Over on the Forum, a homeowner in St. Louis has posted a set of vintage St. Charles steel kitchen cabinets for sale — with their original terra cotta paint. I’d noted this color in a brochure I have dated 1957 — a year in which the company spotlighted a number of fantastic colors and designs. But, this is the first time I’ve seen terra cotta in the flesh, and I like it. “Rust” actually has been on my mind a lot these days — I’m putting it on my list of *hot* colors for 2010. Note in the kitchen design above: The rotisserie operating in the bricked-in, built-in barbeque… the white wall cabinets that lighten up the terra cotta and play off the mortar in the brick…and the scalloped cafe curtains. Great kitchen. And great cabinets, asking price $5,000. Gulp. Prices keep going up, didn’t I tell ya.
Welcome to retro-wonderland, Apartment Therapy voters. 
Here at Retro Renovation, a lot of us are “accidental modernists.” We ended up in our (generally) small, mid-century homes because they were in the right neighborhoods or because the price was right. Mid-century *modern* homes, yes, but mid-century *modest* homes, too… ranches, capes, colonials, contemporaries, bungalows and split levels that real estate agents generally suggest should be gutted. We kinda like the quirky charm, though, and our motto has become “Love The House You’re In.” So before we make any drastic changes, we meet here to share renovation resources, lots of vintage eye-candy photos and a friendly and helpful community — all with the goal to update our homes in a way that’s sympathetic to their original postwar design. I like to think we’re playful and unpretentious (just like our simpler houses), and we’re not “purists” — it’s your house, make the changes that are right for you — love it! In fact, our main rule for comments is that “no one can be made to feel bad for their choices.” So take a tour… ask questions… and we hope you have a blast. After you’ve soaked it all in, if you want to vote for us, we would be honored. If you haven’t registered yet, go to Apartment Therapy; once you’ve confirmed your registration via email, click on 
In 2010, I will try and hunt down and feature the entire series of mid-century kitchen design vignettes produced by the American Gas Association. They are all so elegant — like a design board, pulling together a few simple elements to showcase key inspiration elements for a particular kitchen. The gas stoves are wicked awesome, too. 
Several readers have asked where to get cabinets faced with laminate, a style very appropriate for mid-century kitchens and bathrooms. I checked my notes from Cindy — who used laminate cabinets in both 
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