Jon and Trixi — we’ve seen portions of their project under way — have finished remodeling their kitchen, and are mostly done with the bathrooms. And in a twist that I am sure the folks at Rust-Oleum were not anticipating, the epicenter of their “Retro Renovation story” is that they freshened up their kitchen cabinets by painting them warm brown on the top — and avocado on the bottom — using Rust-Oleum’s Cabinet Transformations kit. No, avocado ain’t a stock color in the Rust-O kit — Jon is intrepid, and had it custom-tinted avocado at his local store. Jon wants me to emphasize that all of the work they did throughout the house cost less than $2,000 — because they (1) used their existing, functionally sound cabinets (2) uncovered the vintage countertop and floor (3) hunted down salvage and vintage fixtures and furniture and (4) did the work themselves. I luv it! Click on through for their compete story along with 21 photos live from the scene. Photos by Glenn Suckow and Trixi Hunt — many thanks!
Jon writes:
Dear Pam:
This here is a folder full o’ photos of our house — kitchen (before and after), living room (before and after), bathroom (before and after) as well as our office, bedroom and exterior — including our next project, the rec room in the basement!
The one thing I’d love to stress if you write about us is that we did this ENTIRE THING — I’m taking furniture, paint, accessories, etc –for UNDER TWO GRAND. Almost every single item is from a thrift store or a salvage yard or a Reuse Center. The hard work, of course, came from me and Trixi!
Some notes, room by room:
[Pam adds: Jon says this 1966 St. Charles kitchen featured on the blog in 2008 was their inspiration. Great job!]
KITCHEN: In these photos, you can finally see the finished cabinets, using the Cabinet Transformation Kits from Rustoleum. You can also finally get a good look at the dining area, with our 1967 Chromcraft dining set which we LOVE. There’s also a great shot of the “corner o’ chrome” — our cool Lincoln Beautyware canisters and paper towel dispenser, plus the NuTone food center and cutting board.
BATHROOM: The countertop is a reclaimed counter from the Reuse Center with gold fleck formica which we cut to fit. The sink is from a salvage yard. The American Standard peach toilet (which matches the tub exactly!!) is from Reuse Center, we got it free to take it off their hands. The floor I put in myself, just some cool hex tile from Menards. [Pam corrects: That’s call octagon-and-dot — super affordable and available at most of the big boxes.] The wall has groovy stencils done by Trixi which match the atomic design on our light bar. The curtains are vintage, from Etsy. The wallpaper is also vintage, from Etsy. Still to be done: tiles in the tub area.
LIVING ROOM: Our pride and joy is the vintage Preway cone fireplace, which we haven’t yet hooked up but which we HOPE will eventually work. You can see, in the general shot, our cool surfboard-shaped coffee table. The chair in the one shot is a Jens Risom from 1968, we got it for FOUR DOLLARS from a thrift store. The end table is Adrian Pearsall, and IT TOO was under ten bucks. The only non-vintage stuff in there are the armoire (which is Baker — Trixi used to work for ’em) and the couch, which is a Daffa.
OFFICE, BEDROOM: The office is just the one shot of the main office area, with our vintage stuff, and another of a weird 70s vinyl chair that sits on the other side of it. There’s also a shot of our bedroom, which has the curtains Trixi made with vintage fabric from Etsy.
BASEMENT: This is our next project! We’ve got a full set of JC Penney whiskey barrel furniture from the late 60s and that cool vintage fake fireplace, plus the Shag prints on the wall. We still have to wallpaper and paint down there — it’s a-coming.
OUTSIDE: A couple good shots of our house (PINK AND BLUE!) plus our DIY rock and flower garden. All the materials in the garden were salvaged from various sites in the Twin Cities — we have bricks and such from demolition sites that used to be cobblestones. Even the rocks are vintage — Trixi’s folks got them from the Mississippi
riverbank in the 1960s.So there you have it! THANK YOU — of course we couldn’t have done it without you!
Jon & Trixi — yay on you! Just yay! I wish I were closer, I’d for sure be over the mix you up some Margarita celebration. And, Jon, thank you so so much for all the sharing you’ve done as you’ve worked on your house. A bundle of stories from last year were all due to you:
- The first story about Jon & Trixi — and how they came to Love the House You’re In.
- Another update on the un-remodel from J&T.
- Jon finds the manufacturer who still makes hudee rims today.
- The same manufacturer makes drop-in cutting boards / trivets — hudee-rimmed, of course.
- I interview the owner of Vance Industries, the company that makes hudee rings.
- Jon finds some inexpensive retro cabinet hardware.
Chris H says
Wow! I’m not much of a ’70s fan, but your house is fantastic. I like the bold use of color throughout the house. I especially like the kitchen. Great job, and all for $2K.
Diana of Mt. Lebanon says
Your kitchen is awesome. I am loving the floor and the avocado green! And you clearly love color – the house looks so cheerful! I must admit I’m more than a little jealous.
Kathie says
What a fabulous job you did together! I love all the rooms, but my *favorite* is the kitchen floor. The kitchen I grew up in had the same linoleum, but in yellow. I’m ready to redo my kitchen and would love to find this floor – any suggestions? Again, fabulous job you two!!
Jon Hunt says
We were lucky in that ours was just underneath a layer of crappy vinyl flooring. We just had to peel and scrape glue — I say “just” even though it took WEEKS. I’m not sure where you’d ever be able to find new/old stock of that except at ReUse centers. I know the Armstrong people are on here, tho, maybe they can offer guidance!
pam kueber says
Kathie, there is nothing quite like this floor out there, that I know of. Take a look at Tarkett’s vinyl sheet – they have some mod designs. Also, yes, you can sometimes find this stuff vintage at Re-Stores and the like. However: Please consult with a licensed professional — old flooring can contain vintage nastiness like asbestos that you would want to be informed about so you could decide how to handle.
Laura E. says
Hysterical! I love it. I always always wanted one of those fireplaces growing up in the 70s.
Heather Thalwitzer says
Very cool house!
Jenny says
You’ve done an amazing job and should be very proud of your house. I love how the kitchen turned-out. My kitchen is done in the same colors and we, too, used what we had.
Jon Hunt says
We both kept saying, at first, “these aren’t the colors we would have picked, necessarily, but we’re committed to working with what we have.” But now? I have fallen so in love with avocado, I might even pick it for a future house!
Rebecca says
I love Jon and Trixi.
generaldine says
I love the stencil in the bathroom. I keep that in mind for my house. You did a really great job!
Jordanna says
I am more of a ’40s-’50s girl, but this is convincing as heck. Looks original. And so much nicer than the before. Hugely fond of both kitchen and bathroom sinks.
I have a new appreciation of avocado now. It’s a very soft, mellow colour, isn’t it?
I love the octagon and dot tile.
Robin says
WoW!!! Look at all the work you have done in less than a year! Very impressive! I LOVE the 2 tone cabinets in the kitchen! That is such a great idea and has me rethinking what I was going to do with my kitchen cabinets…ALL of your rooms are so inspiring!
Thrift stores and reuse centers are my favorite place to shop these days! Last weekend I bought a Dormeyer coffee percolator for $6 (at a Habitat for Humanity Restore) that makes the BEST cup of coffee that I ever had! It replaced my drip maker that I took to the Salvation Army for someone else to enjoy! Keep up the good work!
Laura's Last Ditch--Vintage Kitchenwares says
I love the shout out for vintage small appliances, a personal fave!