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.
Jan H. says
You did SUCH a good job! Your living room looks so much like my very first apartment – which was in 1967!! (Of course it wasn’t as nice, but the furnishings are very much the same.) I never thought I’d EVER like that period again, but you’ve made look amazing!
Debbi says
I’m really interested in the Starburst stencil you used in the bathroom. Where did you get it? Everything’s beautiful by the way!!
Jon Hunt says
Made it! Just got some stenciling plastic and a sharp knife, then copied the starbursts on the light bar!
Rebecca Reeves says
Hi Jon,
Great job. Very impressive. For the bathroom, what did you stencil onto? Was it wallpaper? I can’t tell from the picture.
Jon Hunt says
Just the walls themselves, painted pink! We used a gold paint to stencil with — I think just an acrylic of some kind.
Rebecca Reeves says
Even better! Thanks for the info and again they look great!
Kersten says
I’ve been eagerly waiting for this post, Pam! Jon and Trixie, this is awesome! When I first read about finding the original flooring under the floor in the kitchen, I immediately pulled my fridge out of its nook, brought up a saw from the basement, and *tried* to saw a corner of the plywood off. Alas, I had the wrong tool for the job and didn’t come close to finding out if my original floor is still under the ugly current vinyl, but it gives me some hope that it might still be under there. I’m also glad to read that you were able to salvage it WITH it being glued down. Everyone keeps telling me that even if our original floor is under there, it will be glued and impossible to recover. In our case, it might be the plywood that is glued to the original floor. When we get to that point, and IF the original floor seems to be hiding, I might have to look you up. Actually, I saw that you put your e-mail in a different reply. I’m going to hold onto it, Jon, because we frequently visit St. Paul. We used to live in Minneapolis, and still have family in St. Paul. I’d LOVE to bring you a housewarming gift and see the kitchen in person (and pick your brain about the work you did )! Actually, I’ve been watching our local restore for you — I remembered your desire for the avocado double oven (we need one too– but bisque might work best for us. And if I ever found a coppertone double oven and gas cooktop set, I think I’d pass out!) A while back, I did find an avocado wall oven that has the pull out burners, but I figured it wouldn’t work for you. I also found an avocado flip down note center (can’t remember what it is actually called) that you put in the kitchen– it’s shape is somewhat like the chrome wall wax paper holder, but I didn’t know how to get in touch with you. I’ll keep your e-mail handy for other avocado things that I spot. Like you, we do most of the work in our house ourselves, and the kitchen is next. It haunts me though, since we’ll be removing all of the current cabinets and installing the St. Charles set that we dragged home 2 years ago. I don’t want to mess it up, so it has yet to even get started. Anyway– I’ll save the rest for an e-mail to you. The house look fantastic! I’m inspired! Whoot!
Jon Hunt says
Whoot right back atcha!! If you’re in town definitely shoot me an email, I’d love to show it off in person!! And if you have any questions or need advice on what kind of glue remover to use if you DO have the original linoleum underneath that plywood, shoot me an email then too! And thanks for keeping an eye out for avocado appliances. You’d think they’d turn up more often, but I think we’re at the point now where they’ve all been removed from old houses!
Jessie says
Beautiful job, Trixi and Jon! So exciting to see the final outcome of all your hard work over the past year.
My jaw dropped when I saw the Jens Risom chair. FOUR DOLLARS!!! Did you have to reupholster, or was in that great condition?
So happy for you both, congratulations guys! XOXOJ
Jon Hunt says
FOUR DOLLARS, and nope, the upholstery was already on there! It’s in not bad condition — we had to buy a fancy cat scratching post to distract our psychotic cats from scratching it all to hell, and mostly succeeded!! I’m so surprised a dealer didn’t nab that first, they comb all the thrift stores in our town!
Elaine says
I love the looks of that house! My time capsule has some of the same elements, and I can take some inspiration from your efforts. I have the barrel dining set and bar stools to match your sofa and ottoman. Didn’t know it was JC Penney’s and the owners said Granddad built it, but it does have some kind of label on the bottom of one of the chairs and the leather is the exact same pattern as yours. It is heavy as all get-out.
Love the stencil in the bathroom. It looks so Space Age! I love that era as well. The furnishings and decor I got with the time capsule are a lot more classic, so it is nice to see how the space age can be mixed in. I think I am going shopping at ReStore.
Elaine says
Oh, yes, those orangey vases in the living room that look like opened books, please say something about them, they are just wonderful!
Jon Hunt says
My wife used to work at Baker — I think she got them there, I’ll ask her about them!
pam kueber says
I really kind of *hated* J&T when I saw that barrel furniture. Green devil envy. Will I ever have a set!?
MissTrixi says
HI! They ‘vases’ are random tchotchkes that I picked-up when I worked for Baker Knapp & Tubbs (I used to be a visual design coordinator there). I *think* they were designed by Jonathan Adler, but I can’t be sure. They had been part of the inventory for years by the time I started at their Mnpls showroom. Not vintage, but older in design, nonetheless. I loved them the minute I saw them. The rest of the staff thought that I was insane, but that was usually par for the course there. I was always digging on their more mid-century designs while others liked the traditional, Stately Homes kind of collections.
Oh, and the Dapha sofa mentioned in the article made way for a mid-century find that we picked-up for $15. I think it might be an old Flexsteel(?). The Dapha now lives in the basement with the Whiskey Barrel set (I could write a whole blog post about the purchase, and subsequent journey, of the latter 😉 )
Jon Hunt says
First off, I’d love to see photos of your time capsule!!! We can probably take inspiration from what you’ve got, too! Secondly — you can’t see ’em in the photo, but we have the dining set and barstools on the other side o’ the room. The stools are in front of a bar which *was* handmade by the son of the former owners of the furniture out of two actual whiskey barrels. And yes — it all is REMARKABLY heavy, as I found out when I carried it all downstairs.
The 60s was all about mixing classic and ultra-modern — I love the eclecticism of it! See: Jonathan Adler’s entire aesthetic!
Elaine says
I think you would love the living room set here, it is avocado stripe, some kind of indestructible (at least so far) fabric. I do have some pix, will try and figure out how to make them accessible. The before is mostly dominated by the dark and rumpled shag carpet which we replaced with a pale latte color tile. Then all we did is clean and rearrange the furniture, much easier than all the work you have done.
Jon Hunt says
Feel free to email ’em to me too — flyingsauceronline@gmail.com, would love to see ’em, we’ve still got other rooms left to decorate!!
Elaine says
Let me see what I can put together. Before and after, it will be fun. I have tried to keep Granddad (the man who built the house, not MY granddad) happy.
Dulcie says
It sounds to me like you took off the top layer of vinyl and recovered the original vinyl underneath. How did you do that? Wasn’t it glued on? I think I’ve got some beautiful 1950’s vinyl underneath the flimsy Menards bargain stuff in my kitchen and would love to have it see the light of day again.
Also, is that a penguin ice canister on top of your fridge? We had one like that. All the girls in my mom’s family got one as a bridal shower gift from their mother except my youngest aunt. She felt so left out that years later, when she saw one at a rummage sale, she bought one for herself. We take our penguin ice canisters seriously in my family. lol
pam kueber says
Precautionary Pam pipes in: Just be sure to consult with a licensed professional before you start ripping stuff out; vintage nasties such as a lead and asbestos can be anywhere…
Jon Hunt says
YES — as Pam says, definitely figure out if there’s asbestos involved first. Then, it’s hard work, but it’s possible to do! We peeled off the crappy Menards stuff, and then used chemical solvents (with PLENTY of ventilation — TRUST ME) and tons and tons of elbow grease to remove the flooring glue. I think 80% of the budget of our kitchen remodel was bottle after bottle of that solvent. But the stuff underneath came out great!
And yes, that is indeed a penguin ice canister!! We got it from our neighbors, and we love it!
Jon Hunt says
(further, additional thought — the reason WHY you can scrape glue off that old Armstrong flooring is HOW it’s made — they took little tiny pieces of vinyl and infused them with color all the way through, if I’m not mistaken, rather than just printing on the top like the cheep stuff you get at Menards. So if the solvent takes the top off the vinyl? It still looks like a million bucks.)
pam kueber says
Thank you, Jon. Yes, dear readers: Be sure to consult with licensed professionals to determine what is in all layers before you start to rip out… also regarding what processes to use … and how to dispose of old materials.
MissTrixi says
The canister is a ‘hot/cold’ penguin canister that our neighbor (who simultaneously thinks we’re both mad and rad) gave to us.
Jon Hunt says
Oh, and by the way, if the folks from Rustoleum are reading — we LOVED working with your product. It was hard work, but man, are we happy with the final results!!
Susan at Rust-Oleum says
Thanks Jon. We love getting positive feedback. Your kitchen looks awesome!
tulsatammy says
Jon, this looks a lot like the avocado kitchen I had in my last house, a 1967 ranch. Everyone thought I was crazy to leave it original, but it still looked good and everything still matched. What color did you paint the upper cabinets?
Jon Hunt says
We did them as close to the kind of red-blonde wood of the original woodwork as humanly possible. It matches in *most* light (it’s a little darker, but darn close)!! Everyone thought we were crazy too!
tulsatammy says
In fact the floor in that kitchen is the exact same design and color.
Wendy M. says
Wow! You both did an AMAZING job! I love that you did it on a small budget- that’s very impressive and proves how hard you must have worked.
Trixi- I’d like to know about the stencil you used in the bathroom. Did you make the stencil or did you find one pre-made? It’s exactly what I need for a future project.
Jon Hunt says
Thanks, y’all!!
The actual year we’re shooting for is 1967 — remember, the 70s began in the late ’60s!! Our inspiration photo is that one in Pam’s archive of the ’66 St. Charles kitchen with the wood cabs on top and the colored aluminum on the bottom. Plus, we love the way the 60s combined super modern stuff with old-fashioned colonial and regency design elements (like a James Bond villain lair!) Now if people would stop rubbish-tipping their avocado appliances and we could find a vintage dishwasher and double oven in the right color!!!!
pam kueber says
Here’s the inspiration kitchen Jon refers to: https://retrorenovation.com/2008/03/22/vintage-1966-kitchen-st-charles-mixes-wood-and-metal-and-harvest-gold-and-avocado-arrive/
Jon Hunt says
Yes yes, exactly — and this one, too, which is where we got the idea for the red walls (note: if you look at the zoomed in one on the gallery, that’s our same countertop formica!!!)
pam kueber says
I put the link to the inspiration kitchen in the story just now. I’ll add photo later.
Victoria says
I wonder if there’s a credible way to update your dishwasher with avocado paint or some kind of color insert?