How to Make Your House a Real Life Mattel 1978 DreamHouse

Yes, it is quite possible. First, check out the current issue of Atomic Ranch magazine (if reading later it's September/August 2021). They gutted a 1950s shoebox ranch house, raised the roof and now it's an asymmetrical mid mod house with insanely cool breeze panel patio accents in the front. 

Once installed, these beautiful, maintenance free panels will give your house a unique, fetching look for years to come. 

Contractor white paint is slightly cheaper than tinted, two coats are better than one. Railing easily found in any home improvement store, or custom made by local carpenters. 

Easily ordered online, or custom made on site, you now have your white planter boxes! New Age nothing; these are groovy, baby! 

Don't be afraid to add color, you'll need to complete this step if you truly want that 1978 DreamHouse look. Remember to purchase exterior semi gloss paint, and use a micro fiber foam roller after sanding and cleaning thoroughly. 

Never be afraid to embrace a shocking yellow floor AND ceiling. Here we see it is smartly and correctly implemented into this bright, white space. It will be the talk of the neighborhood for years to come. 

See, yellow floors DO work. Try not to clutter it up, we want to actually see the yellow floors. You can also try yellow carpet, or if your rent then large yellow shag rugs will do in a pinch. I consider it a non-chemical mood lifter for all. 

Get ready to cross those rail road tracks into the spooky part of town to get these rare, vintage Harvest Gold appliances. Trust me, they still exist, you just may have to 'haunt' these used appliance stores for awhile and give them some elbow grease to clean them up good as new once they are delivered. Keep a bucket handy. 40 year old ice makers tend to leak every 3rd or 4th ice cube making cycle. Remember to pick up some orange and blue ice cube trays from the dollar store, too! 

I clean mine with Lemon Pledge. Keeps the wood grain looking so new and attractive. 

Thank you for letting me indulge in a sardonic, ironic post. It was fun, we must do this again soon. 

Here is your newly staged dining area. and if you design the ceiling like the center piece has, it would look like this:

And if you can find this linoleum in harvest gold, you are set: 

For a groovy Dream House door, simply paint the door yellow, and custom cut the breeze block pattern into plywood and attach. 

After all the above made changes have been made, you should have a home resembling our beloved. Short of remodeling, here is what I think the closest thing you could find "in the wild" on real estate apps. The price is average, great lot and so forth. I would likely add green shag carpeting and mid mod light fixtures and decor. 

Natural wooded lot, shed roof shaped sections, slat siding, vaulted ceilings, lots of natural interior light, large decks and even a cool carport make this one a winner! While 78-79 was the peak of this architectural movement, I have seen similar homes dating to as late as 96. Presumably, you could take old plans to a builder and get a brand new one. There are lots of books online with hundreds of similar options. 


architecture houses designand if you just want a larger playhouse outside that can withstand the weather, then with some modification, this may be for you: