Table of contents for Winter 2025 in Atomic Ranch

Atomic Ranch|Winter 2025

THE TRADITIONAL TAKE

THE SMELL OF FRESH PINE in the living room, the tingle of hearing the first few strings of Nat King Cole’s “Christmas Song” and, yes, even brown paper packages tied up with string. These are a few of my untouchable Christmas moments—we all have them—if we didn’t get to experience them during the holidays, we’d feel robbed. It’s a funny conundrum being a shelter magazine editor this time of year: usually our jobs are to push the envelope, pull the curtain back on new ideas, change things up and highlight creative innovation in the world of architecture and design, and yet during Christmas, I never want to. This is when I truly feel that if everything is just as before, all is right in the world. So in this issue,…

1 min

Atomic Ranch|Winter 2025

MERRY, MOD & BRIGHT!

LAST WINTER we asked our Atomic Ranch community to submit photos of their holiday décor. Tina Beasley Baggot aka @midcenturysouthern on Instagram took the crown and it’s no surprise. Her vibrant décor is a mix of nostalgic vintage finds and happy color. Her South Carolina home, built in 1967 Richard B. Pollman (Designer) and Irving E. Palmquist (Architect) is actually the only mid mod in her neighborhood. “From the rich California Redwood paneling in the den to the exterior bricks that were sourced from an old icehouse, every detail of the home was thoughtfully planned and executed,” Tina says of the custom build. “We worked with a local designer to remodel the kitchen in 2022 as it was in very poor shape, but the majority of the house is in…

3 min

Atomic Ranch|Winter 2025

EAST MEETS WEST

THE JAPANESE RYOKAN IS a traditional inn designed to be a sanctuary, a refuge from the hustle and bustle of the city with minimal furnishings and decor and an emphasis on relaxation. When Joel Wong and Amanda Gunawan, designers and principals of Only Way Is Up (OWIU) Design, a full-service architecture and design office, found a neglected 1973 home in the Los Angeles hills, they wondered, why not bring the serenity of a ryokan into daily life? FINDING THE 1973 HOME Despite being neglected for decades, the home had plenty to draw in Amanda and Joel. First was a shared connection to their alma mater—the architect of the home, Ray Kappe, was also the founder of the Southern California Insitute of Architecture (SCI-Arc), and had “a distinctly modernist orientation,” Amanda…

8 min

Atomic Ranch|Winter 2025

WHEN THE FUTURE WAS BRIGHT

THEY ARE unmistakable. Modeline lamps with their often massive size, their amorphous shapes and made from glowing curved wood can be spotted a mile away even in the most dense vintage market, shop or gallery. And that’s exactly how they were designed to be. Bernie and Esther Roberts, saw that while the American interior was propelling forward into the kind of futuristic and streamlined modernism that this whole magazine is about, yet the everyday lamp and lighting fixture had failed to keep pace. So they launched Modeline, aiming to create fresh new lighting styles that would match the furniture being designed but also be artful expressions of it’s owner’s personality and tastes. In his new book Modeline of California, author Nick Ferrell took a deep dive—the first of its kind—into…

3 min

Atomic Ranch|Winter 2025

atomic advertisers

ACCESSORIES & ARTWORK Christian Musselman Illustration 73 773-209-8506christianmusselman.com Evans Family Company 86 858-461-8069fagasstraps.com Mac George Art Prints 13 macartprints.com Mid Century Modern Gal 87 midcenturymoderngal.com The Shag Store 7 760-322-3400shagstore.com DESIGN RESOURCES & BOOKS Asheford Institute of Antiques 86 877-444-4508asheford.com C.S. Perlow 76 csperlow.com MODERN FURNITURE & ACCENTS Boxco Studio 14-15 413-779-3223boxco.studio H3K Design 25 760-325-5400h3khomeanddesign.com Jukebox Bowl-O-Rama 80 bowl-o-rama.com Monke Haus 79 monkehaus.com LIGHTING Remcraft 85 800-327-6585atomicremcraft.com MIDCENTURY REALTORS & HOUSE TOURS Alden B. Dow Home & Studio 19 866-315-7678abdow.org Modern Illinois 81 312-907-4085Modernil.com Modweek 83 Realty One Group-Lone Tree (Kimber Dempsey) 26 303-913-4505TheRetroRealtor.com INTERIOR & EXTERIOR DESIGN & FINISHES B&W Tile 9 310-538-9579bwtile.com Ginkgo Leaf Studio 18 262-376-5050ginkgoleafstudio.net Heritage Tile 77 888-387-3280heritagetile.com Kerf Design Inside Back Cover 206-954-8677kerfdesign.com Make It Mid Century 81 makeitmidcentury.com Mod Goods 85 208-996-5759modboxusa.com…

1 min

Atomic Ranch|Winter 2025

CHRISTMAS: CHARGE!

IN THE SLEEK, optimistic glow of the mid-century modern era, American life was rapidly transforming—design, technology, and culture converged in bold, futuristic ways. Amid the clean lines of Eames chairs and the rise of suburbia, one quiet yet revolutionary invention reshaped consumer culture forever: the credit card. The first widely recognized credit card, the Diners Club card, debuted in 1950. Created by Frank McNamara, Ralph Schneider, and Matty Simmons, the card was born from a simple inconvenience—McNamara had forgotten his wallet while dining out. What emerged from that moment was a charge card usable at multiple restaurants, a novel concept at the time. Unlike store-specific credit accounts that had existed prior, the Diners Club card was the first to break boundaries, allowing members to charge purchases across various businesses. Its…

2 min

Atomic Ranch|Winter 2025

COZY MOD

WHILE MOST MID CENTURY INTERIORS are imbued with warmth from iconic materials like walnut wood, natural stone and beautiful brick, it’s minimalistic aesthetic can be prone to feeling cold and stark—especially in the winter months. Here, interior designers who’ve mastered the modern interior share their advice for creating a comfy and inviting space for the season. “THE USE OF TEXTILES helps add texture and sound absorption to any room. I find wall hangings in fabrics, yarns and macrame to not only add a striking visual element, but also create a warm, inviting environment. Area rugs add not only a soft place to land your feet, but also a way to define a space and create a ‘room within a room’. Throw pillows on a couch or lounge chair not only…

2 min

Atomic Ranch|Winter 2025

AN ERAS TOUR

ATOMIC ERA-INSPIRED KITCHENS are timeless for a reason. Clean lines, rich wood cabinetry, sculptural lighting, and brilliant retro color palettes add personality to today’s contemporary homes. But what can be done if you want an MCM style kitchen that leans into other eras? That’s what the homeowners of this recently renovated kitchen wanted: a kitchen that embraces Mid Mod style but is still eclectic with a mash of different aesthetics, including an 80s inspired feel. THIS OLD HOUSE Set in the heart of Denver, this kitchen renovation completed by Katie Schroder, owner and principal designer at Atelier Interior Design, is a thoughtful renovation of a historic home built in the early 1900’s that artfully blends the charm of its original architecture with the vibrancy of a modern young family that…

4 min

Atomic Ranch|Winter 2025

WISE UPGRADES

WHEN WE GET THE OPPORTUNITY to spotlight a mid-century home that belongs to the owner of an architectural and design firm, it’s a special treat. And when the home’s original architect is as prominent and prolific as Charles Frederick Wise, the details of its renovation become even more significant. This Mid Century Modern home in Penn Valley, Pennsylvania, was designed by Wise in 1959. The house on the hill is owned by Lauren Thomsen, principal at architectural and design firm Lauren Thomsen Design, who resides there with her husband and children. THE LAY OF THE LAND The property surrounding the home is the perfect setting for it to shine in every season. “The home is on a very unique and private property just outside Philadelphia,” Lauren says. “The private lot…

9 min

Atomic Ranch|Winter 2025

POP, FIZZ, SPARKLE

THE FUTURE WAS SHINY IN THE 1950s, Shiny Brite. These vividly colored glass baubles, with their bold hues and reflective finishes, are more than just Christmas tree trimmings—they’re nostalgic symbols of postwar optimism and highly sought-after collectibles today. Shiny Brite was born in the 1930s, the brainchild of German immigrant Max Eckardt. Originally, Eckardt imported glass ornaments from Germany, but with the looming threat of war, he shifted production to the United States. Partnering with the Corning Glass Company, he introduced a domestically made ornament that could be mass-produced using existing lightbulb manufacturing equipment. By the 1940s and 1950s, Shiny Brite was producing millions of ornaments annually, filling American homes with gleaming spheres, indents, and striped wonders that reflected the prosperity and modernity of the era. Their designs mirrored the…

1 min

Atomic Ranch|Winter 2025

resources

Atomic Kitchens Page 20 Cabinetry: VOGO Cabinets, vogocabinets.com Sink, faucet, range hood, cooktop, wall oven, island pendant lights: Ferguson, ferguson.com Range accent backsplash tile, pink backsplash tile, floor tiles: Decorative Materials, decorativematerials.com Cabinet door hardware: Lo & Co., loandcointeriors.com.au Countertop: Pental Quartz, arcsurfaces.com Diamond in the Rough Page 28 Kimber Dempsey, TheRetroRealtor.com. Retrovations LLC, instagram.com/retrovationsllc. Terrazzo: Wausau Tile, wausautile.com. Fixtures: Kohler, kohler.com. Bespoke Appliances: Samsung, samsung.com. Cork Plank: Floor and Decor, flooranddecor.com. Custom Cabinetry: Cream Modern, creammodernco.com. Windows: Santa Fe Glass, santafe-glass.com. East Meets West Page 42 Interior design by Only Way Is Up Design, owiu-design.com. Artwork & Paintings Japanese ink on canvas: Naka Tomoka, instagram.com/naka.tomoka. Ink on paper: by Dwight Hwang, dwighthwang.com. Red and white artwork: by Fong Min Liao, instagram.com/fongminliao. Furniture Console table: ENZO Console Table, Sixpenny, sixpenny.com.…

4 min

Atomic Ranch|Winter 2025

BOXCO

CUSTOM DESIGNED CABINETS, created to your exact specifications and shipped ready to install? Boxco Studio, a boutique cabinet maker based in Greenfield, Massachusetts has somehow managed to be the golden unicorn in the cabinetry industry and if that doesn’t make you clutch your pearls in disbelief, they also do it with premium quality materials. “When David [Erickson] and I started Boxco in 2020, we were filling a gap we’d encountered repeatedly in our design-build work,” says President and Lead Designer Gallagher Hannan. “ Clients kept asking for flat-front plywood cabinetry, but East Coast custom shops were hesitant to work with the specialty materials required. We saw an opportunity to specialize in this aesthetic while staying true to our values: remain small, create high-quality products, and build good jobs that let…

4 min

Atomic Ranch|Winter 2025

DIAMOND IN THE ROUGH

HOW DO YOU TURN a hoarder house into a retrofitted MCM sanctuary? Kimber Dempsey, a Mid Century Modern realtor and homeowner in Denver, together with her business partner Diana Buch, took on just such a challenge in the historic Arapaho Hills neighborhood. FINDING THE GEM Kimber and Diana wanted to buy and renovate an MCM home as an investment project and were on the lookout for two years. Arapaho Hills was high on their wish list. So when they heard about an estate sale at a notorious hoarder house in the area, they didn’t waste any time. The previous owner believed the home to had bed bugs, so Kimber and Diana went in with gas masks. Thankfully they didn’t find an infestation and even more thankfully they discovered that the…

6 min

Atomic Ranch|Winter 2025

DESIGNING WOMEN

INDEED, it was a woman that turned the talent of designing interiors into a bonafide profession. Elise de Wolfe, in 1921 daringly stood before a New York courtroom to sue for unpaid services for work expertly beautifying- and with an artful method—her client’s home. And yet in by the Mid Century era, with the Modernist Movement barreling forward with revolutionary work, the field was dominated by men. In Phaidon’s new tome, Making Space: Interior Design by Women, author and architectural historian Dr. Jane Hall, a founding member of the Turner Prize-winning architecture collective known as Assemble, brings together a landmark volume that catalogues 250 of the most creative women practicing interior design from the beginning of the 20th century to today. In the massive endeavor she spotlights some of the…

3 min

Atomic Ranch|Winter 2025

ATOMIC-RANCH.COM

1 min