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Pat also spotted this simple, retro-styled light fixture at Lowe’s — it’s a mere $12.98. Like the porcelain bathroom sconce, this light fixture style was also ubiquitious, and used all over the house in mid-century America. With the chrome fixture base, it has a definite 50s 60s vibe. Part of the Portfolio brand, at Lowe’s online here. Thanks again, Pat, good detective work.
“Fake butcher block countertops” are another one of those original vintage house features that I often hear called “hideous” on other websites. (Crikey, how I have come to despise that word — it is overkill, please refrain.) I, on the other hand, not only have “no problem” with butcher block laminate, I am 100% on [...]
Over at her blog The Home Project, reader Linn and her husband continue to chronicle the remodel of their adorable bungalow kitchen. Recently, they rolled up their sleeves and installed a stainless steel countertop right over the old, existing laminate countertops. The headline: When first considering the stainless steel countertop option, Linn contacted a big [...]
Another first for the blog and our Retro Renovation journey: Last night I spotted vintage Geneva steel kitchen cabinets in a Target commercial. Don’t they look fantastic! Continue on for the close-up and more play-by-play commentary —> I think the countertop is some variety of solid surface material – a very sleek, modern look. And, I’m guessing that [...]
The new crop of laminates suitable for mid-century kitchen countertops continues. Reader Jon gets snaps for spotting this new “Motion” series of laminate from Pionite. Jon writes: Hi Pam, First, I love the site. I’ve been reading it since December when I purchased my teeny tiny 1946 house (originally a summer home) on the shore [...]
UPDATE (Oct 2011): Click over to –> this story to get an update on all three sources for boomerang laminate. Where to find a retro Formica countertop for a red, black and white kitchen? Pamela recently wrote to ask: Hi! I bought a home a couple of years ago … it’s a 10-year-old FL ranch, [...]
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11 inexpensive retro lights from Lowe’s 
Inexpensive porcelain bathroom sconce from Lowe’s 
Retro 50s 60s lighting for kitchen, bathroom, dining room and more — from Rejuvenation Lighting 
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I have this fixture and the pricey porcelain Selma shade from Rejuventation in my house (a 1945 Cape Cod in Calif…..odd), and the Lowe’s pull-chain fixture is reallly poor quality. The pull-chain breaks easily if you tug on it too hard. Granted, it is fixable w/a little electrical knowledge, but you get what you pay for. I love my Selma lights and do not begrudge the $$s.
Alison Marie, thanks for that comparison. I think that one could get around the pull chain issue with the Lowe’s fixture by hard-wiring the light onto a switch. I actually have a pair of the Selma’s, too, in one of my bathrooms – and that’s what I did. I got the pull chain, though, for “effect”. I wanted to see it – but I didn’t want to use it. Rejuvenation will add it for you, if you want. On the rare occasion I want to only put one light on — like late at night — the pull chains work.
This post came at a funny time because I just took one of these out of my bathroom yesterday. I replaced it with an awesome curved glass fixture I found at Ace Hardware. It’s great lights like this are still available though.
Hi Pam. My husband will LOVE this…he is the store manager for the Springfield Lowe’s Store!