Michelle Gringeri-Brown

I'm the founding editor of Atomic Ranch magazine, a shelter publication focusing on postwar ranch homes, primarily built in the '50s and '60s. With my photographer husband, Jim Brown, we wrote about and photograph inspiring homes from coast to coast. We both grew up in Southern California but now live in Portland, Ore.

Our first book, "Atomic Ranch: Design Ideas for Stylish Ranch Homes," focuses on both modernist and transitional ranch houses, from the exteriors and landscaping to the furnishings and decorative details. Think your aunt's ranch house but with really cool furniture and fresh modern finishes. What most interests me are the homeowners' stories, not hipper-than-thou coverage of celebrity pads or the latest starchitect of the moment. The homes in the book (and magazine) are inspiring yet attainable--interior design for the rest of us if you will.

"Atomic Ranch: Midcentury Interiors," is our March 2012 coffee-table volume published by Gibbs Smith. In it we share eight fantastic homes located all across the U.S. and discuss what works best about their interiors. Styles range from a split-level and several modernist customs to California tract homes and a traditional ranch in Tulsa. There's even an aluminum prefab house in New York state with amazing details. The homeowners' stories of their renovations and remodels contain lots of tips that you can translate to your own ranch. Get ideas on flooring, appliances, window coverings, affordable finishes and furniture you can live with and enjoy without needing to be a design fanatic. Whether your taste runs to vintage furniture and retro kitchens or you're a clean-lined modernist collector, "Atomic Ranch: Midcentury Interiors" delivers lots of eye candy.