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.
Maggie Pringlemeir says
Oh, how I am enjoying this website! Ahem — about matching colors using Rust-O-Leum products. Two years ago, inspiration hit me and I purchased Rust-O-Leum’s product intended for wood decks and use on concrete surfaces. Mine came from the lovely people at my local Lowe’s. They tinted it to match the Eddie Bauer paint color of my choice and I put several weeks doing everything by their instructions. My deck as stunning! Until winter came and the wood swelled up and tore off the paint. By spring, it was obvious that it needed to be redone. Again — gotta love the nice folks at Lowe’s. They ordered it in, Rust-O-Leum paid for it and Lowe’s retinted the new to match my original color. I tell you this story because I was told by the Paints Dept Manager that every Lowe’s store has a thick book, normally in loose leaf format, that gives the formula for every color made by each manufacturer. I was assured that they can, in fact, match any color in any basic paint to created a precisely what the buyer wants. Ahem — the Customer Service fellow swore to me that it could not be done. He was mistaken. It can be done, it was done and I still love my dark blue deck with the white railing!
Pam — I have mine eyes upon a 1940’s home in South Carolina. Your posts here have given me so many ideas! Thank you for being here.
Maggie
Aaron Neumann says
http://postlets.com/s/3321-france-ave-n-robbinsdale-mn-55422/12521157
This house if for sale! Help find a buyer for Jon and Trixi’s super-cool Mid-Century Modern retro rehab who will appreciate it. This 4BR, 2BA, 2car home is features a retro renovation from top to bottom, including vintage (50’s and 60’s) wallpaper and fixtures throughout the home to satisfy all your Mad Men cravings. Located in a great area of Robbinsdale, close to the parkway and restaurants. Come check it out! OPEN HOUSE this SUNDAY from 12PM-2PM and/or contact me if you’d like to set up a showing: 612-788-1284 #retrorenovation
tracie says
what color did you use on the top kitchen cabinets?
Gerry Boucher says
I have that same green floor in my bathroom. Installed in 1984. Wears like rhinocerous hide. I bought a roll of the yellow to install in a tennent bathroom. It was brittle and cracked, so beware.
John K says
I love the avocado sink, refrigerator and Bell System rotary wall telephone. Question: was the avocado Bell System rotary wall phone already hooked up from the previous owner or did you have it installed? I am a long time Bell System collector and the only thing I cannot figure out is if you a backplate to install a rotary wall phone how does the backplate get installed and where are the wires running? The connection wires must be hidden in the wall? I cannot figure out how to hook mine up.
Mary Elizabeth says
Jon and Trixi,
Forgot to say when I commented on your lovely new-to-you avacado sink, if it is cast iron enamel, I found the perfect cleaner–Kohler’s cast iron sink cleaner. Look it up on line. I talked about it when the discussion on this site was cleaning old cast iron tubs. You don’t need to use it very often, just when there is some build-up on the sink from mineral deposits and/or household use.
Mary Elizabeth
cathy says
Love your home! Looks like my house except mine is all white. I love retro!
jessica says
where did you find this flooring? i love it! i want it!
Trixi says
Jessica – we actually got the bathroom flooring from Menard’s, the kitchen flooring was ‘buried’ beneath a ‘flip this house quick’ remodel of greige vinyl flooring (circa 2004). It’s original to the house 🙂
(and Steve, I hope you find that flooring!)
Steve says
All,
I posted a few months back the fact that I have the EXACT same floor as Jon & Trixi’s kitchen – “Embossed Inlaid Linoleum style 5351 tan & green brick effect” … but in horrible condition. In my wildest dreams, I hold out hope that I will someday find the same flooring in someone’s garage or in a warehouse somewhere … anywhere … (sniff, sniff) … if anyone has ever come across the Armstrong Embossed Inlaid Linoleum style 5351 tan & green brick effect I’m willing to pay handsomely for the chance to restore my floor. !!
Thank you!!!
Steve in Tulsa
Bob Miller says
I know the whereabouts of several avacado colored *NEW* appliances that were installed, but never if only rarely used. They look brand new! Double oven (like one in pics), side-by-side fridge, cooktop and washer and dryer. All top-of-the-line Kenmore, I’m guessing late 60’s, early 70’s. Not sure the owner wants to part with them, but might with appropriate interest. Really, like NEW, I was amazed! I would love to see them used by someone who appreciates this type of stuff. If interested, I could get good pics!
pam kueber says
Bob, if you do – you can post these on our buy/sell Forum: https://retrorenovation.com/forums/ Thanks!
Jon Hunt says
…or email me at flyingsauceronline@gmail.com. We are SO looking for an avocado double oven!!!
Bob Miller says
Sorry about not writing. My friend doesn’t wish to break up the set at this time. He is starting to appreciate his own time capsule as he found it. Sorry again, but good luck!!