The Bathroom Saga with Aletha VanderMaas

Let's wrap up the bathroom season with all my best advice!In today’s episode you’ll hear:Where to find all my best bathroom related content. Which questions to answer before you begin a bath remodel. The three reasons to remodel a bathroom. Get the full show notes with all the trimmings at https://www.midmod-midwest.com/2507 Like and subscribe at Apple | Spotify Want us to create your mid-century master plan? Apply here! Or get my course,  Ready to Remodel.

Mid-Century bathrooms are pretty dramatic. They are complicated spaces with bunch needs jammed into a very small footprint. A bathroom has to have storage, work surfaces, multiple plumbing fixtures, a variety of lighting…and it all has to look beautiful. PLUS it has house all of that in a space with fluctuating levels of humidity and temperature changes.Today I’m pulling back the curtain on how to create a comfortable, healthy, code compliant bathroom without sacrificing the character of your mid-century home.In today’s episode you’ll hear:Why you should keep that window in your shower.  The right way to vent and light your bathroom.  Which types of lighting every bathroom needs.  Get the full show notes with all the trimmings at https://www.midmod-midwest.com/2506 Like and subscribe at Apple | Spotify Want us to create your mid-century master plan? Apply here! Or get my course,  Ready to Remodel.

So, how many bathrooms does your mid-century house really need?Let’s start with some history. (You knew that was coming, didn’t you?)In today’s episode you’ll hear:When did indoor bathrooms become a thing?How did we get to SO MANY BATHROOMS in new homes? Why mid-century houses are a perfect for a “less is more” bathroom philosophy. Get the full show notes with all the trimmings at https://www.midmod-midwest.com/2505 Like and subscribe at Apple | Spotify Want us to create your mid-century master plan? Apply here! Or get my course,  Ready to Remodel.

Even if you are currently a hale and hearty person with zero mobility issues, planning for universal functionality in your bathroom is a massive win. Anyone can break a bone and age is coming for all of us. Unfortunately, when most of us dream about updating a mid-century bathroom, we jump straight to gorgeous tile, sleek lighting, and the ultimate vintage aesthetic. And accessibility or other concerns about aging in place take a backseat…if they make it in at all. In today’s episode you’ll hear:The right time start thinking about accessibility in your bathroom. How to design a future-ready bath you love today. Simple accessibility upgrades everyone should include in a bath remodel. Get the full show notes with all the trimmings at https://www.midmod-midwest.com/2504 Like and subscribe at Apple | Spotify Want us to create your mid-century master plan? Apply here! Or get my course,  Ready to Remodel.

Sometimes people yelling "DO NOT ruin that vintage bathroom" at you on the internet brings a smile to your face. Especially if, like Dana and Colin of un.flipping, you just finished remodeling that bathroom. Listen in today for all the details on how they unflipped their teeny, tiny en suite and replaced it with a woodsy Usonian dream bath. In today’s episode you’ll hear:How to unlock hidden bathroom space by rethinking surrounding areas.The products you need to make wood work in wet spaces.Which affordable custom details can help create a vintage aesthetic.Get the full show notes with all the trimmings at https://www.midmod-midwest.com/2503  Like and subscribe at Apple | Spotify Want us to create your mid-century master plan? Apply here! Or get my course,  Ready to Remodel.

Even those of us who are now professional mid-century designers have skeletons in our closets (and in my case, basements). My fellow designer, Aletha Van der Mass of True Home Restorations, and I have both walked the design regret path. And now we both spend our time helping others avoid making the same mistakes. So today, in the interest of community (and laughter through tears) we are both sharing our shameful home renovation stories. Get the full show notes with all the trimmings at https://www.midmod-midwest.com/2502 Like and subscribe at Apple | Spotify Want us to create your mid-century master plan? Apply here! Or get my course,  Ready to Remodel.

Welcome to Season 25…all about bathrooms! If you’re craving a tactical, "do-this-then-that" checklist, hold tight. We’ll get there. But before I talk about materials, layouts, or fixtures, I want to start with something more fundamental. Philosophy. Today I’m challenging you to stop asking how and start asking why.In today’s episode you’ll hear:Why asking the right questions about your bath remodel is so important. How to plan a regret-proof bath remodel.All the reasons you should slow roll your bath remodel. Get the full show notes with all the trimmings at https://www.midmod-midwest.com/2501 Like and subscribe at Apple | Spotify Want us to create your mid-century master plan? Apply here! Or get my course,  Ready to Remodel.

Any Pinterest or web search on “mid-century kitchen” is going to yield a plethora of open plan kitchens featuring a central island. But as we learned a couple of weeks ago from friend of the pod (and mid-century houses everywhere), Atom Stevens, a mid-century kitchen is a room with four walls.So where did this “open mid-century kitchen” myth come from?I’m wrapping up our kitchen season with a deep dive into one of my all-time favorite open kitchen plans - it’s also very likely THE OG island kitchen - The Stahl House (Case Study House 22), designed by California architect Pierre Koenig.In today’s episode you’ll hear:Why this open kitchen is actually defined by constraints. Which elements make this dramatic kitchen eminently useable.  How to adapt Koenig’s creative design moves to work in even the most modest mid-century ranch.  Get the full show notes with all the trimmings at https://www.midmod-midwest.com/2407 Like and subscribe at Apple | Spotify Want us to create your mid-century master plan? Apply here! Or get my course,  Ready to Remodel.

Do you ever find yourself wishing that someone would just tell you the right choice for every finish in your remodel? Between the tile, the fixtures, and the endless cabinet options, the sheer volume of decisions is EXHAUSTING.I tell my clients that there isn't one "right" answer. I tell my students that there isn’t one “right answer. Because your perfect mid-century update depends on your taste, your house, and your budget. But honestly? I have opinions. Today, I’m putting aside the "it depends" caveats and giving you my unvarnished hot takes on the correct choices for a mid-century kitchen update.In today’s episode you’ll hear:Why slab doors are the only way to go for kitchen cabinets.Which metal finish that will save you a lifetime of matching headaches.All about a "cat-magnet" flooring solution that is as durable as it is adorable.Get the full show notes with all the trimmings at https://www.midmod-midwest.com/2406 Like and subscribe at Apple | Spotify Want us to create your mid-century master plan? Apply here! Or get my course,  Ready to Remodel.

Does your garbage disposal give you a thrill? Maybe you take it for granted. But you know who did not? The folks writing ad copy to sell our grandparents their new build mid-century homes. That's just one weird, wonderful detail that came up in my kitchen conversation with Atom Stevens. Atom is a Mid Mod Remodel regular and real estate agent who specializes in mid-century and modern homes in the Denver area. Atom works with lots of time capsule loving clients. I've talked a lot about the time capsule kitchen, the original mid-century kitchen on the podcast, but I think Atom has a particularly interesting perspective on this as a lover of historical specificity and someone who works with a lot of clients who share that love. So, the big question is does that love always extend to an original kitchen?In Today's Episode You'll Hear:Why even folks who love original mid-century homes often want an updated kitchen. What defined the Cliff May Kitchen - hint, it’s walls. When open plan kitchens became the rule, rather than the exception. Get the full show notes with all the trimmings at https://www.midmod-midwest.com/2405 Like and subscribe at Apple | Spotify Want us to create your mid-century master plan? Apply here! Or get my course,  Ready to Remodel.