Getting into Mid-Century Design Details with Aletha VanderMaas

Susan Halla, founder of Make It Mid-Century and mid-century enthusiast, joins me this week to dish about her own recent house hunt. If anyone knows what they’re looking for in a mid-century home, it’s Susan who has spent the last decade making retro-focused DIY doable for mid-century lovers of all stripes. Her multi-city search was laser focused on finding a relatively untouched, not too high end mid-century home. In Today's Episode You'll Hear:What matters most when deciding which realtor to work with. How to recognize the value in “original charm”.Which compromises you can make and still get the right house for you.Get the full show notes with all the trimmings at https://www.midmod-midwest.com/2112Want us to create your mid-century master plan? Apply here to get on my calendar for a Discovery Call! Get Ready to Remodel, my course that teaches you to DIY a great plan for your mid mod remodel! Schedule a 30-minute Zoom consult with me. We'll dig into an issue or do a comprehensive mid century house audit. 

You’ll need to answer just five questions to make timeless choices that are right for you and your house when replacing mid-century kitchen cabinets. Easy peasy, right? Well...it will be after listening!In Today's Episode You'll Hear:Five questions any cabinet company (worth their salt) will ask.The only two door styles you need to know. How to decide on YOUR right answers for a kitchen you’ll love.Get the full show notes with all the trimmings at https://www.midmod-midwest.com/2111Want us to create your mid-century master plan? Apply here to get on my calendar for a Discovery Call! Get Ready to Remodel, my course that teaches you to DIY a great plan for your mid mod remodel! Schedule a 30-minute Zoom consult with me. We'll dig into an issue or do a comprehensive mid century house audit. 

Adrian Kinney is back to talk all my latest obsessions - housing history, passive solar and planning YOUR perfect remodel. Adrian has joined me on the pod before. He’s a realtor, mid-century modern (MCM) guru and heads up Mid Mod Colorado.In Today's Episode You'll Hear:How post and beam construction is especially suited to Denver’s climate. When a “swamp cooler” is the ticket for comfort. Why renovating for how you live in your mid-century home is always better than focusing on ROI. Get the full show notes with all the trimmings at https://www.midmod-midwest.com/2110Want us to create your mid-century master plan? Apply here to get on my calendar for a Discovery Call! Get Ready to Remodel, my course that teaches you to DIY a great plan for your mid mod remodel! Schedule a 30-minute Zoom consult with me. We'll dig into an issue or do a comprehensive mid century house audit. 

Your mid-century house, and mine - just like  13 million solid ranches, tidy Levit cottages and charming post and beam homes built across the US between 1945 and 65 - might not strike you as "public housing." But they ARE our country’s solution to a housing crisis. Post-war Britain, profoundly affected by the German Blitz and widespread destruction,  embarked on a different path. Their "blitz spirit" of collective sacrifice led to a significant political shift and the creation of a robust welfare state, including a massive program of publicly subsidized housing (often called council housing).  By 1977, nearly half of the British population lived in socially assisted housing, leading to a much less stigmatized view of public housing compared to the US.In Today's Episode You'll Hear:Why the US and the UK took such different post-war housing paths. How these mid-century policy choices are reflected in our current communities. Where we might find opportunities to respond to our current housing crisis in our mid-cenutry neighborhoods.   Get the full show notes with all the trimmings at https://www.midmod-midwest.com/2109.Want us to create your mid-century master plan? Apply here to get on my calendar for a Discovery Call! Get Ready to Remodel, my course that teaches you to DIY a great plan for your mid mod remodel! Schedule a 30-minute Zoom consult with me. We'll dig into an issue or do a comprehensive mid century house audit. 

Passive solar design has been around since forever. It just means that a builder makes siting and design choices that use the sun and shade to keep a building warm or cool. What were these choices? In modern times, but pre-HVAC systems, they included locating windows for heat gain or cooling, creating opportunities for air flow, and using the natural environment to shade or shelter homes.Our modern and mid-century homes rely heavily on heating and cooling systems that require power, but we can still incorporate passive solar strategies to reduce our enery use and improve our comfort.   In Today's Episode You'll Hear:Why we stopped using passive solar design. How to get big wins from small changes. Key principles you can use right now to cool your home with less energy. Get the full show notes with all the trimmings at https://www.midmod-midwest.com/2108Want us to create your mid-century master plan? Apply here to get on my calendar for a Discovery Call! Get Ready to Remodel, my course that teaches you to DIY a great plan for your mid mod remodel! Schedule a 30-minute Zoom consult with me. We'll dig into an issue or do a comprehensive mid century house audit. 

Do you remember the first person you encountered who validated that your mid-century house was great and that you should LEAN INTO its charm when updating it to suit your own life?  That’s such a magical feeling. To realize that you’re not alone in wanting to steer clear of the HGTV “paint it white” world.  Today I want to introduce you to one of MY OWN first sources of great Mid Mod inspiration.: Aletha VanderMaasI first “met” Aletha when I was a complete newcomer to the Mid-Century world. Her home, her design project photos and advice were a revelation to me.  She showed me I was not ALONE in thinking vintage mid-century homes could be lovingly updated in ways that felt timeless and still charming.  (She also showed me that it was possible to run a small business providing mid-century design services!)I finally got to chat with Aletha for this week’s podcast and we covered a lot of ground!Get the full show notes with all the trimmings at https://www.midmod-midwest.com/2107Want us to create your mid-century master plan? Apply here to get on my calendar for a Discovery Call! Get Ready to Remodel, my course that teaches you to DIY a great plan for your mid mod remodel! Schedule a 30-minute Zoom consult with me. We'll dig into an issue or do a comprehensive mid century house audit. 

Did you catch the curb appeal clinic yesterday? If not, I've got you covered.This free workshop had everything I believe about making smart, stylish, long, lasting update choices for your mid century home on the outside in bite sized, easy steps with a few key design principles and some common upgrade inspiration for mid century homes, you can transform your house without taking on a big remodel. You can do it one weekend, upgrade at a time, or one little handyman hire at a time.I had such fun being hosted by Brandi McLean of Modern House members to put this workshop together. I didn't want podcast listeners to miss out.Get the full show notes with all the trimmings at https://www.midmod-midwest.com/2106Want us to create your mid-century master plan? Apply here to get on my calendar for a Discovery Call! Get Ready to Remodel, my course that teaches you to DIY a great plan for your mid mod remodel! Schedule a 30-minute Zoom consult with me. We'll dig into an issue or do a comprehensive mid century house audit. 

Field trip time! No permission slip needed. This week I'm sharing my recent tour of the Barbican Estate in London. In this episode we're going to cover: How the US and UK approach to housing supply differed during the mid-century. What that means for our national philosophies on homeownership. Why these differing approaches led to such vastly different landscapes, economic patterns, and modes of transit in each country.Find the full show notes plus all the bits and bobs at https://www.midmod-midwest.com/2105.Want us to create your mid-century master plan? Apply here to get on my calendar for a Discovery Call! Get Ready to Remodel, my course that teaches you to DIY a great plan for your mid mod remodel! Schedule a 30-minute Zoom consult with me. We'll dig into an issue or do a comprehensive mid century house audit. 

Real talk, Mid Mod Remodeler. There comes a point in any significant home renovation where the project feels like it's boiling over. You might be behind schedule…like waaaay behind. Or what seemed like straightforward work has suddenly become more expensive and complicated than you ever imagined. If this sounds familiar, know that you are not alone! This happens on literally.every.remodel.In Today's Episode You'll Hear:Why your remodel WILL NOT be different. How to keep your cool when your project feels like a dumpster fire. What can help you reset and finish strong. (Maybe tears. Then looking within and in your Master Plan!)Get the full show notes with all the trimmings at https://www.midmod-midwest.com/2104Want us to create your mid-century master plan? Apply here to get on my calendar for a Discovery Call! Get Ready to Remodel, my course that teaches you to DIY a great plan for your mid mod remodel! Schedule a 30-minute Zoom consult with me. We'll dig into an issue or do a comprehensive mid century house audit. 

Let's talk about tile for a mid-century update. You've got options. You can go with bold custom color in your favorite shade or recreate a bathroom in powder blue or Mamie pink. You can get playful with shapes and even textures. But remember, tile choice also runs the risk of tipping into a trend that will ultimately put a timestamp on your whole remodel. In Today's Episode You'll Hear:How to read a tile you see out in the wild.Why to start from your style guide.Where to use different types of tile.Get the full show notes with all the trimmings at https://www.midmod-midwest.com/2103Want us to create your mid-century master plan? Apply here to get on my calendar for a Discovery Call! Get Ready to Remodel, my course that teaches you to DIY a great plan for your mid mod remodel! Schedule a 30-minute Zoom consult with me. We'll dig into an issue or do a comprehensive mid century house audit.