Retro renovation Friday photo gallery

Today, it’s a hodge podge of images that I’ve been saving up from here and there…images that make me very happy. St. Louis Elizabeth gets the credit for several – thanks, E!

The three sisters:

Pink stove and friends:


Mom’s ebay deal:


Femme1‘s front door:

Catherine’s entry floor:

Vintage inlaid linoleum:

1940 Youngstowns:


Dishes that make the world go round:

Where the decorating gods hang out:

50s living room: Vintage Kroehler fabric samples to simply adore

Aren’t these samples of vintage Kroehler nylon upholstery fabrics the greatest? Lots of good ideas here, regarding both design and colors to look to replicate. These are all currently listed on ebay.

50s dining room – decorating gone haywire

Mary-Frances has respectfully requested some 50s rooms that I ‘hate.’ While I will stop short of expressing this intense of an emotion, I have to admit, I’m pretty close on this one. Here are some things to like:

  1. Black-painted furniture is great, and I like how the color modernizes the lines of the Federal-style furniture
  2. Floor is wonderful.
  3. I like how the ceiling is painted to contrast the walls.

On the other hand, the negatives drown out the positives:

  1. This curtain look is just not my favorite, except for maybe in a girl’s bedroom.
  2. Wallpaper – scale too big and the colors too stark.
  3. Red satin on the chairs – bordello. Black/pink/red color combo – same.
  4. Eagle – holey moley.

Overall, I find the room ‘screeches’, rather than ‘sings.’

RetroRenovation fools Apartment Therapy readers

So, the night before the hack-attack, a room that I submitted to Apartment Therapy’s Guess the Decade feature ran. And — how fun — it was the first one in a long time to fool participants. Here were the guesses:

And the answer: 1952. Writer Janel also featured some of my comments on the interior, which the architect designed as a “hearth room.” Here’s what she posted:

Pam followed up with some more info on the room and the book that it appeared in: The room was from a home in Johnson City, Tennesee, designed by architect Alfred Abernethy for his family. It appeared in “Living for Young Homemakers” with the tagline, Live High On a Low Budget.

In the postwar period, a proud America was defining its own sense of taste and style for the first time. While this home is very modern, it’s also interesting to see the colonial touches – the other trend, reaching back to our pioneer heritage, that was very much a part of our newfound design identity. Another big trend during the period was “bringing the outdoors in,” which you clearly see in the Hearth Room.

Also of interest is the color palette. While we tend to think of pastels when it comes to the 50s, “reassuring autumnals” also were very popular. These were taken specifically from brilliant New England fall colors. This interest in autumnals also came out of the ‘outdoors in’ trend – and even out of the desire to “instill a sense of warmth and security” during the Cold War.

To see Janel’s post click here.

50s meets the Gilded Age — not my favorite look

In her comment about the 500th post, Mary-Frances asks:

…Here’s something I want to see…things Pam hates! Give me your idea of what NOT to do in a 50’s house!

So… I saved this 1952 photo because I thought it was kind of… well, not so great. If you read the fine print, the ad is for the carpet….but what about the rest? In some ways, a very typical “Florida,” or three-season room. Metal furniture, tropical upholstery, brick floor (awesome!) – and look outside the window, that’s a 50s awning – cool! But, those old Europe sconces and credenza – this is a 50s meets the Gilded Age look that’s not doin’ it for me.

Tomorrow: A second, not-so-favorite look. (Notice how I stop short of ‘hates’… hey, it’s only decorating!)

And thanks, Mary-Frances, for the inspiration!

“Embodied Energy”: “The greenest building is one that’s already built.”

I am likely behind the times on some of this, so found it very interesting to learn about the concept of “embodied energy” — vs. “conspicuous conservation” — and why renovating what you have may be the smartest form of green building after all.

A Cautionary Tale
Amid our green-building boom, why neglecting the old in favor of the new just might cost us dearly.

By Wayne Curtis | From Preservation | January/February 2008

Show me the person who doesn’t love a green, environmentally responsible building.

Green buildings are good for you and good for society, and they’re absolutely everywhere these days—you can’t open an architecture publication without seeing a splashy spread touting some new sustainable project. The green building movement has even added to our vocabulary, albeit with ungainly expressions like carbon footprint and FSC-certified wood. READ PRESERVATION’S ENTIRE STORY HERE.