Table of contents for Exteriors & Landscaping 2025 in Atomic Ranch

At first glance of the front exterior, this mid-century home, tucked neatly into the landscape and foliage, appears almost unassuming. “When you approach the house from the main road, it’s super quiet. You don’t even know it’s there because it’s kind of nested into the hillside,” says Kristine Anderson, managing principal and owner of Minneapolis-based PKA Architecture. “But as you come around, it starts to reveal itself and how it’s kind of cascading around this little nook on the lake,” she says. The expansive journey continues when you enter the house. “At the entry point, it’s private, like most houses, but as you walk through it, you start to see the layering of the glass and the walls toward the landscape and it just opens right up,” Kristine says. Views…

MIXING AND MELDING IS part of the fun of home design and renovation. Clean lines and natural materials, which are key features of Mid Century Modern design, are a perfect complement to the neutral palette and natural influences of Scandinavian style. Because of this, the two are often paired, with Scandinavian style adding a contemporary twist to balance the Atomic flair of mid mod design. This Manhattan Beach, California, home needed a facelift to enhance its functionality and visual appeal. When the homeowners decided on their renovation project they reached out to Harper Halprin and Aaron Leshtz of AAHA Studio, who borrowed from both MCM and Scandinavian design to expertly craft an indoor/outdoor living space that reflects the nearby beach: easy, relaxing and timeless. Creative Connection While not a complete…

EVEN WHEN YOU FIND THE HOME that ticks all the boxes, it doesn’t mean the potential of your property has been met. The owners of this Highland Park, Illinois, home were thrilled that it came with a pool, but they didn’t love the pool. That’s where Michael Norpell, owner and principal of Michael Norpell Wall to Wall, came in. “The systems were in bad shape and the infrastructure surrounding the pool was reminiscent of a scary no-tell motel,” Michael says. “There was a need to create a relaxing atmosphere, but without starting from scratch.” Reconfiguring the Space One of the problems with the yard was that it was flat and non-sensory. There was a spa close to the house and the rectangular pool had a secondary section that was small…

A great home grows with you. That’s what the homeowners were hoping for when they found and fell in love with this home in San Clemente, California, complete with a central atrium and sunken conversation pit. They treasured the opportunity to own an original piece of mid-century history and wanted to preserve and honor it as much as possible, but they needed to make some functional adjustments to suit a young family’s lifestyle. That’s where Dustin Morris, principal at Eyoh and HiBo Interiors, came in. “The goal was to create a space that felt true to its period but functioned as a modern beachside retreat,” Dustin says. Key things on the family’s list: creating a space where they could connect and grow together; enhancing the indoor-outdoor connection, especially given the…

Upping the ante on a desert home’s curb appeal isn’t about plopping in soaring palms and craggy rock—nor should it be about pushing for manicured lawns of yesteryear. Perhaps no one knows this better than Julie Deamer and Sam Mellon, homeowners of a 1955 ranch house located in the historic Glen Heather Estates neighborhood of Las Vegas, Nevada. As a retired landscape designer from Los Angeles, Julie set about developing a thriving desert garden when she moved to Vegas in 2019. Over time, her sustainable, native leaning garden has grown to replicate the rugged, natural beauty of the Mojave wilderness. DYNAMIC DESERT Julie’s home was built by the Arizona-based Lusk Corporation and was designed by architect Arthur Rader to appeal to the young executive. The mid mod house features a charming…

IF YOUR 1950S CAPE COD-STYLE HOUSE is in a neighborhood full of authentic mid-century homes, what else can you do but give your exterior an MCM upgrade? “The previous owners hired an architect and gutted the house,” says landscape architect James Drzewiecki, owner of Ginkgo Leaf Studio. “Their goal was to make it look more like it would fit into the neighborhood.” Fox Point is a suburb of Milwaukee, Wisconsin, and is known for its mid-century architecture. The previous owners made a lot of changes to the home’s structure, including adding large glass windows to the right of the front door and making the roofline flat. So, when a new family moved into the house, they knew they needed to complement the home’s updated exterior with landscaping to match. “It’s…

BECAUSE THE MODERNIST ARCHITECTS of the era were often looking to situate homes into a natural environment, decking was a common element of a Mid Century Modern home’s exterior design. In fact, deckhouses are a common type of MCM build, especially in New England and the East Coast. But whether you’re looking to renovate a historic deck or simply add decking to your landscape for a functional or aesthetic reason, the options on the market will have you choosing between wood and composite materials. Is Wood Good? It’s hard to beat the beauty of real wood. And when you’re dealing with a mid-century home that itself has striking natural components, wood decks make excellent bedfellows. It’s also often the more affordable option. But its short-term gains may have long-term costs.…

Rebuilding a house after a tragic loss presents a necessity to rework and breathe new life into the remains. When the Woolsey fire in 2018 claimed this Malibu, California, property, the homeowners decided it was a chance to recreate and enhance the home they had before in an entirely new build. Collaborating with the architectural team at ERW Design, Harper Halprin, founder and principal at AAHA Studio, worked to bring the family’s vision to life through providing a thoughtful and personalized interior design as well as exterior elements to create cohesion and emphasize the connection between interior and exterior living spaces. Drawing clean lines, natural materials and a seamless indoor/outdoor transition from Mid Century Modern design, the collaborative teams forged a new home from the ashes of the old. OUTSIDE…

PICTURE THIS: You purchase a brand-new house on a tract of virgin land only to realize later that you hate the design. What do you do? This was the situation for a Maryland-based couple who purchased a new spec house with farmhouse design on a tract of country land 30 minutes outside Washington D.C. “They expressed dissatisfaction with the result, feeling it didn’t align with their vision,” says Mercedes Afshar, owner of Paradigm Office architectural firm. “They regretted not hiring an architect for the main house.” So, when they decided to add more outdoor living facilities to their property, they were determined to do it right this time. “They sought a fresh approach for the pool house,” Mercedes says. The new outdoor area includes a pool and pool house, spa,…

“The landscape design for both the front and back spaces was crafted to create interactive and inviting experiences for the client and her guests.” —Tim HOMEOWNER MIRA EDELMAN TOOK a while to discover the joys of modernist living. She lived in Washington, D.C., for nearly a decade in an elegant pre-World War I Beaux Arts-style condo. “I wasn’t even aware of MCM architecture or California Ranch style,” she says. But everything changed when she moved to California in 2011, discovered the trove of Eichler tracts in the area then later stepped foot inside one that was for sale. “I entered the door at my first open house and was met with a wall of windows to a beautiful, secluded backyard.” Thus began Mira’s pursuit to learn everything she could about…