The countdown to Palm Springs Modernism Week 2017 is on, opening mere days from now. Anchoring the first weekend of this annual mecca of modernism is our panel, Restoring or Renovating Your Midcentury Modern Home, Feb. 19 and 20. Editor Sarah Jane Stone will be moderating a discussion between three featured panelists who know the ins and outs of refreshing and preserving the charm and character of midcentury ranches—including local builder and renovator Steven Shields of Shields Residential.
As primary builder on the Desert Eichler Project, Shields is an ardent support of merging the superb designs of yesterday with the modern materials of today.
“We are living in the quintessential time for Midcentury Modern architecture,” he says. “Innovations in homebuilding technology have finally caught up with the visions created by the midcentury masters; form and function are finally united.” From dual-pane, low-energy windows to high R-value roof systems, the most astounding designs from the ‘50s and ‘60s are easily translated to tougher climates like Palm Springs, where comfort and the view from your clerestory windows are essential.
Steven’s company is no stranger to the specific challenges presented by renovating homes from the midcentury’s famous building companies and architects, and the variety of problems have led to unique solutions. “In the last 5 years, Shields Residential has restored homes from William Cody, A. Quincy Jones, Donald Wexler, George Alexander, William Krisel and many others,” he says. “Every home contained insights into how to respectfully embrace the vision of the original builder while also embracing the way people want to live in their homes today. These insights can guide homeowners hoping to perform remodels to homes in any place!”
Shields Residential brings the informative details Atomic Ranch readers expect while also keeping things personalized, which makes them a great addition to the Atomic Ranch Modernism Week panel. “We’ve helped clients with renovating just a kitchen and great room, and we’ve helped homeowners that want to take their remodel all the way to their property lines; we love it all,” Shields explains. “Because of so many challenging experiences homeowners have with contractors in our industry, we love to present a calm approach to construction; being alongside clients from day one.”
Attendees to the panel can look to take down not only notes of renovation information but of inspiration from those in the industry who know the process best. And for those nervous about ruining their gem of a Midcentury Modern home, Steven offers words of optimism.
“With any renovation wherein the architecture deserves preservation, finding the perfect combination of modifying for how we live today and preserving the design integrity envisioned by the home’s creator is a challenge,” Shields says. “A crafted, contextual revision is possible with the proper guidance!”
Join Atomic Ranch and Shields Residential at Modernism Week 2017!
There’s still time to buy tickets to one of our panel discussions (and exclusive house tour) at Palm Springs Modernism Week. But tickets are selling fast, so secure your seat in the seminar today by buying tickets here!
