I'm a writer, photographer, and all around talker who loves all things nerdy. Check out my podcast, youtube channel, and other media at @sixpanel_aj and let's talk topix.
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Do you live in a Mid-Century Ranch? Are you curious about an MCM house and wondering what it would take to renovate? Or are you just a fan of all things Mid-Century Modern? Mid Mod Remodel is the podcast where you learn how to match a mid-century home to your modern life. Your host, Della Hansmann is an architect who helps people remodel their Mid-century homes and mid mod homeowner fixing up1952 ranch. Learn what makes mid-century homes great, the common elements of MCM homes that nearly al ...
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MCM Dream Team, assemble! (With Mid Mod Colorado)
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Adrian Kinney is one of my favorite mid mod masterminds in real estate! Our most recent conversation covers what you need to know about assembling the right team to help you find and update your mid-century home. There's so much bad advice out there for us people who live in and love mcm houses - we each need our own mcm dream team! In Today's Epis…
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Lighting up your MCM landscape with Ginkgo Leaf Design
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Lighting up your mid-century landscape hinges on making the right design choices. Today I'm talking to Jim Drzewiecki about focusing on both lighting and plant selection to create a mid-century modern yard that feels cohesive, inviting, and timeless. In Today's Episode You'll Hear: Where to stand when designing your landscape. (Hint - it’s not outs…
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Turning Up the MCM Charm with Atom Stevens
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I’m so excited to dive into the history of design in mid-century homes with none other than Atom Stevens, MCM history buff and Cliff May expert. Whether you’re a homeowner, a potential buyer, or just a mid-century enthusiast, Atom’s insights are a reminder that our homes are more than just places to live – they’re pieces of history, filled with sto…
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House Number Basics with Modern House Numbers
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Today, we have a fantastic chat lined up with Brandy McLain, co-founder and one of the creative geniuses behind Modern House Numbers. Della and Brandy discuss all things house numbers. From current requirements to history, plus tons of great style tips! In Today's Episode You'll Hear: Why we have house numbers in the first place. How (and how not) …
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When I think about perfecting an original mid-century home by polishing and upgrading its original details, I think of Susan Halla of Make It Mid-Century. She has dedicated herself to being the resource people need to make period appropriate choices for their mid-century homes. And she's got an encyclopedic knowledge of all things period appropriat…
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Unicorn Houses and Tight MCM Markets with Adrian Kinney
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In our latest podcast episode, I had the absolute pleasure of chatting with the amazing Adrian Kinney. Adrian has joined me on the pod before. He’s a realtor, mid-century modern (MCM) guru and heads up Mid Mod Colorado. Listen for his insights into what makes mcm homes so special and how to navigate today’s tricky market to find a mid-century gem. …
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Mid-Century Hardscapes and Feature Elements with Ginkgo Leaf Studio
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Remember the delightful Jim Drzewiecki from Ginkgo Leaf Studio? We barely scratched the surface of all the listener landscaping questions we received last season. So, naturally, I had to bring him back on the podcast to continue our chat! Today, we’re diving in on hardscaping and adding feature elements to your landscape. In Today's Episode You'll …
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When you find yourself in a remodeling time crunch, the most frequently skipped step in the process is actually the most essential part of any well planned and executed remodel. Taking time to Dream can mean the difference between your perfect remodel and a remodel that misses the mark. In Today's Episode You'll Hear: Why you should take time to Dr…
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Straight outta the DM’s “Do you have an un-flip quick start guide?” If you're wondering what there might be to salvage about your farmhouse flipped mid-century house, the short answer is there's plenty. And you may even find that the flippers did you a few favors! In Today's Episode You'll Hear: How to de-farmhouse your fireplace. (Sadly, you proba…
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Do you have a spreadsheet to help me manage my remodel?
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In Today's Episode You'll Hear: How to feel like the boss of your remodel, from the planning phase through the punch list. Which key tools you need to keep your remodel on track. Why spreadsheets are your remodel’s BFF. Get the full show notes with all the trimmings at https://www.midmod-midwest.com/1710…
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Are skylights and light tubes too modern for a mid-century house?
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Mid-century homes are often kind of light on daylight, so I get a lot of questions about whether skylights and light tubes are appropriate and feasible options. The short answer? Heck yeah! In Today's Episode You'll Hear: Why your mid-century home may seem lacking in the daylight department. Which products can create a whole new light experience. S…
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Tis the season for window replacement folks to make the rounds in many mid-century neighborhoods, sharing the "good news" of vinyl replacement windows. Or maybe a well meaning neighbor has been extolling the new maintenance free replacement windows they installed? Replacement windows may not be any better...and are likely worse...than your home's o…
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Our season of listener questions continues! Folks ask all the time, "Della, you say a mix of materials is one of the cornerstones of mid-century design. Do you have tips for mixing materials without making a mid mod mess?" I sure do! In Today's Episode You'll Hear: A short history of 2x4’s. Guidance on how to mix woods and metals to achieve a cohes…
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Speedy Strategies for an MCM Remodel You'll Love (in the time you have)
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30-ish minutes to learn to plan a remodel in 30 days? Believe it! You can check off maintenance, meet a deadline and still get a remodel that enhances your home's MCM charm and suits your life and family! Listen to my new workshop for all the speedy remodel planning skills. In today's episode you'll learn: That it is 100% possible to create a rem…
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How do I mix Frank Lloyd Wright's Prairie style into my ranch? (Part 2)
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As you plan your ranch remodel, you can absolutely dip into Wright design ideas. Your house is actually already full of them! In Today's Episode You'll Hear: How to make material choices for a Wright-infused remodel. Which colors to choose to shout about your combined love of mid mod and Prairie style. The simple shape secrets to get the Wright fee…
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Can I mix Frank Lloyd Wright's Prairie style into my ranch? (Part 1)
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Here's a question I get all the time from people who live in mid-century homes. "Hey, Della, I love my mid mod house. BUT I also like Frank Lloyd Wright...the Prairie School...this amazing Usonian place I visited one time. Am I wrong to want to add some Wright to my ranch?" In Today's Episode You'll Hear: How Prairie Style and Mid-Century style rel…
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Mid-century landscaping…is that a thing?
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So glad you asked! Let's talk landscaping with a certified mid-century landscaping expert - Jim Drzewiecki of Ginkgo Leaf Studio. In Today's Episode You'll Hear: How to let your house tell you how to design your landscape. Why hardscapes are the hardest (and most important) to get right. Tips for getting started on design. Get the full show notes w…
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What are the best mid-century flooring choices?
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What is the best mid-century flooring for your house? My answer to you, to my clients, to my students and to everybody who asks me this is, it depends. Now, when I answer this way, I'm not hedging or hesitating. I do have opinions about and experience with many types of flooring in all sorts of applications. And strong personal preferences of my ow…
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How long will your remodel take? Well that depends on you, my friend. This week's episode kicks of a full season of listener questions. First up? Timelines. In Today's Episode You'll Hear: All about the remodel schedule venn diagram. Where it is easiest to exert some control over your remodel timeline. How to get ready to create the remodel schedul…
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In the last episode of our HGTV season we’re talking about what we can learn from looking at other people’s houses. Despite its shortcomings, HGTV offers glimpses into remodeling and design processes and practical lessons for would-be remodelers. In Today's Episode You'll Hear: Why HGTV might not be all bad. How to use HGTV and mainstream shelter m…
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White paint on wood? Well, that depends. Today's episode is going to be a love story to the wooden elements of a mid-century home. The main takeaway? Leave your original mid-century wood alone. In Today's Episode You'll Hear: Why paneling is not the place for paint - white or otherwise. How mid-century hollow core doors are different than their mod…
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Today let's talk about why slapping a coat of white paint on your mid-century brick, stone or concrete block is never the right answer. Even if your house is entirely brick or entirely stone, there are still meaningful things you can do to change the feeling of your house without large quantities of white paint. In Today's Episode You'll Hear: Why …
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A ranch is not a cottage (and it never will be).
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There are key difference between cottages and mid-century ranch homes. Your ranch is not a cottage, so steer clear of cottage style updates. In many ways American homes changed more between 1930 and 1950 than they have since. Part of the reason I find ranches so interesting is how modern they are in their essential nature. Dated fixtures and finish…
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The culture we live in is selling us doublespeak that you must remodel your home to make it your home. You can't just take a house as it is. And there's only one right way to improve your home. Let's interrogate this modern urge to change your life by changing your home. In Today's Episode You'll Hear: When a tiny tweak can feel transformative. Why…
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Do you have objects in your life in your house that you would categorize as clutter? Probably you do. I know I do. Decluttering sometimes feels like our national pastime, or problem. And HGTV has multiple shows devoted to the topic. Or if you prefer your Marie Kondo straight from the source her show is on Netflix. I've talked in the past about how …
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A surprise reveal is a mainstay of remodeling TV shows and it's basically a jumpscare. Your ideal remodel should include few to no surprises. In Today's Episode You'll Hear: Why a surprise remodel reveal is worse than your average jumpscare. When remodeling related surprises are a GOOD thing (hint, it’s way before construction begins)! How to avoid…
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Today I am future you’s best friend. Do you know who is not future you’s best friend? HGTV. In Today's Episode You'll Hear: Why trendy remodels mean more waste and less joy. How to stand strong in the face of before and after photos. Where to embrace trends you love for a remodel that will stand the test of time. Get the full show notes with all th…
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How to have a big remodeling fight with your partner
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Want to know how to have a BIG fight with your partner about your remodel? Or even a series of many smaller fights that blur into each other and become frustration and resentment? Welcome to the Valentine’s Day episode of Mid Mod Remodel! In Today's Episode You'll Hear: Why all those couples on HGTV seem so MAD. How to design your drama free dream …
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The modern mid-century dream kitchen isn’t the kitchen that Lucy Arnez or Donna Reed or Carol Brady had. It also isn’t the kitchen you might find in vintage kitchen ads. And it certainly isn’t the kitchen you’ll find in most builder grade ranches. So what exactly is it then? In Today's Episode You'll Hear: Why you are the most important design elem…
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Aspirational mid-century kitchens influenced the kitchens we live in and love today. The kitchens that served as backdrops for our favorite mid-century TV families often included features missing for the builder basic kitchens of the time (and still missing in many of our ranches!). In Today's Episode You'll Hear: When the kitchen shifted from work…
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Cooking with gas...ads and sponcon in remodeling "reality" shows.
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Want the most reliably biased remodeling advice around? Head for HGTV. In fact, pick up or turn on any mainstream piece of home and garden media. Now, try to separate expert advice from paid content. What you’ll find is a strong push toward well funded trends that dominate the industry. Certain elements seem to make it into every renovation. Think …
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This season, I'm pushing back on the default remodeling advice that we all encounter on television and in online magazines, see manifested in big box home improvement stores and hear echoed in the mouths of run-of-the-mill general contractors. But you know I'm not about negativity! Instead, you are going to get all the positive, encouraging, action…
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Cornerstones of Mid-Century Design: Applying the Cornerstones
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If you've been following along this month you know the four cornerstones of a great Mid Mod design ... but how do you make sure that you're going to bake them into your own home and plans? Before you start calling contractors and deciding what to do first ... I want you to hit pause for just a moment. The best way to make the most of your mid-centu…
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Cornerstones of Mid-Century Design: Flow Between Spaces
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When we think about gorgeous mid-century homes, many of us picture a glass wall separating the living room from a patio and lush backyard. Or a sunken living room that flows from the formal entry. Glass. Open spaces with exposed structure. Screens that allow a peek through to the next space. Stone that seems to continue seamlessly from the exterior…
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Cornerstones of Mid-Century Design - Mix of Materials
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Your material and finish choices can make or break a mid mod remodel. Choose correctly and you'll enhance your home with lovely, long-lasting materials that feel period-appropriate and yet somehow timeless…and don't break your budget. In Today's Episode You'll Hear: When to save original materials. How to combine mid-century and modern materials in…
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Cornerstones of Mid-Century Design - Simple Shapes
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You'll find simple shapes everywhere in a mid-mod design - from the basic triangle of a gable roof to the gentle curve of a kidney shaped swimming pool. The simple playful shapes of mid-century design put the focus back on the materials they're made from and the overall balance (the asymmetry) of the design. In Today's Episode You'll Hear: Why simp…
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Cornerstones of Mid-Century Design - Asymmetry
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Asymmetry, in a nutshell, is about balance...instead of matching. In previous eras, impressive home design showed its classiness with repeating, matching elements along a central line. These elements feel formal, weighty and grand. The mid-century aesthetic challenged this formality. Mid-century design is about being off-center and less structured,…
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Letting cycles of life guide your remodel.
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Let’s talk about a revelation I recently had about planning your remodel - the importance of the cycles in your life as you tailor your home to match your lifestyle. In Today's Episode You'll Hear: Why laundry may be the best allegory for cycles of life. How to plan for now and also make great choices for future you. And why catering to the messy, …
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Best Of Mid Mod Remodel - Episode 1009: Use the Holidays to Focus Your Remodel Plans.
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This episode originally aired on December 8, 2022. I want you to use your holiday prep time to plan your remodel. Okay, Before you tell me, Della, that's crazy. The holidays are when I'm busiest. I can't be picking out tiles and solving problems and calling contractors during this period. You're right. Of course you can't. You know me. I wouldn't a…
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A Very Mid-Century Holiday Chat with Make It Mid-Century
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In the chat you've all been waiting for...Susan Halla of Make It Mid-Century and Della dish on mid-century design. Listen in as the creator of the Master Plan Method meets the creator of Sparkle Lam to talk about architecture, how to listen to your house and why you should NEVER paint your brick. It's a meeting of similar, mid-century loving minds …
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I know you've been daydreaming about your perfect mid-century remodel for months (years?), but somehow reality just hasn’t caught up to your Pinterest board. Sometimes it can feel like your remodel planning has gone completely off the rails. Or at least dropped off your radar. So, how do you get your remodel on track once it feels off? In Today's E…
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Think your remodeling timeline is too tight for a master plan? Think again! You can get (most of) the benefits of a master plan in just 30 days of planning. In Today's Episode You'll Hear: Why some things are worth half-assing. The one thing that is sure to slow you down…and fast! Why you don’t have to pick no planning or all the planning. Get the …
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Spooky Season Part 2 - Other Common Hazards (Asbestos, Radon and Mold …Oh My!)
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Last week I dove deep into risks related to lead lurking in your mid-century home and talked a bit about vile VOC’s off-gassing into the air. This week I’m exploring other common hazards that you may come across in your mid century home. In Today's Episode You'll Learn: All about some scary stuff that could be hiding in you mid-century charmer! The…
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Spooky Season Part 1 - Lead Paint and Other Hazards
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Let's celebrate spooky season with a pair of episodes covering some common mid-century house hazards to be aware of. Part one? Lead paint and other panic-producing paint by products...vile VOC's. In Today's Episode You'll Hear: All about the USA’s weird relationship with lead. When to worry about the potential for lead exposure. How to stay calm an…
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So, you are ready to kick off your remodel. (are you, though?) The last big question (is it, though?)...how to find an experienced, qualified mid-century contractor. Don't worry! In Today's Episode You'll Hear: What makes for a great mid-century contractor. How to find the best contractor for you! The secret to making sure your contractor keeps mid…
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Your Mid-Century House was Built for an Addition
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Are you preoccupied with space? Obsessing about vast expanses and endless horizons? Do you just need a little more room? Or maybe just another little room? Mid-century homes are often the right size for modern living. Until they aren’t. An addition may be just what you need to fit your modern life into you mid-century home. In Today's Episode You'l…
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The How and Why of (This) Residential Architect
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Did you know that average cost to hire a residential architect to design a remodel is $47,000. Isn’t that crazy? I used to work on projects with price tags just like that and … now I don’t. But I do still believe that design makes all the difference! In Today's Episode You'll Hear: A summary of the “usual” residential architecture process. Which pi…
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Do you ever think of your home as destined for the landfill? This is dark, I know. But all things are…eventually. Every part and piece of your home has a useful life, a finite number of years to serve as a dwelling. So how can you plan an upgrade for your house that will keep it out of the landfill for as long as possible? I’m so glad you asked! In…
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How did I become so invested in empowering women to be strong leaders in their own home improvement projects? As a young female architect, I've faced skepticism and dismissal from male colleagues and contractors throughout my career. But over many years and many projects I've learned to push back confidently and achieve the results I believe in. No…
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I bet you can’t wait to tuck into your new banquette with your morning coffee or to slip into your Onsen tub…once your remodel is finished. But I’m here to tell you that you don’t have to wait until everything is finished to enjoy your remodel. You can enjoy every phase of your remodel, from planning to leading to living in your finished home! In T…
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