Atomic Ranch: Design Ideas for Stylish Ranch Homes

Michelle Gringeri-Brown

Aug 2006 · Gibbs Smith

About this ebook

An in-depth exploration of midcentury residential architecture in America, with extensive photos and design tips included.

Post-World War II ranches (1946–1970) range from the decidedly modern gable-roofed Joseph Eichler tracts in the San Francisco Bay area and butterfly wing houses in Palm Springs, Florida, to the unassuming brick or stucco L-shaped ranches and split-levels so common throughout the United States. In this book Michelle Gringeri-Brown and Jim Brown, founders and publishers of the popular quarterly Atomic Ranch magazine, extol the virtues of the tract, split-level, rambler home and its many unique qualities: private front facades, open floor plans, secluded bedroom wings, walls of glass, and an easy-living style.

From updated homes with high-end Italian kitchens, terrazzo floors, and modern furniture to affordable homeowner renovations with eclectic thrift-store furnishings, Atomic Ranch presents twenty-five homes showcasing inspiring examples of stylish living through beautiful color photographs, including before and after shots, design-tip sidebars, and a thorough resource index. Atomic Ranch reveals:

• Hallmarks of the ranch style
• Inspiring original ranch homes
• Ranch house transformations and makeovers
• Preservation of mid-century neighborhoods
• Adding personality to a ranch home
• Yards and landscaping
• A helpful resource section and index

Ratings and reviews

If this book is anything like the magazine, to which I subscribe, it would be a wonderful addition to any MCM aficionado's library. I highly recommend it, even without having read it!

About the author

Writer Michelle Gringeri-Brown and photographer Jim Brown publish the quarterly magazine Atomic Ranch, which features ranch homes built all across America. Their first book, Atomic Ranch: Design Ideas for Stylish Ranch Homes, was published by Gibbs Smith in 2006. They live in Portland, Oregon, in a 1952 brick ranch.Michelle Gringeri-Brown and Jim Brown publish Atomic Ranch magazine, a quarterly devoted to mid-century homes. Gringeri-Brown was the editor of American Bungalow magazine for nine years, and her freelance work has been published in Westways, the Los Angeles Times, Photographers' Forum, and Sunset magazine's View. Jim Brown is an editorial photographer with degrees in photography and English literature. His photo-graphy has been published numerous times in Motor Trend, Sunset, Motorcyclist, American Bungalow, Westways, Car & Driver, and Hot Rod. They both grew up in postwar ranch houses and strongly support the preservation of this overlooked architectural style.