materials essential to America’s…

1 min