To Restore or Bulldoze? Mid-Century Modern Home Remodel

Design firm, In Situ Studio overhauled a mid century modern home in Raleigh, North Carolina, that was "haphazardly chopped up" over the years.

The brick, ranch-style home was built in 1959. Known as the Ocotea House, it is situated within a suburban neighborhood dotted with mature trees.

Mid Century Modern Home

"What was originally a clean image of midcentury residential architecture had fallen into disarray," said In Situ Studio, a local firm established in 2010.

"The basement had been chopped up to accommodate additional bedrooms, the main floor and public spaces had been reconfigured in an odd way, and a very poorly built sunroom had been added to the right side."

The architects goal was to remove the awkward modifications to the home and bring it back to it's original character. New finishes inside and out restructured interior spaces.

Always Restore over Bulldoze

We at Roomhints, are a platform advocating for sustainable design. We love to see that the architects came up with a create re-design for this home instead of bulldozing and putting up a cheap looking home/box.

"The house now sits comfortably in its midcentury neighborhood, a stark alternative to the method of buy, bulldoze, build-out that currently plagues Raleigh's first-ring suburbs," said the studio, which previously designed a cabin in a North Carolina forest.

The Womb Chair

The womb chair is a staple in mid century design, in addition to the Noguchi coffee table and orange triangle pillow sofa.

Inside, a wall between the living room and kitchen was removed, creating an open area with a large gorgeous brick fireplace. The ceiling, including exposed beams which were painted white, giving the room a light and airy feel. In the kitchen, the team replaced dated decor with beautiful clean modern walnut cabinetry.

To Paint the Brick or Not?

For this home remodel the red brick was painted blue, and soffits were painted white. Trim and mullions were painted black, which lends a sharp modern look to the exterior.

Will painting brick be like putting carpet over hard wood floor in the 60's? In 10 years are we going to pay thousands of dollars to sand the paint off of these beautiful natural bricks? I love the look of the blue brick but also love the brick for the fireplace pictured above. Could there have been a way to create a spectacular design for the exterior of this home without painting the brick?

In Conclusion

We absolutely love every detail of this Ocotea House restoration project by In Situ Studio. The beautiful sustainable design features for this mid century modern home help to create a design that will be timeless for years to come.

For more eco friendly homes, check out our article on sustainable homes.