Update or remove this 1980's "improvement" to my mid century house?
4 years ago
last modified: 4 years ago
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- 4 years agolast modified: 4 years agoKaren Glass thanked Patricia Colwell Consulting
- 4 years ago
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Help me landscape my weird shaped mid century modern house!
Comments (10)If you look up photos of midcentury modern gardens, you'll see their lines mimic the themes of the architecture: spare, clean lines, often angular, emphasis on the horizontal, not a lot of ornamentation. This is great because it also tends to be lower maintenance than more exuberantly planted gardens. You can get away with a lot of lawn and a few evergreens. You have nice trees in place. If you intend to replace shrubs, look for plants with definite structure or shape; almost sculptural in form. In the southwest, cacti and agaves provide this beautifully, but in your climate, think of suitable plants that have similar strong shape characteristics. Color should come from foliage if possible. Nice house! Enjoy!...See MoreShould I paint my Mid Century Modern brick home?
Comments (17)Your realtor is giving bad advice, leave the brick alone, you will disappoint the diehard MCM buyers. Your eye goes to light colours first, so leave all the trim especially at the roofline light, no black. If it was my home, I would consider painting the walls a warm taupe/grey, it has to work with the roof color, the brick and the mortar. Choose your colors carefully, you should hire a color expert to be on site. Or don’t paint at all, leave it to the buyer. Maybe the wood at the entry can be restored. Please don’t change anything that is authentic. This example photo shows how the wall and carport support was painted a color to work well with the brick....See MoreAdvice please! Exterior makeover of mid century home
Comments (21)Thanks so much, everyone, for helping me out with your perspectives! As a next step I am going to get a landscape designer out here for a consultation. The previous homeowners were avid gardeners, and these plants are popular in the PNW (Japanese maples, rhodies & azaleas, wisteria, clematis, burning bushes, japanese umbrella pine, etc) so I hear you on your advice about being thoughtful about what to keep/get rid of. We've obviously let them overgrow to the point they are out of hand. However there is some benefit in the privacy they create - as we have one of the few acreage properties left in our (desirable) location so we want to consider how we maximize what is unique and special in our property. Appreciate your help!...See MoreAdvice on updating mid-century modern home.
Comments (12)If you like the fence and want to keep one I would look at installing a horizontal wood fence where the existing fence is located. This would enhance the existing horizontal lines of the house. With the lighter tones of the brick I would paint the dark brown colors a lighter tone. This will reduce the disjointed effect of the dark against the light. If you're interested in seeing some virtual makeovers of your house, check out my website, Creative Visual Concepts. I don't think it will take a lot to improve the look....See MoreRelated Professionals
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