Atomic Ranch Winter 2018

THERE IS SOMETHING MAGICAL ABOUT AMERICA’S PACIFIC NORTHWEST. Its landscape is an awe-inspiring palette of greens and blues—a land where the beauty of trees is only rivaled by that of the water. Perhaps it is this boundless natural appeal that inspires the region’s uniquely artistic approach to life as well as its deep appreciation for Midcentury Modern design. When planning how to celebrate Atomic Ranch’s 60th issue, going back to its roots in the Pacific Northwest was a given. Back in 2004, Atomic Ranch began with a desire to showcase the best of midcentury design and the people keeping it alive. Sixty issues later, we have grown exponentially but that mission has endured. Atomic Ranch’s digital presence is bigger than ever—bringing you more mod through newsletters (including the all new…

Inside Scoop! Entertaining Made Mod We’ve got the serveware, playlists, tips and tricks to transform your seasonal hosting into an attainable art form. Tips for Buying Your Dream Home On the hunt for your next midcentury marvel? Our real estate experts weigh in with the info you need to know. Hello, Witco! The brand is an icon of mid mod style—but how much do you really know about this popular collectable? Ar ne Jacobsen’s Green Design The story of a tap made to be not only stylish, but also sustainable. Cool Stuff Carlo midcentury sofa in dusty teal, $1,099. Visit westelm.com. Bruno adjustable double-arm pharmacy floor lamp, $365.Visit ylighting.com. Tina coffee table, $709.Visit joybird.com. Menagerie medium bird bowl, $88. Visit jonathanadler.com.…

THE JOURNEY TO A MODERNIST HOUSE BEGINS … with a chair. Maybe it belonged to your mother. Or maybe it was left behind from the previous owner when you moved in (lucky you). It could be from an everything-is-connected-to-the-universe magical moment at a yard sale. You bought it cheap, for a song, as the expression goes. A lilting, beautiful song full of emotion, like Jennifer Warnes singing Leonard Cohen. What is this mythically powerful chair? Perhaps it is a Barcelona chair designed by Mies van der Rohe and the usually uncredited Lilly Reich. It could be the 670 Lounge chair by Charles and Ray Eames or the Butterfly chair by Antonio Bonet, Juan Kurchan and Jorge Ferrari-Hardoy. The chair is no simple sitting device. It has status. You refer to…

PASSING YEARS AND EVOLVING STYLE CHOICES had not been kind to this kitchen in Seattle’s Magnolia neighborhood. While the rest of the home maintained much of its original 1955 ambience, the kitchen was struggling from the effects of several decades of updates and makeovers, including original cabinets that had been darkly stained and a mustard-yellow sink likely installed in the 1970s. Beyond aesthetics, other aspects of the kitchen didn’t work for homeowner Kristin Green, her husband, Chad Syme, and their two children. The imitation cork floor tiles couldn’t withstand the family’s foot traffic. A doorway provided the only connection between the kitchen and dining and living areas. The couple also wanted to incorporate contemporary touches into their kitchen. “We wanted the kitchen to look like it could have been original…

The serene setting of Lake Sammamish in Issaquah, Washington, provides the ideal location for this 1963 glass box home that is a perfect retreat. A glass exterior offers unobstructed views of the water, and it’s tucked away so the owners feel like they’re away from it all. “It’s so far down from the street that it feels like a secret lair,” says Sally Julien, owner of Modernous and homeowner of this midcentury marvel. “We weren’t even looking to buy a house at the time. We went to look at it for fun, and the more we walked through it, the more we saw its potential.” After a major remodel and a new vision, Sally was able to turn this forgotten piece of history into the modern home of her dreams.…

Thanks to the care of previous owners, many of the home’s original features were not only intact, but in pristine condition. “It was very exciting, I just really felt like the space was calling us more than anything,” Marisa Swenson recalls about her Gresham, Oregon home. “We weren’t actively on the hunt for a midcentury home. A lot of them are high maintenance and at this stage in my life, I wasn’t really interested in a high maintenance house,” she admits. In fact, Marisa, a real estate broker who specializes in Midcentury Modern, first visited this 1960 Portland area gem with the intent of listing it. But her keen eye quickly noted the well-planned materials, combined with an efficient design, and she fell in love. Instead of listing the property,…