Mid Century Spirit in Fort Lauderdale

A design-minded couple sets out to bring California mid century style to Fort Lauderdale.

Fort Lauderdale new build mid century style home living area — The main living area epitomizes indoor-outdoor living with its floor-to-ceiling and clerestory windows. While they give the illusion the roof is floating over the home, this is a clever design trick that adheres to hurricane-resistant building codes, while still creating a Mid Century Modern aesthetic.

How to bring the mid century spirit to a new build in Fort Lauderdale, Florida? Part of the allure of a Mid Century Modern home is the history that’s seeped deep into every corner. Trying to replicate that feeling can be a challenge when it comes to a new mid century-style build, and when that home also has strict rules about setbacks and it needs to be built to withstand a hurricane, well, that’s a challenge that’s not for the faint of heart.

exterior of new build mid century home in Fort Lauderdale — The two structures at play on the property—and their differences—are clearly visible. The building at left is what remains of the original garage, but at the back it transforms to an open, airy, new-look guesthouse. A breeze-block wall was deliberately situated to unite the old with the new and create a cohesive feel.

None of that deterred Janie and John-Paul Micek of Studio 818 in Fort Lauderdale, Florida. As California transplants, the couple were intimately familiar with Mid Century Modern architecture and design. When they began looking at the homes in the city—seeking those with the openness, natural materials, connection to the outdoors and soaring rooflines mid century homes in Palm Springs are known for—they were stymied. Undaunted, they decided to build what they couldn’t find on the market.

Palm Springs to South Florida

“I’m obsessed with Mid Century Modern architecture,” reveals Janie. “JP and I met in California and we spent a lot of time in Palm Springs, and I just fell in love with the mid century architecture. I think I gravitate towards that when we’re looking at projects to take on.”

yard in MCM style home Fort Lauderdale — A narrow yard at the side of the house could have simply been xeriscaped, but Janie and John-Paul gave it purpose by adding a built-in concrete bench, a fire pit and a horizontal pressure-treated pine fence painted black, creating an intimate conversation area.

MCM style pool in Fort Lauderdale — The small lot was maximized and there’s no wasted space. A planter was added to the back of the garage, and it also houses a water feature that’s visible from the living room of the main house. “I decided to approach the exterior as a series of outdoor rooms,” says John-Paul.

Janie designed the home with support from an engineer and, together with John-Paul, oversaw its construction in 2019. The 2,782-square-foot new build in the Wilton Manors neighborhood has been named “Midmod” and features three bedrooms and three bathrooms all under a cantilever-style roof that juts toward the sunny Florida sky.

Hurricane Proof

The roof posed a significant challenge for Studio 818. Florida’s strict building codes are meant to ensure even hurricane-force winds do only minimal damage to structures. A traditional cantilevered roof didn’t pass muster, so Janie, in conjunction with engineer Gary Powell, designed a roofline that would mimic the roof floating above clerestory windows.

entryway with sputnik chandelier — The home’s monochromatic color scheme is meant to keep the overall aesthetic relaxing. The flooring is a modern Florida twist on terrazzo: Here, it’s concrete with a small aggregate blend mixed in. John-Paul had his team finish the floor by grinding and polishing the concrete to create a luxurious, smooth texture with color and plenty of visual interest. The starburst light fixture is an Etsy find.

“Everything in south Florida has to be concrete and steel reinforced, with hurricane strapping,” John-Paul explains. “That roof structure was built with drop-in box trusses; then it was all hand-framed on the outside to give the illusion it was overhanging the perimeter.” Janie says, “We probably got a few snickers, but we knew we wanted clerestory windows, so we started investigating how we could make this happen. We knew it’s not going to be a mid century-looking house if we don’t do this, so we didn’t move on until we could figure it out.”

A detached garage structure also posed a significant problem for the couple. The original building was small and interfered with the ideas Janie and John-Paul had for the backyard landscaping including a pool. But tearing down the building would have meant having to set any new buildings back further off the property lines—space Janie and John-Paul just couldn’t spare on the narrow 50 by 125-foot lot.

driveway front exterior of mid century style home in Florida — In a nod to traditional Palm Springs modernism, Janie called for a built-in planter box to run the length of the house, sprinkled with native plants. The white of the brick meshes perfectly with the wood-look facing, which is actually not wood at all. It’s porcelain tile. “It will never fade,” Janie says.

“We basically rebuilt it but kept the same footprint,” explains John-Paul. “There’s now a guest suite at the back with the two-car garage. Putting the pool in was an architectural challenge because it was only two feet off the garage, but Janie was adamant about having the pool right up against it. It was a visual thing, and you can see it worked out very well.”

Tactile Elements of Mid Century in Fort Lauderdale

The visuals were important to the project, and considerable effort was put into the choice of materials. A support wall, which runs right down the center of the home and out to the exterior, was clad with a product known as shell stone. While the stone comes from a quarry in Spain, it’s a fitting Florida material.

The sleek wood panels on the front of the home aren’t wood at all, but a creative solution to Florida’s hot sun: they’re wood-look porcelain tiles by Coverlam.

dining room in mid century style home — Janie and John-Paul wanted the kitchen to stand out. The cabinetry is birch plywood with white-oak veneer and an army-green varnished finish. The deep tone creates a focal point—and flows into the stunning leathered-finish Brazilian black-marble counters and island. “Everybody wants to touch it,” says Janie. The arrowhead-shaped light fixture over the dining table is a modern take on a mid century look. Custom built-in cabinets link the space to the kitchen, creating an open-concept look that flows, thanks in part to the decision to eschew cabinet hardware.

“It’s fossilized shells. But you can see just the outline of the shell. It’s a stone that looks like it’s got crushed shells inside it, and it’s got a matte, satin finish,” says Janie. “Anybody that walks through the house can’t help but want to touch it.”

MCM bedroom with platform bed — Part of the challenge of situating the home on its small lot was that just over the property line there was a small apartment building. Janie’s design for the home cleverly uses the walls in the principal bedroom to block the view (both in and out), while the corner windows soar up to become clerestory windows, letting in plenty of light and providing a view to the outside that makes the space feel spacious and open.

Naturally the fixtures and furniture were chosen to complement the finishings. A Sputnik light beckons visitors in the main hallway, while over the island in the kitchen Studio 818 wanted something that provided plenty of task lighting and still let the house shine during the day—and a light that wouldn’t compete with the neo-space age chandelier over the dining table. A minimalist, black, thin-line pendant from Sonneman fit the bill. “We wanted something very streamlined, that kind of disappears. Once you turn it on, the whole island lights up, but if you were to walk through the house without the lights on, you probably wouldn’t even know it was there,” Janie reveals. “It’s an awesome fixture.”

bathroom in mid century style home in Florida — To create an airy look with a tropical vibe, the vanity was custom designed and crafted to fit the space—without the need for hardware. Full-height porcelain slabs were placed on the walls to give it a luxe look, while providing a zero-maintenance finish that resists fading or staining associated with marble. “We broke two slabs during installation. The third time was the charm,” Janie reveals.

John-Paul and Janie say they feel like they achieved their goal to create a seamless flow between interior and exterior spaces so that the home feels like a part of the outdoors and vice versa. “We designed a hardscape that combines solid walls, breeze block, linear wood fencing, grade changes and varying materials to complement the architecture of the home and further reinforce the feeling of outdoor rooms. It’s also a nod to many Palm Springs Mid Century Modern homes that maximize privacy while creating a sense of openness from inside the property.”

For more on the challenge and rewards of a new build mid century style home, read up on Project House Austin. And of course, don’t forget to follow us on Instagram, Facebook and Pinterest for more Atomic Ranch articles and ideas!