A 1962 MCM Dream Home in Omaha

Serendipity steered a house-hunting couple to their “magical” MCM dream home in Omaha, complete with a snow-globe atrium.

In 2018, Eric and Dr. Emily Bowman were just starting to think about looking for a new home. With the arrival of their second child and an active toddler, they had outgrown their home in the Fairacres neighborhood of Omaha, Nebraska.

While they loved their neighborhood and hoped to find something nearby, they weren’t crazy about the architectural style of available homes, which, like their current home, were primarily historic Tudor style. They dreamed of finding a Mid Century Modern home like the ones Eric, a graphic designer, had grown up with in Southern California. They surfed real estate sites separately searching for a mid-century home. When they each came upon the listing for a 1962 home in their neighborhood, they knew they had to see it.

fireplace and open concept living area with view to atrium in MCM home — This is a view of the living room and the atrium. The fireplace can be seen from many areas in the large living room. Two large bespoke area rugs were made for previous owners who were kind enough to pass them along.

“We saw the home in December,” Eric says. “Snow was falling into the glass atrium that is the centerpiece of the home and it looked like a snow globe. We felt like we had left the real world behind.”

The home ticked off all the boxes on their wish list. “We made an offer and managed to beat out other offers for the home. It had everything on our checklist: more space, lots of light and room for plants,” Emily says.

The more than 3,000-square-foot, four-bedroom, three-bath home was designed in 1962 by the now-defunct architectural firm of Steele, Sandham & Weinstein. The signature features of the home are its massive metal front gate and glass atrium.

fireplace and brick wall in MCM home in Omaha — The homeowners love to use the fireplace whenever they can—especially during crisp autumn evenings and cold winter days. The brick wall with art hangings runs the entire length of the room.

back patio and fire pit with brick exterior in MCM home — The backyard deck and firepit. The homeowners often set up a screen and projector for movie nights during the warmer months.

An Unexpected Renovation

The Bowmans moved into their 1962 MCM dream home in Omaha in 2019—and almost immediately were faced with an unexpected renovation project.

“In March 2019, we had lots of snow then lots of rain. The basement flooded, and we needed to take action immediately,” Eric explains. “The basement was very dated and we knew we would be renovating it, but we thought it would be in two to four years—not within months of moving in.” They reached out to Jessica McKay, owner of Birdhouse Design Studio, to help with the basement renovation.

landscaping in outdoor atrium in 1962 MCM dream home in Omaha — Looking from inside the atrium, standing on the stairs that lead to the kitchen, there is a large drain that was uncovered during renovation that helps drain any rain or snowmelt.

open dining and living area in Omaha MCM home — Custom cabinets were added in 1981 in the dining room, living room and kitchen. The bespoke dining table was made by local carpenter Peter Cales of Measure Cut Cut. The dining chairs are from Room & Board.

“The basement was an unfinished space with cement slab floor and crumbling dry wall,” Jessica recalls. “The design vision was for the basement to be a multifunctional space for the family. We left it as one big open space, but there is a playroom, homework area, exercise room, guest room and a small bar/kitchenette area. The finished space feels much bigger than 900 square feet.”

atrium in 1962 MCM dream home in Omaha — The house surrounds the atrium, which is visible from many areas inside the house. From within the house, you can hear the relaxing sounds of the running water/bubblers coming from the atrium.

floating credenza and clerestory windows in Omaha home — Looking into kitchen area from dining room. The atrium is to the left.

The project was completed in February 2020. The renovation that had been forced upon them ended up being a huge benefit as the Covid pandemic shut down schools, forcing the Bowmans to homeschool their children.

“What started out as a setback ended up as a win. We are now so thankful we had that additional space during the shutdown,” Eric says.

A Magical Space in the 1962 Dream MCM Home in Omaha

The atrium was a big reason the Bowmans had fallen in love with the home. But the 30-foot honey locust tree that had thrived in the atrium for more than 60 years was now diseased and needed to be removed. The Bowmans knew friends and neighbors would also be sad to see the tree removed, so in December 2021 they held a “hug a tree” open house so that everyone could have one last hug.

MCM kitchen with island and clerestory windows — The home has a lot of natural light in the kitchen area. There are a total of six skylights in the home, with two in the kitchen.

view to atrium from dining room in renovated MCM home — This shows a view of the atrium from the dining area. “I love that we can see into the atrium while we are cooking,” Emily says.

wood cabinetry in MCM kitchen — The beautiful Paul McCobb kitchen cabinets are original to the home.

The Bowmans worked with Kinghorn Gardens to help them design and implement what was next for the atrium space. “The atrium is so special to this house,” says landscape architect Jenika Florence of Kinghorn Gardens. “The family spends a lot of time there doing yoga, having drinks with friends or just relaxing, so we wanted to create a space that worked for many activities. We don’t see Mid Century Modern architecture like this very often in Omaha, so this was a very special project to work on.”

The designers and homeowners agreed that the design would be more organic to contrast to the sleek and straight lines of the 1962 home. “We wanted to bring more of the outdoors into the atrium,” Eric explains. “The original tree had outgrown the atrium; only the trunk was visible from inside the house and none of the canopy.”

renovated basement in Omaha home with cork flooring and yellow and green wallpaper — Here we see the basement bar, guest sleeping area and reading/bookshelf “library” area. The counter was extended to create yet another seating or study area.

renovated MCM basement with bar and yellow stools — This image features the basement wet-bar. The counter was replaced with quartz and the edge curved to create a clear pathway. The grid cover on the lighting fixture is original to the home and mimics the pattern on the front entry gate. The round orange penny tile is also a subtle nod to the front gate. A pocket door can close off the bar area if needed.

They also didn’t want to disturb the original slate flooring, so any design would have to be built on top of the slate. The resulting design included custom planters without a bottom fabricated by Green Theory Design. In addition to plants, the planters hold ribbon-shaped water troughs as a water feature. “The planter design was nerve wracking because they were built and shipped in sections. They had to fit exactly,” Jenika explains. “We chalked the design on the floor of the atrium and measured multiple times. Thankfully, they fit perfectly. We planted three Korean maples in the space in addition to other plants. These trees won’t grow tall, so the family will be able to enjoy the canopy.”

basement library and playroom in renovated home — The basement reading “library” area includes a large bookcase that acts as a room divider.

en suite bathroom with red wallpaper in MCM home — This is the view coming out of bathroom with original wallpaper, looking into wall of mirrors in the changing room (and seeing a slice of the bedroom as well).

Additional planters were placed in strategic locations. “They also designed planters for the foyer of the home so that it appears that the planters go through the glass and into the atrium, blurring the inside with the outside,” Eric says.

The atrium turned out even better than the homeowners envisioned it would. “The renovated atrium makes the house seem even more spacious,” Emily says. “We love that we can see the atrium from almost every room in the house. We get to experience all of the seasons—snowstorms, rainstorms, leaves falling—it’s magical.”

Looking for more MCM dream home stories? See another renovation story here and another MCM project in Omaha here. And of course, don’t forget to follow us on Instagram, Facebook and Pinterest for more Atomic Ranch articles and ideas!