Researching ornamental iron and aluminum columns and railings to help owners of mid century home add some old skool curb appeal to their front porches was hard — the websites were not set up for national consumers, particularly, so I had hunt and peck. For this story I found three suppliers — one really good sounding, national source of decorative aluminum columns… and two local sources for ornamental iron columns and railings. Heck yeah there is more →
Add curb appeal to your midcentury home with ornamental metal porch columns — 3 sources for this old school product
Posted by: • August 16, 2011
Update: 28 places to shop for an affordable midcentury modern style sofa
Posted by: • August 15, 2011
Back in March I did a ton of research and identified 19 places to buy an affordable midcentury modern style sofa. Following the original story, readers provided more resources. I now have gone through every comment and incorporated them into an updated list of 28 manufacturers and/or retailers offering unique midcentury style sofa designs. For this research exercise: Heck yeah there is more →
A knotty pine pink bathroom — channeling Marilyn Monroe
Posted by: • August 14, 2011
For the first time ever, I see two of my favorite, ubiquitous (generally unappreciated) features of mid century homes come together as one: Pink Bathrooms and Knotty Pine. Woot! Reader Lynne recently moved into a house with a knotty pine pink bathroom upstairs — and rather than diss them both, she embraced them. Turns out that Lynne also has a thing for Marilyn Monroe, so she’s in the mix too. I love it — including that gorgeous vintage Homart sink and toilet! Read on for Lynne’s story and a slide show of 16 photos from her charming space: Heck yeah there is more →
Tips on canning and preserving summer fruits and vegetables from A Way to Garden
Posted by: • August 13, 2011
Did you grow your own fruits and vegetables this year? Or, are you finding lots of great looking fruits and vegetables at great prices at local farmstands or the grocery? If so, it’s time to start putting up the harvest. My friend Margaret Roach, author the blog A Way to Garden, has been testing freezing and canning methods for some 20 years. She’s very practical and has gathered all her tried and true tips and recipes galore. Here is a round up of some favorite — and timely advice — from her archives: Heck yeah there is more →
Hangin’ with Lisa LaPorta, obsessing over dog portraits, riding a cherry picker and creating a Design Star room — HGTV Home Shaw Floors trip report
Posted by: • August 12, 2011
It’s been a crazy busy summer for every single person I know. Me, too — so much so that it’s taken me a solid month to get coverage of my recent trip to see the HGTV Home Shaw Floors lineup onto the blog. This is the second blogger event I’ve been to. It was held over the course of three days in Asheville and High Point, North Carolina. Disclosure: Shaw Floors paid my airfare, hotel, meals and other transportation — all part of hosting 10 design bloggers to showcase their new collaboration with HGTV. Heck yeah there is more →
200 or so vintage Nutone doorbells… and other cheap & cheerful treasures on the ‘bay
Posted by: • August 12, 2011
I heard from several readers about Nutone treasures currently on ebay. Need a doorbell — or 200, asked (oops, who? deleted email! sorry!)…And, sorry to mess up those of you trying to get the 20 piece set of Nutone Food Center gadgets. I also love the two vintage bathroom (?) sconces… and there’s a lovely complete-ish set of Stylebuilt bathroom accessories. With the economy being so unsettling these days, I’m trying to focus these carousels on cheap, cheerful, NOS-really-useful-for-the-renovation and/or rarely seen. I love it when you send me tips on your finds — keep ‘em coming, and I’ll try to do better with the credit next time. My bad.
Disclosure: When you buy anything from these ebay carousels or after you click into ebay here
Go clean out a drawer
Posted by: • August 10, 2011
Update: If you’re reading this, the a.m. changes to the blog have come through and it’s onward and upward. However, due to the technowork, no daily dose today. Go clean out a drawer instead — it will feel GOOD!
Where to get a metal sink frame — in ANY size — sink clips, too
Posted by: • August 10, 2011
When I recently spoke with Bill Rapp, the president of Vance Industries, who shared the history of metal sink frames, he clarified that if homeowners need a replacement sink rim aka frame aka hudee ring, you can not only select from his company’s 18 stock sizes, but the company can make you virtually ANY CUSTOM SIZE you need for your vintage kitchen or bathroom sink. As followers of the blog know, “hudee rings” are among the most beloved artifacts of mid century homes here at Retro Renovation. Heck yeah there is more →
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