Incredible diversity and a range of choice in this week's mid-century modern real estate roundup. Pay close attention to the first home on the list - it's a spectacular design on four acres at a shockingly reasonable price. Along with that Wisconsin property, we're featuring homes in California, New Jersey, Pennsylvania and Colorado. Check them all out! Unique Modern at Risk in Hartford, WI - 1,819 sqft. ($235,000) Sweeping forms combine to create a truly unique space in this 1969 home designed by architect Michael P. Johnson. Wonderful light, curving built-ins and a beautiful lot make this a ..read more

Some terrific mid-century modern homes included in the round-up this week from Michigan,Texas, Ohio and New York. Many of these homes are very affordable, and all offer some fantastic mid-century modern design. Pay special attention to the first home in Bloomfield Hills - this one is being marketed as a potential tear down, so it is in dire need of saving! At-Risk! Architect Glen Paulsen's House in Bloomfield Hills, MI - 1,667 sqft. ($399,900) Superb 1954 modern post and beam house at very real risk of being destroyed as it is being sold for land value. Designed by and for Detroit Architect Gl ..read more

Over the New Year, my wife and I were fortunate enough to spend some time in the Czech Republic. Much of our time was spent in Prague, but for one day we ventured south to the city of Brno to see the famed Villa Tugendhat, designed by German-American Mies van der Rohe between 1928 and 1930. Described as one of the pioneering structures in modern architecture, Tugendhat is an enormous, iconic, and truly spectacular building that is well ahead of its time in countless ways. In addition, the villa plays a role not just in architectural history, but the history of the Czech Republic. In this post ..read more

Could an exceedingly rare design from the first Herman Miller collection directed by George Nelson have reappeared on the market? We think so. Read on to learn about the recent rediscovery and identification of a unique table designed in the 1940s. When George Nelson was hired by Herman Miller as their new director of design in 1945, he set to work designing a collection of modern furniture that, along with designs by Charles and Ray Eames and Isamu Noguchi, took the country by storm. The Collection was hinted at in industry publications such as this one in Interiors, December 1947. Some of ..read more

In July of 1957, two furniture manufacturers, Widdicomb Furniture Company and Mueller Furniture merged to form Widdicomb-Mueller. A year later, the firm launched a bold new line designed by Japanese-American Master Woodworker, George Nakashima. Featuring 60 architectural designs that showcased the natural beauty of wood, it soon grabbed the attention of the press and consumers alike. The October issue of House Beautiful dedicated seven pages to the collection including the cover. A black and white version would later adorn the Origins catalog cover. Key features of the line Nakashima's embrace ..read more

(Photo by Ezra Stoller, colorized) In July of 1940, in an effort to establish themselves in the USA, the Finnish design couple Alvar and Aino Aalto announced the founding of Artek-Pascoe, Inc. (Architectural Record, Aug 1940) Their aim was to 'use US mass production to get their designs in to ordinary US homes.' (Time Magazine, July 15th, 1940). With designs in hand, furniture was initially produced in Wisconsin and shipped to New York for assembly. Aino and Alvar Aalto in the Artek Pascoe showroom circa 1940. Photo by Herbert Matter. Groundwork In 1938 Aalto had presented an exhibition of ..read more

Perhaps the only well known mid century modern piano is the Baldwin Acrosonic pictured below. It is highly sought-after and consistently commands a high price when available. Read on to learn who designed it, what probably influenced it and how much it originally cost. With its Danish modern inspired lines, oiled walnut case and delicate cane panels it captures the modern attitude of the time perfectly. It even comes with a stool with legs that match the angles on the piano. For an instrument that is otherwise becoming less popular due to the limitations of space and the hassle of moving such ..read more

In 1955, this Paul Rudolph design won a Progressive Architecture award but ultimately proved too costly to build. I became *slightly* obsessed with this unbuilt so I decided to model it in 3D (I have found it to be much cheaper than actually building). The structure is a raised pavilion with a large double height atrium in the center. Cantilevered walkways along each long side link the private and public areas. Operable flaps could open up the house to cooling crossbreezes and encourage a chimney effect, drawing cool air from below and expelling warm air outwards at the top . This innovative ..read more

Designing and building your own home is a serious investment: in money, time and vision. Making sure it ages well comes down to some very important decisions early on. We all know about 'location, location, location' but design choices can mean all the difference between timeless and timewarp, and full of character or full of crazy! While we believe honest modern design will always look current, great design comes in many forms. Redfin asked architects and designers from across the country (including yours truly) what they thought would help make a new home stand the test of time. Read the fu ..read more

In 2014 we bought an interesting modern house in Lakeland, Florida designed by local architect James Bruce Spencer. During the course of restoring the 1958 house, I got in touch with the architect himself. Later that summer, Bruce and wife Jeanene (see photo below) visited us, shared their experience of living there and told how he was the 'modern' designer for a well established local architect named A. Wynn Howell. Howell is known for designing the University Lutheran Church in Gainesville, the Lake Placid Tower, and other modern buildings in Central Florida. Images of the University Luthe ..read more