While trolling the internet for midcentury homes (we’re obsessed), we discovered Tim and Lesley Anderson’s abode via Lesley’s blog, MidModRedo.com. Part construction diary, part virtual inspiration board, her site chronicles the ongoing, two-years-and-counting project to strip their 1955 ranch down to its bones and rebuild the interior, pure mod.

The Andersons came to Denver from San Francisco and gravitated to Arapahoe Acres, a small pocket of homes built in Englewood in the 1950s by developer Edward Hawkins. The neighborhood is on the National Register of Historic Places, which both inspired and required the Andersons to renovate true-to-style. The two took on the project with a DIY spirit. Tim hand-built the kitchen cabinets. Lesley took weekly pilgrimages to vintage stores to track down finishes (like the entryway light fixtures salvaged from a 1950s California hotel). Together, they hand-stripped a circa-1970s coat of white paint off the teak-paneled walls.

5280 August 2011
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But the couple also knew when to hand over the project to a professional. They hired architect Chris Craver, mod whiz kid and principal of Denver-based C2 Architect, to handle a 2,000-square-foot addition, which comprises a family room, dining room, and office. Craver’s plans paid homage to the original architecture, but made sure the house met the needs of a 21st-century family (the Andersons have a four-year-old son, Ty). One of Craver’s favorite elements is the accordion-style sliding doors that open from the great room into the backyard (which is yet another ongoing DIY project for the Andersons). Log on to the blog to watch the yard take shape this season.

This article was originally published in 5280 August 2011.
Cheryl Meyers
Cheryl Meyers
Cheryl Meyers is a contributing writer to 5280 Home, which means she gets to spend her days writing about Colorado’s most beautiful indoor spaces.