Mid Mod Remodel

Even those of us who are now professional mid-century designers have skeletons in our closets (and in my case, basements). My fellow designer, Aletha Van der Mass of True Home Restorations, and I have both walked the design regret path. 

And now we both spend our time helping others avoid making the same mistakes. 

So today, in the interest of community (and laughter through tears) we are both sharing our shameful home renovation stories. 

Get the full show notes with all the trimmings at https://www.midmod-midwest.com/2502

Like and subscribe at Apple | Spotify 

Want us to create your mid-century master plan? Apply here! Or get my course,  Ready to Remodel.

Welcome to Season 25…all about bathrooms! If you’re craving a tactical, "do-this-then-that" checklist, hold tight. We’ll get there. But before I talk about materials, layouts, or fixtures, I want to start with something more fundamental. Philosophy. 

Today I’m challenging you to stop asking how and start asking why.

In today’s episode you’ll hear:

• Why asking the right questions about your bath remodel is so important. 
• How to plan a regret-proof bath remodel.
• All the reasons you should slow roll your bath remodel. 

Get the full show notes with all the trimmings at https://www.midmod-midwest.com/2501

Like and subscribe at Apple | Spotify 

Want us to create your mid-century master plan? Apply here! Or get my course,  Ready to Remodel.

Any Pinterest or web search on “mid-century kitchen” is going to yield a plethora of open plan kitchens featuring a central island. But as we learned a couple of weeks ago from friend of the pod (and mid-century houses everywhere), Atom Stevens, a mid-century kitchen is a room with four walls.

So where did this “open mid-century kitchen” myth come from?

I’m wrapping up our kitchen season with a deep dive into one of my all-time favorite open kitchen plans - it’s also very likely THE OG island kitchen - The Stahl House (Case Study House 22), designed by California architect Pierre Koenig.

In today’s episode you’ll hear:

• Why this open kitchen is actually defined by constraints. 
• Which elements make this dramatic kitchen eminently useable.  
• How to adapt Koenig’s creative design moves to work in even the most modest mid-century ranch.  

Get the full show notes with all the trimmings at https://www.midmod-midwest.com/2407

Like and subscribe at Apple | Spotify 

Want us to create your mid-century master plan? Apply here! Or get my course,  Ready to Remodel.

Do you ever find yourself wishing that someone would just tell you the right choice for every finish in your remodel? Between the tile, the fixtures, and the endless cabinet options, the sheer volume of decisions is EXHAUSTING.

I tell my clients that there isn't one "right" answer. I tell my students that there isn’t one “right answer. 

Because your perfect mid-century update depends on your taste, your house, and your budget. 

But honestly? I have opinions. 

Today, I’m putting aside the "it depends" caveats and giving you my unvarnished hot takes on the correct choices for a mid-century kitchen update.

In today’s episode you’ll hear:

• Why slab doors are the only way to go for kitchen cabinets.
• Which metal finish that will save you a lifetime of matching headaches.
• All about a "cat-magnet" flooring solution that is as durable as it is adorable.

Get the full show notes with all the trimmings at https://www.midmod-midwest.com/2406

Like and subscribe at Apple | Spotify 

Want us to create your mid-century master plan? Apply here! Or get my course,  Ready to Remodel.

Does your garbage disposal give you a thrill? Maybe you take it for granted. But you know who did not? The folks writing ad copy to sell our grandparents their new build mid-century homes. That's just one weird, wonderful detail that came up in my kitchen conversation with Atom Stevens. 

Atom is a Mid Mod Remodel regular and real estate agent who specializes in mid-century and modern homes in the Denver area. 

Atom works with lots of time capsule loving clients. I've talked a lot about the time capsule kitchen, the original mid-century kitchen on the podcast, but I think Atom has a particularly interesting perspective on this as a lover of historical specificity and someone who works with a lot of clients who share that love. 

So, the big question is does that love always extend to an original kitchen?

In Today's Episode You'll Hear:

• Why even folks who love original mid-century homes often want an updated kitchen. 
• What defined the Cliff May Kitchen - hint, it’s walls. 
• When open plan kitchens became the rule, rather than the exception. 

Get the full show notes with all the trimmings at https://www.midmod-midwest.com/2405

Like and subscribe at Apple | Spotify 

Want us to create your mid-century master plan? Apply here! Or get my course,  Ready to Remodel.

What’s a mid mod remodeler with a small kitchen to do? If you’re living in a home built in the early part of the era—or even a more "generous" late-60s ranch—you’ve likely realized that mid-century kitchens were designed for a different way of living. 

But you don't always have to knock down walls or build a massive addition to find relief.

In Today's Episode You'll Hear:

• How to organize a small kitchen.
• When to go low…and high.
• Where to find extra space when adding on is a no-go. 

Get the full show notes with all the trimmings at https://www.midmod-midwest.com/2404

Like and subscribe at Apple | Spotify 

Want us to create your mid-century master plan? Apply here! Or get my course,  Ready to Remodel.

Join me on a journey through kitchen trend trends over the last 30 years, from the classic maximalist Nancy Meyers kitchen of yesteryear to the sleek, modern minimalism of today’s invisible kitchen. 

In Today's Episode You'll Hear:

• Which kitchen trends we’re seeing right now.  
• What pop culture kitchen are saying about culture. 
• How (or if) trends might fit into your mid-century kitchen. 

Get the full show notes with all the trimmings at https://www.midmod-midwest.com/2403

Like and subscribe at Apple | Spotify 

Want us to create your mid-century master plan? Apply here! Or get my course,  Ready to Remodel.

Kitchen design is a hands-on endeavor. 

That's why my friend mid-century Kitchen Designer Aletha VanderMaas takes every one of her clients on a field trip as part of her design process. And while my virtual process doesn't allow for IRL shopping trips, I encourage every client to collect physical samples and "meet" their finishes before choosing them. 

In Today's Episode You'll Hear:

• Why you need to experience your finishes as part of the design process. 
• Which elements will ensure your kitchen feels “mid-century”.
• When, according to Aletha, bigger might be better in a kitchen. 

Get the full show notes with all the trimmings at https://www.midmod-midwest.com/2402

Like and subscribe at Apple | Spotify 

Want us to create your mid-century master plan? Apply here! Or get my course,  Ready to Remodel.

Do you need a better kitchen work triangle? Maybe…or maybe it's completely wrong for you and already the cause of your problems.

In Today's Episode You'll Hear:

• How the kitchen work triangle became a thing. 
• Why it could be the source of your kitchen flow woes. 
• When a traditional kitchen work triangle might just solve your problems. 

Get the full show notes with all the trimmings at https://www.midmod-midwest.com/2401

Like and subscribe at Apple | Spotify 

Want us to create your mid-century master plan? Apply here! Or get my course,  Ready to Remodel.

Spring is officially here, so you should be getting outside and right down to it with some yard tune ups! 

Or, no, maybe you should not? 

Jim Drzewiecki of Ginkgo Leaf Studio is going to walk us through what should happen when for a Midwestern landscape. And this news, as always, is what I can personally use.

In Today's Episode You'll Hear:

• Why you should let nature guide your spring gardening activities. 
• What to get an early start on (hint: it MIGHT be planning). 
• When to give up on a struggling plant.  

Get the full show notes with all the trimmings at https://www.midmod-midwest.com/2313

Like and subscribe at Apple | Spotify 

Want us to create your mid-century master plan? Apply here! Or get my course,  Ready to Remodel.