No doubt you’ve heard about the new Atomic Ranch book by now. But so far, we’ve revealed only glimpses. Today, we’re giving you the definitive look at Atomic Ranch Remodeled Marvels: Understanding, Planning and Designing Your Next Mid Century Transformation, by our very own Jickie Torres.
When Does the Atomic Ranch Book Launch?
Remodeled Marvels will launch on October 13, ahead of Modernism Week Fall Preview. But you don’t have to wait until October to take a closer look. You can already preorder the book (as of August 30).
What Does the Book Include?
“There’s a lot,” Jickie laughed. “The book is a game plan,” she said, “where we walk through how to conceive of, plan, budget, and manage your renovation.”
But Remodeled Marvels doesn’t talk at readers, she added. “It’s a conversation,” Jickie said. “So you want to remodel your house? Based on our 17 years of chronicling and documenting other people who renovate, here are the biggest lessons we can give you about attacking this thing.”
She begins the book by exploring what you need to do before renovating at all: “Chapter One is all about how you shouldn’t remodel right away. When you get to your house and have all these ideas, how do you suss out how to make the best changes in the first place?” That’s only the first part of the book. By the end, Remodeled Marvels details room-by-room breakdowns of design choices and how to make renovations that will really work for your lifestyle and make you happy.
Building Success Stories
Jickie found shining new MCM homes for the book, but she also returned to renovations and homeowners from past issues. “They’re people we think are exemplary,” she said, “that know how to do it well. We revisit those homes and pull out the lessons they have.”
These exemplary sources are homeowners who remodel carefully and passionately, as well as professional experts in the MCM space. “We spoke to the experts, but we also spoke to the homeowners who take this job seriously.” People a lot like you all, if we had to guess.
And all these sources meant pulling some of the best photos from homes in MCM hotspots around the country. Of course, Jickie included homes from Palm Springs, the “Mecca of mid century modern design.” But she looked far and wide: “We have homes from the Pacific Northwest, from upstate New York, from Pennsylvania, from North Carolina, from Texas and Arizona.”
Wait, Isn’t Jickie Doing Her Own Renovation?
Yes! She is actively remodeling her own 1951 Mid Century Modern ranch. It makes her the key representative for everyone that the book includes: “I’m an expert in MCM design,” she said, “but I’m a homeowner who’s doing it as well.”
Her own double-duty made Jickie all the more excited to write the book. “I was writing it to myself,” she said, “it made me really confident to share this perspective, because I know it’s something that people can connect with.” Her own anecdotes, about her backyard renovation, the fixtures it needs, and other tales of renovation, pop up throughout the book. Jickie’s own experience gives a personal touch, even while the book speaks to any MCM renovation.
And Didn’t Atomic Ranch Publish Another Book before This One?
Two books, actually: one in 2006 and one in 2012. If you can remember those, then Remodeled Marvels still has you in mind. “The book was designed to be part of the set of three,” Jickie said. “We took special care to produce this book so that it really belonged to the set, down to the same exact size and trim.”
If you have the other two Atomic Ranch books, now would be the time to complete your set. Like all magazine issues you receive throughout the year, Remodeled Marvels makes a neat, matching set with the other two books.
What Comes Next for the Atomic Ranch Book?
It launches on Oct. 13, just before Modernism Week Fall Preview. But it’ll have a longer lifespan, because October 13 is only the soft launch. Our hard book launch will come in February, at Modernism Week in Palm Springs. And we’re planning a full-bore, splashy launch party to celebrate the book Jickie wrote and the readers (you all) that made it possible.
As of today, you can already preorder Atomic Ranch Remodeled Marvels: Understanding, Planning and Designing Your Next Mid Century Modern Transformation. On Oct. 13, the book will ship to you, hot off the press.
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