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A short history of steel kitchen cabinets

Posted by: • January 31, 2010

Since 2002 I’ve learned quite a lot about steel kitchen cabinets, which were crazy popular in post-World War II America. During the war, we worked hard, saved our money – and dreamed of the day it would all be over so that we could build happy homes with our families. The center of the home then, as now: The kitchen. And steel was the material of choice. Pulling together much of what I’ve learned and covered on the blog to date, I created an entire page dedicated to the history and design of vintage metal kitchen cabinets, along with an FAQ. 3,263 words. Short? Well, there are lots of pictures too. Read all about the history of steel kitchen cabinets.

12 fun & useful retro renovation stories from one year ago

Posted by: • January 31, 2010

I was looking at stories featured last January, and there are some gems, if I say so myself. How about:

Restored antique lighting from Rejuvenation

Posted by: • January 30, 2010

When Rejuvenation hosted a facility tour for Jane (above) and me in March, we got a first-hand view of the gazillions of vintage lighting fixtures that they had in stock at their warehouse. They use this stock for reference when considering new reproduction designs… They are all just light-lovers and pack-rats like the rest of us, so can’t resist buying them… And, they actually restore them for sale locally and on their website.  I really like their online catalog of restored antique lighting because it shows a good selection of the true diversity of lighting that was available in the 30s, 40s, 50s and 60s. So much of the interior design media today only focuses on the iconic (so far) mid-century *modern* lighting, that it’s easy to forget there were many other really beautiful styles out there, too. Heck yeah there is more →

D is for Dance

Posted by: • January 29, 2010


TGIF. Get off your chair and shake it. You know you wanna. From the 1969 pilot episode of Sesame Street — via bob & dusty’s whirl a go go

Mid-century bathroom hardware in Fla.

Posted by: • January 29, 2010

Here’s a new resource for mint-in-box mid-century bath hardware: Anderson’s Classic Hardware in West Palm Beach, Florida. I’ve talked to these folks before — and like many other local places that have been in business for decades, they recently discovered some old stock in the back room. They are now listing it online, bit by bit. So, it’s best to check back now and then. For example: I love this little Hall-Mack Aristochrome robe hook. The scale is SO much better than much of the on-steroids designs today. $12 at Anderson’s Classic Hardware.

A bathroom vanity design including both wood and laminate

Posted by: • January 28, 2010

1964 Ranch House

Can’t decide whether you want a bathroom vanity made of wood vs. one made of laminate? Or, do you have a tired wood vanity that could use an inexpensive yet cheerful refresh? This example from 1964 shows how you can have the best of both worlds — and a matching countertop, too. Reader Thom captured these photos — they are from the house that he grew up in, a 1964 ranch in Allegheny County, Virginia, that his parents had built for them. Click on either of the two photos to get to his flickr photostream, where he has a few other terrific images of a classic 60s family house. Drats — now if we could only get laminate like that on the vanity. We can get mosaic floor tile that seems darn close to Thom’s parents’ bathroom – Nemo Appiana. Thom, thank you so much for sharing. This is the first time that I’ve seen a design like this and it’s all the more special because it’s yours. :)

1964 Ranch House