I adore it! I would live in an MCM in a heartbeat, but none available where I live. My first house was in California, an Eichler sort of copy. Yours is so much more upscale. That is by far my first choice of styles if I could choose.

I cant see the kitchen well enough to comment on a backsplash, but am wondering if you know where you want to put it- where to start change and stop it. I am excited to see more. LOVE, LOVE, LOVE it!

That is one good-looking RANCH! I wish mine looked like that. You've done a great job of creating a surprise to all that enter through your doors!

I love it. I can't wait to see more.

I like what you have done, it's gorgeous! I'm anxious to see more.

We just got appliances installed yesterday and are waiting on the rest of our gray stained, horizontal birch cabinets. I don't have a clue as to what we may use for our backsplash yet, sorry I can't help with that.

Nancy

I love MCM ranch homes. Not too many in my area although when we're ready to downsize I'm definitely going to try to find one. I think there are quite a few people on this site that share a love of MCM.

I'm sorry you didn't get responses on your previous post(s). Maybe it was just a busy time for people. . .? I think in order to get ideas for a backsplash, you'll need to provide more info. What kind of backsplash are you considering--glass, ceramic, etc., color preferences, tile size (subway, 1x1, 4x4), layout thoughts, and look you're trying to achieve. Many here love to help with BS ideas.

The link is to jakabedy's MCM kitchen remodel. It's one of my favorite MCM kitchens here.

Here is a link that might be useful: Jakabedy's MCM reveal

Beautiful...those floors are glorious...and wow that ceiling. Would love to see more. c

Very nice! Our home/kitchen/decor has been called MCM, so I guess I like that style, too! :-)

I really like the MCM style and your rooms look very open and airy. What do you think of an orange backsplash -- too garish? Might be fun!

MCM wouldn't fit our house at all, so I don't really try. I go for a transitional blend and it seems to work. I love seeing other MCM homes though :-)

WE live in something similar which is a post and beam house. (same style - different name?), built in 1972 and I love it although a lot of people don't. I like seeing the structure and the strength of a house, I like living in a house that has a style that you can work with, I like it's clean strong linear lines, I like the higher vaulted ceilings that show the beams (we just did a reno and exposed another beam), - shall I go on? Show more as you go along with your work cause I'll be looking.

I love it! Wow, what a gorgeous home. The ceiling and floors are incredible. Can't wait to see more!

Your ceiling is really stunning. I would love to see more pictures. Our 1960 CA ranch has some MCM elements, and we are trying to decide what to do in the kitchen, so I would love to see closeups of your kitchen. It is hard to recommend a back splash without more kitchen details.

Love this - just my style. Beautiful!

Looks great!
I looked through your photos and really like the stacked mini subway tile in cream for a BS option...good luck!

I love it.

Don't worry about popular. Popular is overrated. Popular is available at Wal-Mart.

I can only see one photo of the overall space, which looks terrific. Can't link to any kitchen shots...they all produce ads for Lowes.

That said: I can't imagine subway tile in a MCM house. I grew up in one. Our backsplashes (and counters) were plastic laminate. Stainless steel was pretty common on counter tops (not sure about splashes). I've seen wood veneered plywood, painted plywood, cork, and linoleum.

It depends on what you're looking for. There's the question of what was really done back then (and remember, most MCM houses were not expensive, high-luxe environments), versus the 21st century interpretation of MCM.

Google "Historic New England Gropius House" and you can click on photos of the kitchen in the house that pretty much started it all in this country. It's about simplicity.

If I wanted real MCM, I'd probably do some combo of stainless counters and/or plastic laminate, and paint. MCM was less about the tactile qualites and luxurious materials that define our time and more about the expression of planar surfaces through simple changes in simple materials or through the application of color.

What palimpsest said.

It looks beautiful, I'm looking forward to seeing more. And there are quite a few MCM fans here, we're not always quite as obvious, but we're here. And even those who may not be MCM fan can generally appreciate a beautiful home and kitchen, regardless of the style. Keep the pictures coming please!

Jabelone,Congratulations!

Your home is stunning! Don't underestimate the power of MCM to attract the GW population. My finished MCM kitchen last year received lots of good feedback though most people preferred traditional styles. I'd not change a thing either..

Here it is in case you want to see:

Here is a link that might be useful: Nalcar's kitchen

I think your kitchen is stunning, but you have to show us more if you want real responses (hint, hint). I sure wish we had a ceiling like yours!

We own a ranch style home built in 1950. Our renovation will try for early stage MCM. We are opening up the plan and using materials from 1940-1950. Some MCMs were done with panache, but sadly, ours was done in bland.

I have seen true architectural gems turned into "traditional" and it is pathetic. Once in particular turned a locally famous architect's edgy plan and made it country. The original cabs were slanted to have a smaller footprint than the size of the counters. It looked like something from Pee Wees Playhouse and was great. The front door had a kidney bean shaped glass insert a la the Jetsons. The new people came in and ruined it by taking out all the personality and trying to turn it into something it wasn't back in the late 1990s. It still had the angled soaring ceilings and dual sided fireplace, but the rest was unrecognizable. The worst part is they thought they "improved" it. Blech.... I bet the current owners renovated again already.

I am so glad to see your kitchen and how nicely it fits the space. I bet you will inspire more people than you know here ;)

I love it! Yes, there are mod fans here. I proudly count myself among them. flwrs was kind enough to post a link to my kitchen earlier in the thread, so I won't repeat. I'll post the link to sochi's instead, definitely an inspiration for me:

http://ths.gardenweb.com/forums/load/kitchbath/msg0700344221152.html

Our house was built from a 1965 BH&G plan, all posts, beams, glass and an indoor garden. From what I can tell from your two photos, you did it right. Is that Nexus brown-black? We did the yellow-brown -- I love those cabinets. It's hard to walk that line between true-to-the-architecture and current-and-usable. I think you did fine. But I want to see more!

I blog on MCM in my city, so will throw in a plug for my blog. You can follow the links on my blog to find other MCM blogs -- maybe someone in your city is doing the same thing. Or if no one is, maybe you should start -- that's what I did!

Here is a link that might be useful: Magic City Modern

I think it's so interesting to monitor conversations about MCM houses. They were wonderful and awful at the same time. Biggest problem is the poorly designed uninsulated windows, fireplaces, screwy plumbing routed along vulnerable freezing areas, etc. The form really trumped function sometimes. But in other things, they were particularly good at function.

My mother in law's very efficient MCM 1963 kitchen in St. Paul had short custom windows under cabs instead of a backsplash at sink. And paint behind the range and along other counter surfaces. Or was it same Formica as the countertops that ran behind range and into the corner--white speckled with black and perhaps a few sparkles? Yeah, with a metal edge to define the top. And the vinyl? linoleum? floor looked like the countertops. She had eggshell-colored semi-gloss paint and dark walnut cabs. Accent color was turquoise or orange. Sink was stainless steel with high and low areas, a very mod touch. A small top oven and a range below. A dishwasher. A garbage grinder. Fluorescent lights mounted under cabs and a double goose-necked horrible light mounted about 4 feet above the stove on the way to the top of the ceiling vault, ostensibly to light the room. [I also remember shabby printed terry cloth towels for hands and dishes. And cheap Ward's china until she inherited a family set of Limoges. Even though the house was architect-designed, an Iowa farm girl and guy lived there.]

The biggest problem in a historic house is deciding whether to truly reproduce the original historic elements or just the flavor of them. What you always hear about old houses is that the kitchen and bathroom are allowed to be modern. By that I mean that utility and the real world are a factor in their designs. Even in houses at the historic sites where I volunteer, I find that kitchen elements of the modern world are reproduced somehow, camouflaged if necessary.

If you want a tile backsplash, I'd suggest a hand-made tile look. Or just use a sheet of glass or stainless steel. Or laminate. Laminate is very 60s, but the choices today are remarkable. Don't do marble or granite unless you are foregoing the MCM challenge. But of course, that would make the house yours in your own special way.

Have fun stormin' the castle!

Love it! That ceiling is gorgeous.

I'd get whiplash at your house, looking back and forth from the gorgeous floors to the amazing ceiling! Love it!

Thanks for the comments everyone. Feels good to get some positive re-enforcement, especially after reading that thread about so many people hating open concept homes! Wow, I guess they're not for everybody.

Yes, the ceiling is a bit of a show stealer. That's one of the reasons we tried to keep it simple and mostly unadorned everywhere else (ie. flat slab cabinet doors). The house didn't generate much interest when it was for sale 8 or 9 years ago because from the outside it looks like an ordinary run-down ranch and the realtor didn't comment on the inside! Although, we're on about ten acres in the country so most of the people around here don't care too much about architecture or design or anything like that anyway. (I'm not saying rednecks but some of their necks are at least orange).

Regarding MCM, (florantha's comments) the house was built much later than the 50's-60's so there's no need to be authentic to the genre. We just want to give a "nod" to MCM while also borrowing contemporary elements and even Asian touches (after all, original ranch and bungalows often dabbled in Japanese influences, like the enclosed glass interior gardens etc..). Overall, I'm just into architecture with natural elements like wood and stone and glass (favorite is James Cutler of Cutler Anderson Architects, but you need big bucks for homes like that!)

The backsplash has been a challenge precisely because (chinchette nailed it) it is hard to see where to start and stop it due to that angled corner. flwrs_n_co I didn't mean to give the impression that no one responded to my previous backsplash query. Many of you did, we just aren't able to make a decision. I like the look of the penny rounds that "dan-in-austin" posted from his kitchen in another thread recently. We have also considered a half inch mosaic with shades of the counter and darker mixed. It's a bit trendy though. melle sacto, yes i keep coming back to orange tile. If tile wasn't so permanent, we'd go pumpkin. It would be a real punch. I think we have too much stainless in the appliances to go with that on the backsplash. Here's two candidates... thoughts?

byronroad, your place sounds great. Isn't the difference between 'post and beam' and 'timber frame' that P&B uses metal fasteners to connect the beams and timber frame uses carved joints, dovetails, dowels etc... jakabedy, thanks for the blog link . I like what you're doing there. seaduck, never heard of the Gropius house, Interesting. Thanks. Appreciate all the feedback.

If you're taking votes, I vote for the second one. I like the tile shape, pattern, and color--would give a very serene look. If you're looking for punch though, you could always add that with your accessories.

The second one.

Sorry, but neither one does your house justice. Keep searching ;)

Try these:
http://www.missiontilewest.com/styles/japanese_tile/1.html
or these:
http://www.missiontilewest.com/styles/artistic/1.html

I'm the last one who should be giving advice on backsplash (still don't know what to do after 8 months with my kitchen), but of the two you posted I also prefer option two.

From dianalo's links I really like Treble.

Such a difficult decision.

Thanks for the opinions. I like your blunt honesty dianalo but our house isn't anything fancy. Of the two, the second one does seem better, but we'd consider options. Sochi - oh... you're not alone on that. It could take us forever to make this decision too. There should be an exclusive thread just for those of us that can't decide!

Mesa pattern glass

Or these from dianalo's links;

treble

tropique

Really, this could go either way - a bit more mcm or a bit more current day modern.

I vote for Mesa glass - a touch of something a little less perfect, a little more arty or handmade.

Where are you going to stop the tile?

Thanks bmorepanic. Exactly right, there is a spectrum of styles that would work which creates too many options. In the end, it's hard not to let price be the deciding factor. Why pay $25+ a sq/ft if it's no more inspiring than $7 a sq/ft really? The issue of where to start and stop the tile is another thing we can't resolve, especially because of that angled corner. Oh well, any strong opinions are welcomed because we're about ready to toss up our arms in defeat.

If you're still considering pennyrounds (I love them!), you might want to look at overstock. They're the same ones sold at HD, so you can check out the colors in person. The prices at the big O are really attractive, and they have a soft green with taupe edges that would probably look divine in your home.

lynnski, thanks for letting me know. Good prices and selection there and this one is interesting.

In regards to where it should start and stop, I think it would help to have a close-up, or at least more close than what we are seeing. I can't actually tell what the wall looks like. It looks like there are two windows but I can't tell what is on the right.

I know what you mean about angles being difficult with backsplash decisions. We obsessed over ours for two years then decided on none. (Have a 4 inch row of sonoma tantrums in same color as our granite.)

I love the mesa and the cool kind of funky treble followed by tropique. Awesome. Who does not love MCM?!

I know what you mean about fear of revealing the less traditional side of remodeling. I am working up my courage to show my plan.