Modern Mid Century

Welcome to our year- long series where we document a new build inspired by old mid century style.

We're introducing our year- long series documenting a new build inspired by old mid century style.

Have you ever wanted

the details of an iconic mid century home with a modern living floor plan? Then buckle up, because we’re taking you behind the scenes of a new build in Dripping Springs, Texas, with the Atomic Ranch Project House.

You’ll get to see the process from start to finish, with reveals in each issue throughout the year. And along the way you’ll learn exactly what goes into designing a custom home with mid mod spirit.

“There’s this question about Mid Century Modern style I think people often ask themselves: If I could design my own mid century home from scratch, what would I do? We decided to follow along with this project to see exactly that,” says Jickie Torres, editor of

Atomic Ranch magazine. Check out who we’ll be partnering with and what exciting plans we have for this MCM new build.

THE PERFECT PAIR

We’re partnering with an inspired builder and innovative designer to see this concept come to life. “Michael Wray, owner and founder of MidCentury Custom Homes LLC, knows how to build mid centuryera style with modern scale and proportion,” says Jickie. “We paired him up with Christine Turknett of Breathe Design Studio because we love the warm, dynamic interiors she creates. We think Christine’s creativity and love of mid century style combined with Michael’s willingness to be bold and take risks is the perfect match.”

Michael has completed hundreds of projects in Austin and Texas Hill Country. Like many urban areas, it has neighborhoods built in the ’ 50s with great examples of MCM architecture. They’re growing in popularity, and Michael wanted to help fill the demand for them. “It’s a labor of love to renovate these homes, and because of their scarcity, I wanted to deliver new construction with mid century design,” he says.

HOW IT BEGAN

Michael’s love for Mid Century Modern design began as a teenager, visiting relatives in Palm Springs and Los Angeles. He fell in love with the desert and California- style architecture. “It was the first time I’d ever truly had an emotional reaction to homes,” he says. “They were so different and striking, and it stuck with me.”

Rather than simply duplicate these beloved structures, Michael’s intentions have always been to create something new that pays homage to the architects he admired. “I studied the godfathers: Frank Lloyd Wright, Joseph Eichler, Claude Oakland and Cliff May,” he says.

The challenges were in learning how to frame homes to a post- and- beam structural frame and then how to build homes that look mid century and meet the current energy codes. Michael had to research plans, dimensions, heights and ratios of mid century- era dwellings and study Eichler blueprints to get a strong foundation. “There is no training manual,” says Michael. “It’s a geometric exercise to get the scale of MCM homes correct.” But that scale also has to take into account how houses have changed over the years. “You have to take authentic plans and adapt them for current market expectations,” he says.

BIG PLANS

Project House is a sprawling one- story home with expansive glass, featuring the natural amenities of the setting. It will sit on a 1.2- acre lot that overlooks Lake Travis. “The best homes I’ve seen built look like they were supposed to fit the lot they’re built on,” says Michael.

To ensure its Mid Century Modern look, we’ll be using some authentic vintage manufacturers for details like our tile and siding. “I don’t want to give too much away,” says Michael, “but we have some manufacturers from the ’ 50s that are still in business, and we’re incorporating their materials in the home.” Once it’s complete, it will act as a model home for MidCentury Custom Homes’ subdivision development and will be open to public tours for two years. “Mid century is such an iconic, purely American style. A lot of our styles were adapted from other cultures, but not MCM. We want to grow the love for this style.”

TOP: A DIGITAL RENDERING OF THE PROJECT HOUSE EXTERIOR. ONE OF THE WAYS MICHAEL INFUSES MCM STYLE INTO HIS NEW BUILDS IS THROUGH THE STRUCTURAL DESIGN. “THE COMBINATION OF TRANSOM WINDOWS [ WITH] POST- AND- BEAM CONSTRUCTION BRINGS A CLASSIC MID CENTURY MODERN LOOK TO THIS MODERN AMERICAN RANCH,” HE SAYS.

RIGHT: THE PLANS FOR THE 3,800- SQUARE- FOOT STRUCTURE INCLUDE LARGE BEDROOMS, AN OPEN KITCHEN AND LIVING ROOM, COVERED PATIOS AND A CASITA.

ABOVE LEFT: BUILDER MICHAEL WRAY IS BRINGING DECADES OF EXPERIENCE AND KNOWLEDGE OF MID CENTURY ARCHITECTURE TO OUR PROJECT HOUSE. ABOVE RIGHT: THIS WAS MICHAEL’S FIRST MCM- STYLE HOME. THE CUSTOM FLOOR PLAN PAID HOMAGE TO ARCHITECT CLIFF MAY’S ORIGINAL CALIFORNIA “RANCHO." THE FLOOR- TO- CEILING FIREPLACE IS MADE OF HAND- CUT NATIVE BLANCO LIMESTONE COUPLED WITH A FLOATING HONED LUEDERS STONE HEARTH. BELOW RIGHT: DOUGLAS FIR BEAMS AND NATURAL TONGUE- AND- GROOVE PINE CEILINGS COMBINE WITH LARGE TRANSOM WINDOWS TO BRING LIGHT AND WARMTH TO THIS CUSTOM GARAGE IN ONE OF MICHAEL’S PAST BUILDS.

ABOVE RIGHT: MICHAEL INCORPORATES CONTRASTING ELEMENTS IN HIS PROJECTS TO PROVIDE DIMENSION. IN THIS KITCHEN, THE BLACK INTERIOR BEAMS STAND OUT AGAINST THE WHITE TONGUE- ANDGROOVE CEILING, CREATING A BRIGHT AND OPEN LIVING SPACE.