Mid-century Homes

When the Los Angeles–based firm Stayner Architects purchased Wave House in 2018 for $360,000 from the City of Palm Desert, little did they know what lay buried beneath. The house had remained vacant and in disrepair for years before father and son began the painstaking process to assess and upgrade the home’s infrastructure and efficiency.

1456 Sunset Plaza Drive, just a few turns up from Sunset Boulevard in West Hollywood. The front facade is dominated by a double carport, which Neutra designed with floor-to-ceiling glass along two sides facing the interior.

Built in 1962, the four-bedroom, two-bath home has already been spruced up with modern features that respect the home’s original midcentury modern character. Highlights include updated bathrooms with Carrara marble and walnut cabinetry, a private backyard, and a renovated kitchen with a pretty impressive "edible garden" off the side.

The living room also flows into a formal dining room. Wood paneling lines the walls and ceiling, with an abstract screen and indoor plantings dividing the space from a family room and office.

This chalet-style, A-frame roof extends straight into the ground. A band of stone wraps around the residence and visually integrates the home with its natural surroundings. Set against a stunning mountain backdrop, the home originally designed in 1958 has been completely reimagined and updated by its current owners. The owners enjoyed the process of renovating the architecturally significant property, which included a fun, tropical-themed wet bar, a stylish and updated kitchen with a waterfall countertop, and a well-concealed Murphy bed in the living room

The elegant eat-in kitchen is one of the highlights of the renovation. It features a center island clad in Carrara marble, sleek custom cabinetry, and high-end appliances from Fisher & Paykel. There is also a skylight which floods the space with natural light.

The home has 1,506 square feet of living space and a beautifully landscaped backyard, which features one of the home's highlights—a detached, 120-square-foot studio designed to match the main house.

Designed by Arthur Witthoefft of Skidmore, Owings & Merrill in 1961, this five-bedroom, five-bathroom midcentury house is set in the woods of Armonk, New York. The 5,000-square-foot home features full-height walls of glass, a wraparound floating terrace, and a quiet deck that overlooks the site's sylvan surroundings.

In celebration of the Eames House’s 70th anniversary, the Getty Conservation Institute and the Eames Foundation recently unveiled a conservation management plan for protecting the national historic landmark.

The distinctive facade references a traditional thatched English cottage.

We’ve gathered 20 of our favorite homes that maintain their midcentury flavor without sacrificing 21st-century modernizations and updates.

3737 Oakfield Drive by Richard Neutra

Located on a quiet cul-de-sac in Walnut Creek's Rancho San Miguel neighborhood—an East Bay subdivision home to 375 Eichlers—this 1959 atrium model Eichler stands out with a low-slung midcentury post-and-beam profile and period-appropriate interior updates.

The dark wood floors were replaced by light-colored terrazzo that gives the interiors a brighter feel.

After much research, the original buff stone pictured was discovered at a quarry in Utah, which had since closed but reopened for the material sourcing for this project, the restoration of Richard Neutra's Kaufmann House. A mason worked there for a year and a half to accurately restore stone, chiseling and cutting blocks precisely in place to create a pleasing mosaic. Tops and bottoms of the stones were cut smooth to sit in horizontal position, allowing the sides and faces to be more organic as Richard Neutra intended.

In the South Bay, San Jose–based BLAINE Architects expanded this Eichler by transforming the old carport into an atrium. A folding glass NanaWall system allows the owners to watch their kids in the playroom from the kitchen.