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10 ideas for cheery 40s or 50s kitchen curtains

Posted by: • August 14, 2009

warm bisquit bedding pom pom trim

Stephanie asked for suggestions for window treatments for her 50s kitchen, so I dived into the world wide web for a few hours and came up with a shopping list of some new vendors never featured before. They offer fabrics and hardware for suitable cheery, nostalgic window treatments. Above: pom poms from Warm Bisquit Bedding…more of their products below. Heck yeah there is more →

Stephanie’s vintage O’Keefe and Merritt stove

Posted by: • August 13, 2009
stephanies-vintage-kitchenREADER STEPHANIE sent in photos of her wonderful vintage stove — an O’Keefe and Merritt newly restored by Antique Stove Heaven. Doesn’t it look great with her vintage chrome crackle ice vinyl and laminate dinette. I just wanna pull up a chair and have a cuppa with her right this very minute. Heck yeah there is more →

2 retro exhaust fans

Posted by: • August 12, 2009

vintage-style-exhaust-fanmid-century exhaust fan

LAST YEAR Nutone discontinued the satin chrome grille its classic ceiling / wall exhaust fan, replacing it with an unexciting plastic housing. It’s taken me a while – but here are two other options to dash ahead of Nutone on our selection list. Heck yeah there is more →

Paint color for a red brick and wood ranch house

Posted by: • August 11, 2009

mid-century-brick-ranch-houseI‘VE ALWAYS ADMIRED THIS HOUSE three blocks or so from mine. The salmon-beige paint with the red brick looks terrific, I think. On Monday, I grabbed my camera, took a walk over, and knocked on the door in true retro recon style — to find out the brand and name of the paint. They were home and happy to respond to this unexpected request from a stranger. Of course, I live in a small town so we identified a mutual friend within seconds. Heck yeah there is more →

Vintage Beatles wallpaper

Posted by: • August 11, 2009


If these 5 rolls of Beatles wallpaper really are from the 60s, it should be interesting to see how much they sell for.

Vintage 1960 electric bathroom heaters

Posted by: • August 10, 2009

1960-nutone-bathroomVINTAGE WALL HEATERS, often combined with exhaust fans, are fun to find in postwar homes. Here are three models I found in a catalog from late 1960. They are from Nutone and Rangaire — and oh my goodness, those ceiling models in particular are awesomely atomic, don’t you think? Heck yeah there is more →

Tax credits for home improvements through year-end 2010

Posted by: • August 9, 2009

energy-starCHEAPSKATE PAM here. Be sure you know about all the tax credits you can get for home improvements now through the end of 2010. All part of our economic recovery and energy efficiency programs, potentially good for the environment and good for the pocketbook, too, if played correctly.  Money smart because (1) you can save a lot of money directly off your tax bill, offsetting the cost of the improvements by up to 30%, and (2) you can cut your energy bill, especially if you choose improvements whose energy payback is better than the up-front costs. This latter issue can be tricky, though. Heck yeah there is more →

Mid-century architecture — 1960s San Mateo, Florida

Posted by: • August 8, 2009

1950s-home-brochureREADER SAMANTHA now is the proud owner of a vintage brochure that includes houses in her own mid-century San Mateo, Florida, neighborhood. I am sure we will all be very jealous, because once you get into retro renovating your home, it seems like you want to know its complete history. Read on for Samantha’s story and for links to her blog, where you can also access the complete catalog. Heck yeah there is more →

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