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15 Tammis Keefe fabric designs in stores now — reissued by Michael Miller

Posted by: • January 31, 2011

tammis keefe fabrics

tammis keefe

Photo used with permission from Michael Miller, with thanks to Ruth Stone Berg, second cousin of Tammis Keefe, who supplied the beautiful photograph of Tammis Keefe.

Already, one of the most important mid century product news announcements of the year: Fabric designer Michael Miller is reissuing a whole host of vintage Tammis Keefe fabric designs, with the first wave coming into stores right now. Tammis Keefe was one of the most prolific textile designers during the heart of the baby boom years. Take a look at her vintage handkerchief and tea towel designs on ebay and etsy, and you will see right away what an amazing and spirited talent she was. I had a wonderful conversation last week with Christine Osmers from the Michael Miller team, and she explained that 15 designs should be arriving in stores right about now. They include: Heck yeah there is more →

Meet Mariah — a Retro Renovator keeping in touch from Afghanistan

Posted by: • January 30, 2011

mariah with a pink flamingo in afghanistanMariah writes:

Hi Pam,

I’m the Army officer that wrote you from Afghanistan about the Bowie Cape Cod!  Just wanted to send along a pic of my own pretty little house, which is the same model and same year as the one you featured today. I love your blog! It has been a great resource for me and a source of inspiration as I fix up our little place. Plus it makes a nice escape for me, when I read it here in Afghanistan, I can dream about my fun DIY hobby at home and read the thoughts and ideas of like minded retro renovators.

Heck yeah there is more →

Color photographs of the Great Depression: Living in a dugout house, New Mexico, 1940

Posted by: • January 29, 2011

1940 New Mexico dugout house FSA photographIf you are a regular reader of this blog, you know I get all sentimental about outhouses — finding it so hard to comprehend… to imagine… how many folks in America didn’t have indoor plumbing until the 1950s or even into the 1960s. I like to pinch my whiny self to remind how lucky I have it. In that same spirit, this photo just blew me away: It’s from 1940 — a dugout house in Pie Town, New Mexico. Heck yeah there is more →

1963 time capsule house: “Keep It or Change It?” quiz

Posted by: • January 28, 2011

1963 vintage kitchenToday we have a 1963 time capsule house for sale in Bowie, Maryland. And we are going to play a new game: “Keep It or Change It?” To start: Heck yeah there is more →

Retro bathroom sink faucets from Chicago Faucets

Posted by: • January 27, 2011

faucets for a bathroom sink

Here is a newly discovered option for a mid century bathroom sink faucet. Note, the hexagonal base of the levers — that touch gives this faucet from Chicago Faucets a mid century feel, to me — I had these hexes on my original towel bars, for example. Mostly, I think that bathroom faucets for 1940s, 1950s, 1960s or 1970s bathrooms need to be on the simple side. No Victorian steroids and no Euro modern tubular projections. I used a Chicago Faucets faucet for my 1963 kitchen restoration — love it. Hefty. Note, this company has a variety of faucets in this basic style, in a variey of spreads. Check them out here: Bathroom and kitchen faucets from Chicago Faucets.

Sledgehammer this! More pink bathroom love from the newspaper world

Posted by: • January 26, 2011

Tee hee and yeehaw, here’s another story about Save the Pink Bathrooms, featuring three other readers – Meghan, Fiona and Carri — in the Minneapolis Star-Tribune. It is so fun to help make these stories happen! I guess I know lots of folks with pink bathrooms, so it’s pretty easy to connect them when reporters come a-callin’. And, this story is really really good! Home and garden writer Kim Palmer captured the spirit of our little quest — which is emblematic of our bigger quest (to love midcentury homes) — just beautifully. I’m kind of proud of this quote, which explained how/why STPB got started: Heck yeah there is more →