1950s Mid Century Modern Home Renovation: Before & After

Thanks to Hurricane Helene, we renovated our 1959 mid-century modern vacation rental for the second time in three years.

The first time, back in 2023, John and I spent about four months restoring the single story structure before listing it on Airbnb and Vrbo. Before we purchased the property, it sat uninhabited for over a year. Both the interior and exterior needed a major overhaul and, with the help of a local contractor, we gave the house a fresh, retro makeover—albeit on a budget.

SEE THE FIRST RENOVATION BEFORE & AFTER HERE

The second time… well, we didn’t plan to redo the entire house a second time. Bookings were steady. Ratings were high. And then Helene hit in September 2024. The entire neighborhood flooded and forced us to gut every room. Again.

Thankfully, we were able to save some of the furniture and interior decor, but everything else had to go. This time around, we hired an interior designer to take the home’s mid century charms to the next level.

We also utilized our contractor for the bulk of the work. While John does flip houses in the Knoxville area and we do both work remotely, it was simply easier for us to pay someone else with the insurance money.

Highlights from renovation #2 include:

Completely redesigned kitchen and bar area
New ensuite primary bathroom
Funky wallpaper in several rooms
Even more mid century touches than before

Then, in 2026, we completed phase two of the second renovation by adding a pool.

While not part of the hurricane remodel, our dream of a pool came to fruition after back-to-back hurricanes Helene and Isaac also damaged the seawall and forced us to replace it. As far as we could tell, the old seawall was original to the house—and far too low to meet today’s code standards. The new, taller and thicker seawall not only gives us more protection but also created a stronger brace to support an inground pool and expansive paver patio space.

From start to finish, the pool took longer than expected. To oversee the project, we stayed in Florida for three solid months while working our full-time jobs. It is truly a blessing to have such flexible jobs and I do not take that for granted!

And now, the house is complete… until the next project comes along.

See Our Airbnb