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All Photos/exterior/building type : mid century

Exterior Mid Century Design Photos and Ideas

The designers introduced new Alaskan yellow cedar glulam beams for the updated roofline and windows by Pella. The front door is painted in Sherwin Williams "Rose Colored."
The Luberas didn’t use a general contractor or architect, but they did enlist the counsel of legendary Detroit designer Ruth Adler Schnee, who in 1964 helped Girard plan the color scheme for a streetscape in Columbus, Indiana. Window alignments create long views through the house and atrium.
In 2020, Isabel and David Yahng bought their Portland house, which was originally designed by architect Saul Zaik in 1963.
A custom mural by Adrian Kay Wong was created with input from the homeowners, particularly Lauria. Its yellow tones are matched by Emu Living barstools in the foreground.
The 1958 home in Southwest Portland has an unassuming cedar-shingled exterior.
For an escape from bustling San Francisco, architect Craig Steely and his wife Cathy have created a modernist getaway on a lava field next to a black sand beach on Hawaii’s Big Island. Fitted with floor-to-ceiling windows that look out over the ocean, the steel-framed home is one of several homes that Steely built on the recently active lava field.
For a family of four, Ueda Design Studio restores the luminous-yet-drafty midcentury home of Alden Mason with warm materials and sensible restraint.
The unusual floor plan includes a long gallery that wraps a grassy courtyard. The family commissioned an aluminum sculpture by Los Angeles–based artist Evan Holloway for the space.
The same large format porcelain was used for the exterior patio, which is flush with the thresholds on the sliding glass doors. Blaine added a small bumpout at the end to accommodate a larger primary suite shower.
Blaine Architects capped the front addition to this Eichler home with a shed roof that mimics the slope of traditional Eichlers, but slants in the opposite direction to make it distinct. The wood screen is made from Accoya.
The team painted the exterior brick after patching it in places, like the section left by the removal of the door. “We could find the exact texture of brick, that classic Roman running bond, but we could not find it in the right color,” says architect Kailin Gregga. Painting the entire exterior unifies the façade. Rich Brilliant Willing “Hoist” sconces in Black was also added.
Tantalus Studio coaxes a Palm Springs home into the 21st century with fresh finishes and a sublime palette plucked from the desert landscape.
Built in 1963, the Flansburgh House remains an architectural gem within Lincoln, Mass.
To the front, the gardens are laid around a central lawn with a circling driveway which provides parking. There is also a garage for family cars.
Extension with full height steel frames glazing
The goal was to be able to squeeze a full bathroom, kitchen, living room, storage, as well as a sleeping space that would accommodate a king-sized bed into the cabin's original tiny footprint.
Wexler and Harrison's original plan was to create affordable vacation homes for a growing middle class. When this home first went on the market with the others in 1962, it was competitively priced between $13,000 and $17,000. Today, the kitchen has been restored following guidelines from its original configuration, and the landscaping was updated in 2001 with Wexler's oversight.
Setback from the street, this extremely private one level property has sliders with outdoor access, solar panels, and mountain views from every room.
The front garden area is terraced with custom Cor-Ten steel retaining walls with an oxidized patina. The plantings are inspired by the couple’s love for Palm Springs.
Perched below the Griffith Observatory and overlooking Hollywood is a lush lot crowned with four towering olive trees and a 1965 home designed by modernist architect Craig Ellwood. When a young couple purchased the home in 2018, it needed substantial work. For a historic restoration, they called on Woods + Dangaran, a local firm fluent in modernist history. The team completed a meticulous restoration of the home while keeping original components like the linear shape, open plan, and expansive windows. One of the most striking features is the original koi pond (a feature deemed so essential that its preservation was a condition of escrow) that is now crossed via a bridge that leads to a new lap pool—perhaps the biggest intervention on the property.
The goal with the Lodge was to simplify the original structure to focus the experience on the natural setting and framing the coastline's exceptional views.
Architect Erling Berg introduced a playful circular motif at this corner, and it’s repeated inside the entry.
For the redesign, they recovered the exterior in stucco and painted it black for more consistency. “We wanted the exterior to really marry the lot in a way,” says Blake. “We wanted it to be unique, but to also really compliment all of the trees and open space.”
The couple initiated the renovation, despite not knowing much about Rummers, or remodeling. “We were novices,” says Fay, who researched the architectural features of Rummers to be able to restore its key features, like the roofline.
“With the restoration and reopening of The Sea Ranch Lodge, we are excited to honor the vision of the original developer and original group of architects including Al Boeke, Lawrence Halprin, and MLTW (Charles Moore, Donlyn Lyndon, Whitaker, and William Turnbull) – stewardship and respect of the land, sustainability for The Sea Ranch and creating a gathering place for all Sea Ranchers,” said Kristina Jetton, General Manager, The Sea Ranch Lodge.
Risa Boyer Architecture guided the whole house remodel of this 1955 Portland home. Lillyvilla Gardens executed a new landscape plan for the property, including this updated entry sequence, while Boyer added more glass to suit the midcentury façade.
This Eichler is wrapped with vertical western red cedar. One of the reasons Klopf Architecture selected this material is because of its low-VOC stain. It matches the color of the original siding, which had sadly seen better days.
Klopf Architecture, Arterra Landscape Architects, and Flegels Construction joined forces to refurbish this Palo Alto Eichler. Standout features include a fully opening glass wall, an outdoor living area with a kitchen and fire pit, and furniture by Kayu and Primary Pouf.
This circa-1958 Eichler in Silicon Valley makes a mesmerizing first impression with its combination of ipe wood and neon-yellow resin. A garden, courtesy of landscape designer Bernard Trainor, fosters the illusion of more space.
Oakland–based Building Lab effortlessly connected the patio to the living and bedroom areas just beyond the striking wall of windows.
Klopf Architecture's modest 72-square-foot addition at the front of the home blends in with the original structure while giving the owners a greater sense of openness in the master and hall bathrooms. Inside, the re-imagined great room now features dining space.
Klopf Architecture updated this Eichler with a radiant floor heating system, re-stained paneling, and a new office/guest room filled with Eichler hallmarks like dark bronze door handles.
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.
The front façade received fresh white paint and new landscaping. The blue door was painted "Flaming Torch" from Behr, a vibrant orange.
Deciding to buy a home comes with its own unique set of pressures. Oftentimes, it’s seen as a seal of adulthood, an acceptance of permanence, and perhaps most importantly, it also means that you’re about to spend a large sum of money; it makes sense that no one wants to go about it in a casual way.
Glenn Lazzaro and Azin Valy wrapped up a remodel of their 1965 midcentury chalet in White Lake last year.
As you approach the Hilltop House from the covered breezeway that adjoins the garage, it is possible to see through the carefully placed windows to the greenery on the home’s other side.
The Villacarillos freshened up the exterior with a sleek two-tone facelift. The wood siding is painted Sherwin-Williams Caviar, and the brick is painted Sherwin-Williams Pure White.
The eaves are finished with cumaru, a Brazilian teak, and a new mahogany front door warms up the black-and-white facade. “It reminds us of places we’ve been on vacation,” Ron says of the wood. The design team swapped the soffit and porch lights with midcentury-inspired fixtures.
The front corner of the renovated building is dedicated to a commercial space, while the rear is a one-bedroom apartment with a studio and private exterior patio.
The brick shell of the 1,863-square-foot building was painted matte black, which "makes the roof float in a wonderful way and accentuates the white framing of the windows," says Ali.
Rather than expand their midcentury home, Anthony Marks and his partner built a guesthouse on the unused half of their double lot, in Denton, Texas. The gated fence borrows from the material palette used for the dwelling. “It’s like an introduction, or preview, to what lies beyond,” says architect Michael Gooden.
A hefty portion of the budget addressed the exterior, including new siding ($30,000), exterior paint ($4500), and windows ($14,000), or less flashy, but important, interventions, like new interior drywall ($8300) and updated electrical work ($14,450).
Located in a quiet neighborhood of Christchurch, on New Zealand’s southern island, the Fletcher House by Hall and Mackenzie Architects is in pristine condition nearly 60 years after its 1963 completion.
1965 archival image
VonDalwig Architecture connects the dots to give a 1967 home in Bedford, New York, a new lease on life.
Front door and reading nook
Front exterior
Addition with cantilever
Entry and courtyard
Front exterior
Rear exterior
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