As a realtor I’ve watched young people fall in love with vintage homes. When I was their age, the sought-after vintage homes were Art Deco, Victorian, and Craftsman (which are still popular today). No one wanted the plain, old ranchers.
That is no longer the case. Not only are mid-century ranchers in vogue, but the atomic ranch style homes are all the rage! And for good reason. There’s nothing like ‘em! Don’t you just love them? You can’t help it!
Check out my new design, The Jeffrey. It combines elements of the atomic rancher with elements of an Eichler home, and an A-Frame from the era.
One thing I love about MCM homes is their outdoor living areas. It was not unusual for them to be on the side of a home with some type of privacy screen. Wherever they were placed, they had a strong connection to the inside of the home, giving the feel of an extension of the indoors.
That’s the effect I sought with The Jeffrey. Of course, it has modern features that are hard to come by in an original atomic rancher (unless you modify the floor plan)… things like a spacious ensuite that includes an enormous walk-in closet, an oversized 2-car garage, and a very usable laundry room. It also has a powder room, while most three-bedroom original ranchers made do with just two full baths.
Another thing I love about MCM home design is the freedom to resist convention for the sake of comfort, convenience and just being casual. A more formal home would not contain coat hooks and shoe storage in the front entry. But that’s where it works, and that’s what matters in this case.
Carports were often part of the charm for atomic ranchers. The original Jeffrey did not have a garage, but only the side carport. Since we Americans have come to expect getting what we want without trade-offs, I came up with The Jeffrey II with the garage you see here. It would have ruined the original intent and looks of the home to make the garage prominent or to have deleted the carport. So, The Jeffrey has both.
Note that a privacy screen on the front side of the outdoor living area could be built as a gate. One car could use the carport while the other one occupies the garage. The side of the garage behind the carport could be used for storage, a place to park a vintage vehicle, or the other daily driver by opening the gate and driving through the outdoor living area.