From professionals to passionate homeowners, the pages of Atomic Ranch have been filled with MCM design and renovation advice to help guide your decisions and inspire your spaces. Here are a few that stand the test of time.
“The biggest challenge in working on [Mid Century Modern homes] is integrating new design into the house while respecting the integrity of the existing architecture. We spent a tremendous amount of time driving through the community noting and studying restored houses as well as ones that were just completely butchered. The hope is that in the end you’re successful and your design adds to [the home’s] timelessness.”
—Architect Christian Navar, from “Riffing on Cliff,” Summer 2007
“Collections are authentic when they come from real passions, history, interests and travels. If those aren’t your father’s coins in that frame or if you didn’t stumble across that set of Fiestaware in a barn sale on a sleepy Saturday morning, then things can read as just ‘stuff.’ As with all collectors, we must fight the urge to keep collecting and work to display a reasonable yet interesting amount of items.”
—Homeowner Sulo Turner, from “Site Specific,” Winter 2014
“Mixing various sources—old and new, high and low—creates the most interesting spaces. Surround yourself with things you love and don’t worry about pedigree…you can have a modern home that is curated yet practical and comfortable for everyone.”
—Homeowner George Marrone, from “Preservation & Personality,” Spring 2016. See the online version here.
“It’s important not to fill every square inch of wall space with art in order to have room to ‘breathe.’ Let a beautiful exterior view be the art for the room in some cases.”
—Preservationist/Interior Designer Dick Burkett, from “Art of the Home,” Fall 2022
“[These homes] were built a certain way for a reason and keeping to those roots will help create timeless designs that will not fall victim to passing trends.”
—Mid Century Modern Real Estate Expert Adrian Kinney, from “Real Talk,” Renovation Guide 2019
More about the featured image: The living room of a Knight & Piercy home in Portland, Oregon’s West Hills Neighborhood, from the article “Flower Power,” published in Winter 2008. See the online version here.
Looking for more MCM design and renovation advice? We have plenty more where that come from! Don’t miss the Atomic Ranch book, chockfull of renovation advice from MCM homeowners and designers. Scroll through our online archive of house tours to gather both inspiration and MCM design and renovation advice along the way. And of course, don’t forget to follow us on Instagram, Facebook, Pinterest and YouTube for more Atomic Ranch articles, house tours, and ideas!
