Innholdsfortegnelse for Fall 2025 i Atomic Ranch

Atomic Ranch|Fall 2025

THE MEANING OF HOME

FOR MODERNISTS, home is often a far from perfect place. Home many times means a long list of things that need to get done. Home can be mid project, learning to live with upturned floors, or missing cabinets. Home is a budget for things that are happening or need to get done. Home can be a wish, something you are always keeping an eye out for or hope that you get to have one day. But home is also a dream. It’s a vision. It’s a promise. And for me fall is the time that makes me most introspective about home and what you work so hard to make it be. And like the seasons of the year, our relationships with home are sometimes good, sometimes not so good. Sometimes…

1 min

Atomic Ranch|Fall 2025

RETRO REVEAL

ONE OF THE BEAUTIES OF renovating Mid Century Modern homes is in the synthesis of past and present design sensibilities. Many MCM homes were created with main living spaces carefully sectioned off, clearly delineating each area into its own private space. However, contemporary preferences lean towards open and shared spaces, creating more subtle separation to allow for greater overall connection and cohesion. These updates, when done respectfully, allow for the best of the original design to shine through. The homeowners of this 1963 home in Atlanta, Georgia embarked upon their renovation with very practical goals and concerns for their kitchen and dining area. They contacted Whitney Jones, Lead Interior Designer at Copper Sky Design + Remodel to help accomplish their plans, as well as provide guidance on style. “The homeowners…

6 min

Atomic Ranch|Fall 2025

BREATHING NEW LIFE

FOR MANY OWNERS SEEKING TO UPDATE their Mid Mod homes, the familiar adage “if it ain’t broken, don’t fix it” applies. With iconic and fantastic features that defined the era of Mid Century Modern design, many of these homes merely need a facelift versus a complete overhaul. The process of renovating requires a careful balance between making necessary and much needed updates to accommodate contemporary considerations, and maintaining all those features that give the home character and make it truly stand out. Idaho native Kelli Orr has spent the past decade lovingly and thoughtfully restoring and remodeling her 1958 Boise MCM home so that it embraces the best aspects of its original design while also accommodating her and her husband’s personal style. FINDING HOME Born and raised in Boise, Kelli…

8 min

Atomic Ranch|Fall 2025

MID CENTURY ABC’S

IT’S NOT UNTIL you take the 10,000-foot elevation look at the canon of Mid Century Modern designed things that you realize how pervasively the aesthetic and its principles have affected many of the things you interact with in the world. Beyond furniture and architecture, artists and designers influenced by the movement created everything from toys to utensils to electronic devices that pushed the boundaries of innovation while simultaneously challenging the creator to embrace simplicity and distillation. The new book Mid-Century Modern Designers by Dominic Bradbury ambitiously and successfully presents the key works of the era helping to elucidate the totality of the modernism’s distinctive style and they way it permeated—and in many ways has forever influenced—design as a whole. The best part about Bradbury’s assemblage is its valiant attempt at…

4 min

Atomic Ranch|Fall 2025

atomic advertisers

ACCESSORIES & ARTWORK Calabaza Goods 71 505-428-8132calabazagoods.com The Shag Store 7 760-322-3400shagstore.com DESIGN RESOURCES & BOOKS Asheford Institute of Antiques 88 877-444-4508asheford.com MODERN FURNITURE & ACCENTS Anthony LaMorte Furniture 11 775-772-8622anthonylamorte.com Dolphin Fairs 83 dolphinfairs.com H3K Design 21 760-325-5400h3khomeanddesign.com Modern Twig Back Cover moderntwig.com LIGHTING Remcraft 87 800-327-6585atomicremcraft.com MIDCENTURY REALTORS & HOUSE TOURS Alden B. Dow Home & Studio 22 866-315-7678abdow.org La Jolla Modernism 86 lajollahistory.org MidMod Colorado / Adrian Kinney Inside Front Cover 303-219-0629midmodcolorado.com Modern Illinois 77 312-907-4085Modernil.com Realty One Group-Lone Tree (Kimber Dempsey) 81 303-913-4505TheRetroRealtor.com INTERIOR & EXTERIOR DESIGN & FINISHES B&W Tile 9 310-538-9579bwtile.com Clayhaus 23 503-928-3076clayhaustile.com Ginkgo Leaf Studio 73 262-376-5050ginkgoleafstudio.net Kerf Design Inside Back Cover 206-954-8677kerfdesign.com Make It Mid Century 85 makeitmidcentury.com Modernous 79 206-430-1966modernous.com Mod Goods 87 208-996-5759modboxusa.com Modwalls 5 877-439-9734modwalls.com Sheilds Residential 13 shieldsresidential.com TedStuff 77 561-272-0770tedstuff.net Woodwaves 85 888-850-3348woodwaves.com…

1 min

Atomic Ranch|Fall 2025

SPUTNIK TO SPACE

ON OCTOBER 4, 1957, the Soviet Union launched Sputnik 1, the world’s first artificial satellite, a 23-inch diameter polished metal sphere with four radio antenna rods protruding behind it, into Earth orbit. Its job was to send a radio signal back to earth and it did so for three weeks until its silver-zinc batteries died and Sputnik 1 fell back into the atmosphere exactly 3 months later. The event officially triggered the Space Race between the US and the Soviet Union since in the years preceding the launch, both countries were competing for superior spaceflight and technological advancements, to increasingly tense degrees. Sputnik 1 also further ignited the fascination with all things Atomic in the design world. George Nelson had already created his Model 4755 ball clock in 1948 after…

1 min

Atomic Ranch|Fall 2025

CREATING COHESION

IT’S ONE THING to embark on a renovation and make decisions on the right flooring, hardware and lighting. It can feel altogether more daunting when you consider that all your choices have to work together in harmony and look right! We culled some advice from our interior design experts to share some of their trade secrets for creating a cohesive home. “ROOMS ARE like a capsule wardrobe; you want everything to work together. But you also need to make sure a room is visually dynamic. Think about incorporating five different elements: print or pattern, texture, color, shine or metallic and something living like greenery. This ensures that your space is stylish and not staid.” Christine Ho Breathe Design StudioAustin, TX “PAY CLOSE ATTENTION to undertones. You can vary the value…

2 min

Atomic Ranch|Fall 2025

CALIFORNIA DREAMIN’

MIDCENTURY MODERN STYLE ADAPTS to its location. Palm Springs mid-mod homes are adorned in dazzling breezeblock to disperse desert air, Washington state MCM houses are replete with walls of soaring glass to better see the evergreens, and out in the Midwest, MCM often leans into practical brick, perfect protection from the area’s freezing winters and uncomfortably humid summers. But this typical Midwest material doesn’t figure much into a Bloomington, Indiana home. Instead, the house is covered in stunning California redwood, a testament to the California transplants who originally built the house. GOLDEN STATE “We salvaged the original stone, glass, and all the interior and exterior redwood, which our team meticulously refinished and preserved,” says Loren Wood, builder and owner of Loren Wood Builders. “The new homeowners wanted to maintain the…

7 min

Atomic Ranch|Fall 2025

DESIGNED TO RENT

FOR RANDI MEREL AND HER HUSBAND ALLEN LEHEW, finding a home in the Little Beverly Hills neighborhood of Palm Springs was just the beginning. The couple is based in Chicago and loves the Palm Springs MCM style and vibe. When they bought a 1957 home built by the Alexander Construction Company with William Krisel as the architect, it met all their criteria: Krisel-designed, with clerestory windows and floor to ceiling glass for stunning views and that classic indoor-outdoor feel. However, being based in Chicago, they were only able to use the home for a few weeks per year. In addition to a vacation home, it became an investment as a vacation rental property, dubbed West Elm House 1, the Alexander. BUILD ON AN MCM FOUNDATION If your vacation home rental…

6 min

Atomic Ranch|Fall 2025

HANS BØLLING’S DUCK AND DUCKLING

HANS BØLLING (BORN 1931) is a celebrated Danish architect and designer known for his playful yet refined approach to mid-century modern design. Trained at the Royal Danish Academy of Fine Arts, Bølling’s early career was shaped by Denmark’s rich modernist tradition, emphasizing natural materials and functional beauty. Although primarily an architect, Bølling gained international recognition for his whimsical wooden figures, including his iconic Duck and Duckling (1959), inspired by a real-life moment when a police officer stopped traffic to let a duck family cross a Copenhagen street. The heartwarming scene was captured in photos and became a widely beloved image in Denmark. Bølling translated the story into form with his Duck and Ducklings. These simple yet expressive figures have since become beloved symbols of Danish design, blending storytelling with craftsmanship.…

1 min

Atomic Ranch|Fall 2025

VOTED BEST

MY WESTERN STYLE USONIAN RANCH is tucked onto its lot among four grand ponderosa pine trees near the northeast corner of the Arapaho Hills subdivision developed by Edward B. Hawkins and Clyde Mannon between 1955 and 1964 in Littleton, Colorado. Designed by architect Bruce R. Sutherland, Downey House, named for its original owner, is framed by a curvilinear driveway that ends beneath a two-car carport positioned across the face of the house. Random-range ashlar masonry of native red sandstone forms a massive rectangular chimney at the southeast corner of the house. A second sandstone masonry wall carries the carport roof, with the main entry hidden beneath. It is the native landscaping, though, which takes advantage of an expansive 25-foot setback that makes Downey House truly special and attracted my attention…

2 min

Atomic Ranch|Fall 2025

REMASTERING A KRISEL

WHEN YOU THINK OF a mid-century Palm Springs getaway, you probably imagine a home with bright pops of turquoise, yellow and orange with bubble lamps, lots of chrome and funky wall art. When interior designer Heather Cohen and her husband Jordan were looking for a Palm Springs getaway for their growing family, they opted for a different—but still deeply mid-century inspired—approach that causes everyone’s shoulders to drop as soon as they walk up the front entrance. A DREAM TEAM When Heather and Jordan bought their 1958 Krisel home in the Racquet Club Estates neighborhood of Palm Springs, one of their first moves was to reach out to Steven Shields of Shields Residential for expertise from someone who knows and respects Palm Springs Mid Century Modern architecture. Steven says of his…

8 min

Atomic Ranch|Fall 2025

PRIMARY PRIORITY

IT’S NOT ALWAYS the first space we finish as we renovate, remodel and complete our homes, but it’s certainly one of the most important. Our bedrooms are our havens—spaces that greet us at first light and welcome us after a long day. So they should be designed for comfort and peace and happiness! Here are a few bedrooms that hopefully will inspire you and give you ideas for perfecting your primary spaces of rest. BRING ON THE LIGHT Photo by Dan Chavkin Michelle Boudreau designed the bedrooms in this William Krisel in the Las Palmas neighborhood of Palm Springs to have eye-catching lighting, because why not create a bedroom that has as much wow factor as a living room or dining room? DISTINCTIVE STYLE Photo by Chase Daniel Primary bedrooms…

2 min

Atomic Ranch|Fall 2025

ATOMIC-RANCH.COM

1. LANDSCAPING 101: THE MID CENTURY FRONT YARD Leave a lasting impression with the mid century front yard of your dreams. Follow these expert tips and tricks for curb appeal that amaze! 2. 8 STYLISH MID MOD BACKYARDS Mod backyards and mid century patios come in all shapes and sizes. This gallery of great outdoor spaces should inspire you to outfit yours with some personalized style, and stylish luxuries no matter your budget. 3. MID MOD PLANTERS AND WATERING CANS Whether you want round or square, hanging or sitting, self-watering or just plain stylish, find the perfect mid mod planters and watering cans for your flora. 4. A MID CENTURY SUMMER MENU Remember days of playing croquet in the backyard under hot, sun-kissed skies? Enjoy that era again with this…

1 min

Atomic Ranch|Fall 2025

resources

Retro Reveal Page 16 Appliances: Thermador, thermador.com Sink: Nantucket Sinks USA, nantucketsinkusa.com Faucet: Brizo, brizo.com Counters: Quartz - Frost White, Top Shop Stone, topshopstone.com Backsplash tile: Trinity Tile, Color Code (colors: Golden Coast, Dijon, Amsterdam, Aquamarine, Santorini, Ihama, Highland, Macaron, Mandacaru), trinitytile.com Floor tile: Riad, Terra 12x12, riadtile.com Lighting: Rejuvenation, Dekum and Blaine, rejuvenation.com Wallpaper: Kravet Couture, Panache in color Leaf, kravet.com California Dreamin’ Page 24 Entryway wooden knot sculpture: Katie Gong, katiegong.com. Entryway pendant, nightstand pendants: Herman Miller, hermanmiller.com. Coffee table and white chair with blue cushion, lounge chair, office chair, living room side table: Eames Sconces and linens: Schoolhouse, schoolhouse.com. Primary bedroom dresser: Design Within Reach, dwr.com. Primary bedroom vases: Heath Ceramics, heathceramics.com. Office shelves: Vitsoe, vitsoe.com. Living room pink chairs: Vintage but reupholstered in Kelly Wearstler fabric…

4 min