What a wonderful restoration, one with an elegant simplicity to the materials and flow, but impeccable craftsmanship in the execution. Those plywood stairs!!
5
Beautiful - and cold. It seems everyone who renovates a MCM home thinks it needs to be furnished with the sterile, uncomfortable furniture of that era. I would love to see one with cozy furniture and family collections of artwork and souvenirs. As for the glass walls, they're beautiful but all that unusable wall space means no room for cabinets and other storage pieces. I hope there are plenty of closets and built-in cupboards! To me the house is not livable.
4
@Linda S.
The furniture isn't mid-century. Granted, modern, but not mid-century.
The house is beautiful, and I can't stop looking at the green couch in front of the kitchen island. Would love to see a full picture of it and know who made it.
1
I do not understand the current trend of uncovered windows. I follow several design blogs, and blank windows seems to be the thing now. People talk about not wanting to interrupt the form of the window, and wanting to preserve views, or they balk at the idea of covering up fine mill work. But there is no view at night (unless you live perched above a glittering city), and black windows feel cold. Privacy and light control are huge factors for making one feel comfortable in a space.
I live in a home with these floor to ceiling windows. I have been fighting excessive sun for years.
It’s interesting that they chose what appears to be plain, white plaster for the pool. I think the “black bottom” pool trend is over, and that is a good thing. A white pool is more appropriate for a MCM house anyway. You want the David Hockney, turquoise water look at mid-day.
It’s a beautiful home. But...window coverings!
7
When I was 10, growing up in post war Germany across the lane from a huge 1920's government teaching farm, I started redesigning that space to fit my 1950's lifestyle every night ( I had a lot of the machine sheds filled with American convertibles). I kept all the animal housing full of cows, pigs, chickens and horses and I designed new dormitories for my help because I knew I did not want five sons that smelled like manure to help me run the place. My sons had to smell like doctors and architects. (Turns out I only have one and he smells like El Salvador< don't ask!). It is good to dream....
2
Hi Cousins! The house looks beautiful and glad to see your picture too!
1
phone not working?
10
It is a lovely home and in many ways quite sensible but as one who spends much of my home time in boxers it probably isn't for me . Oh, just one more thing. I noticed in two separate photos coffee making devices - a Moka pot and an espresso machine. I can't for the life of me figure out if they are both in the kitchen or the espresso machine is placed in an office or some other workspace. My wife has been bugging me for years to put one in our office/guest room and I know if she sees this article it is going to fan those flames.
4
Wonderful Home! The entry is a one of a kind creation by www.granddoorcompany.com The rift-sawn white oak vertical plank design plays well with the vertical cedar siding, but also stands out with the more complex grain. The door jamb meeting tightly with the framing is also a real show stopper.
4
The birth of the Modern Home was the Jacobs House.
The open floor plan gave the modest sized house a bigger feel for a family on a budget.
Wright was a absolute genius on fenestration and the public and private facades reflect his approach.
"Mid Century Modern" is a term coined by a woman's magazine and perhaps better catches the design ethos of "The Brady Bunch" family home.
5
lose the pool
2
@Alexandre, what a thing to say! They did mention that they enjoyed visiting his parents’ home for swims. So of course they would install a pool. Their home is for their needs and pleasures.
14
When they feature it in a national newspaper it becomes ours to opine on. Lose the pool.
2
I will never understand why people are attracted to houses with vast window walls of glass, especially when those window walls face the street. Do they enjoy being watched by the whole world as they go about their daily lives? Somebody clue me in, please.
15
a) ever hear of a curtain? b) what exactly are you doing that demands so much privacy? sounds suspicious c) did it not occur to you that the point of the lannon stone wall was to provide a barrier from the street? d) where did you practice to get so good at faux indignation?
6
@paul
I live in a house with walls of glass that are covered with translucent curtains. The interior space is transformed by the natural light filtering through the fabric and the effect changes as the sun passes across the sky. I will never go back to living in a dark box.
12
@Alexandre 1. I don't see any curtains in these photos. That's why I asked the question. 2. An innocent comment sounds suspicious? That's a hoot. 3. Never heard the word "lannon" before. Dictionary confirms my "suspicion" that it does not exist. 4. "Faux indignation"? Hardly. Just an honest question, which 6 other readers seem to also be asking themselves.
11
@Don Wiss. Thanks for that link as an instructive comparison. This home has the warmth that the Connecticut one completely lacks. Even so, I'd take a Craftsman cottage any time. MCM lacks the requisite "gemütlichkeit."
10
Restored a beautifully designed, terribly neglected Mid Century 1946 model in Upstate NY a few years go. A joy to live in! Unfortunately these wonderful homes are usually being demolished.
16
@DavidE, really? They are treasured here in California. People pour tons of money into MCM house restorations.
1
Wonderful to read this, because, as it happens, we bought the house that Joe Malina grew up in, which is itself a lovely piece of mid-century modern architecture, created by Austin architect Barton Riley in 1957. So Joe has spent his entire life in beautiful spaces!
Like the Malina's we updated our house with a light touch, even keeping the very out-of-fashion small bedrooms and closets. They're big enough for us!
Glad you featured their home – it really is as nice as in the pictures.
37
The opportunities state of the art equipment propose one might as well get an architect to build you a copy.
In New England that is exactly what is happening as building codes and sensible energy efficient materials must be considered.
If you believe in ghosts this is a good way to get rid of them, unless you have found (as I have) you can't live without them.
1
I am not a MidCentury Modern maven - but I love it. Serene, exquisitely textured, a delight. May they enjoy their lives there.
19
Fehr and Granger gave so much to Austin architecture - they really defined the best of '50's design... St. Stephen's School, The Seminary of the Southwest, and many, many homes that brought the beautiful Central Texas countryside into every room. So glad the Malinas and Mr. Deaver were eager and able to get back to the F&G intentions and are enjoying their genius 60 years later.
Austin to Big Bend
15
Oh wow! Just so well done. Perfect!!
9
Nice job. Much nicer done than the last midcentury modern house that was highlighted here. In that house two inappropriate additions were kept, and an awful lot of money was spent on a house with low ceilings.
https://www.nytimes.com/2019/12/20/realestate/follow-every-step-of-a-major-midcentury-modern-renovation.html
Note the "major" in the link has to do with the size of the renovation. Not the house itself.
11
@Don Wiss
I was thinking of that article when I read this as well! This renovation is so much better, I was relieved.
4
Very beautiful house.
2
I always look at houses presented in the New York Times and rarely see anything that I would want to live in.
This has to be one of the most beautiful mid-century modern homes that I have ever seen.
I might even be willing to sell my soul in order to live in it.
15
Bravo bravo to the owners and team for the resonatingly good redesign.
More pictures would be wonderful to see.
7
Job well done and so thoughtfully executed. What a beauty!
8
A great job by the owners and architect, and builder. So good to see the spirit of the house was maintained. Thank you for sharing.
19
Lovely!
3
Gorgeous! House ENVY!! Need a complete vintage set of Russell Wright dishes? Hit me up!
7
It’s too bad they didn’t landscape the backyard to create a natural refuge. Instead they put in a pool that has only a few uses.
5
@Denny
Texas is hot (as in 90's F and above) almost half the year. I'm sure they will use that swimming pool often. Also, having lived in TX, sometimes there isn't much you can do with the rocky land in terms of landscaping. The pool was probably a good choice for the family in this situation.
15
All that glass, maybe I’m nutty but I would feel like I am being watched. Are there no curtains, does the glass darken at at night?? Nice looking house though.
5
A truly gorgeous home.
5
This house is perfect. well done
5
Such a beautiful and inspiring home. Well done!
5
Seal that cedar siding. It will still weather albeit more slowly but will hold up better over time, without excessive water stains.
10
This gives me so much vicarious joy. I grew up idolizing the midcentury-modern treasures in my community and always believed my crazy family would would find relaxed serenity if only we lived in one. This house suits your beautiful family perfectly.
11
@David
Agreed. I have admired this type of design since childhood and even more as an adult. This couple did a fantastic design job and hired the right people. What a fun read.
12
Beautiful in every way.
Enjoy your home!
20
This family has incredible taste - the house is perfect.
32
What beautiful house. I loved the statement about the bedrooms being small to encourage the family to be in the communal areas. Kudos to this family for bringing back the original footprint of the house.
77
This is almost a twin to the house we built as newlyweds in about 1957 or 1958. We loved it from the start. We gave birth to and raised our three children here with all the joys and sorrows that involved. Now there's only me left and our 60 year old daughter, a journalist who alternates between France and Milwaukee. We both still love the house too much to move me to assisted living, although my closest friends have all done so. Imagine what memories and emotions this feature evoked. Thank you.
57
@Kate W. Agreed about the bedrooms. I live in a mid-centry modern and one bedroom is just big enough for a queen bed, a dresser and the bedside tables. There is maybe 2 feet between the foot of the bed and the wall . Some people I know would hate it but to me it's perfect. Besides sleeping & getting dressed, how much time do you need to spend in the room? I prefer to spend the time in the living areas with my family & friends. All together the house is about 1500-1600 sq ft and I find it's just the right size, cozy without being cramped.
17