Uploader is closed, but come back every Friday to see what we’re uploading this weekend. And — click on through to see all 106 photos of readers’ patios, porches, decks, sun rooms — all their outdoor spaces.Heck to the yeah, hello, summer weekend! Between projects, be sure to fire up your barbeques — and to charge the camera batteries — because in this weekend’s Share Your Photos Festival, it’s patios, decks, sun porches, Florida rooms — all your summer spaces, gone retro, of course. Seems like everyone has patios and such on the like — over the past several months, I’ve received quite a few emails on this topic. April’s note was the most recent:
Hi Pam!First, so enjoy your blog. It’s been my daily go to for our 1954 home we recently purchased. I was wondering if you would consider doing a post requesting pics of mid century sun rooms, porches and patios.The living room post was such a hit, I thought this would be a perfect time to get inspired from what others are doing with their summer spaces. I just repainted our 1960′s Russell Woodard set and had the cushions redone in NOS vintage fabric for our little summer porch project. I think I was thrilled most to find an upholsterer. He was a godsend from Angie’s List, and the NOS vintage 60′s fabric was a deal on the bay. We purchased the home from the original owner, and of course first thought was to rip the indoor/outdoor out, but it’s kind of grown on me for now, and it’s comfy underfoot. Oh, and gotta love those roman wood shadesThere’s still a few things to do…and of course the dream is to replace that bear giving the high five with a Preway. The patio pic [see it below in the gallery] was an afterthought, that’s where I need inspiration; water feature, color…It will be great to get some ideas from your wonderful readers. Kate’s recent post of her darling tiki porch has me tempted to grab some of those tiki masks off Amazon! Thanks again for all the info and inspiration. p.s. tell Kate thanks for posting my “clean” L-Shaped Living Room today, such a treat
I’m so excited for the uploads! That will be fun to see. Thanks so much again, Best to you & Kate,
April
Thank you, April. Lucky girl you, all that beauteous vintage Woodard patio furniture… the NOS fabric… and you know I love those 1970s wood shades. Groovy, baby.
Tips to view slide show: Click on first image… it will enlarge and you can also read my captions… move forward or back via arrows below the photo… you can start or stop at any image:
April’s sunroom is beautiful! That furniture is to die for!! I went back and checked out Kate’s Tiki Sunroom, and it looks fantastic, too!! How nice to have a place to sit during the evenings or for dinner or a summer cocktail! It’s also nice for quiet times-to read or write a letter (does anyone write letters anymore??!). Can’t wait to see everyone’s summer spaces!!!
..snail mail my email – there was a project where they would hand write letters for people.
Oh! I already know I am going to be so jealous of all the wonderful sun rooms and patios. One thing I wish that I could have in the city.
I love that cute little 70′s patio. The lawn furniture I most covet is from “That 70′s Show.” It’s the Pinciotti’s backyard furniture and it’s bright yellow and so pretty!
I promise to send some photos of the cool yellow woven strapping loungers I thrifted last weekend ($6.97 apiece!) and what we’re doing with our patio while we wait for a quote on creating a screenporch out of our garage.
AND! I just saw an ADORABLE PINK vintage patio set at a place I drive past on the way home from work – it doesn’t go with our stuff, but I’ll see if I can snap a photo and upload it to the Retro Renovation Facebook Page. Would love to see it get a good home with someone who would appreciate it!
Laura, from image 21,
I’m wondering if you are in St. Louis. I live in Webster Groves and have the same stone and front porch as you! I keep looking for ideas for integrating all the elements of our exterior, but haven’t found another house with the stone not washed out and faded. Love the colors you chose! We have the additional challenge of red brick with and siding. Would love to drive around your neighborhood if it’s near here
Thanks!
Stacy
Stacy, We’re in Central Pennsylvania. Our neighborhood is a real mishmash of mid century styles. No one else has our stone or house plan and I’ve long been curious about it’s origin. When we bought the house, the wood siding was avocado green, a lovely color, but the stone looked exactly as you describe, washed out and faded. Neighbors called it “the ugly house”.
We have similar stone inside as well and pair it with aqua walls. Groovy! Happy to know its sister house is in St. Louis!
Laura- where in Central PA are you? We’re in Eastern PA / Phoenixville, and while we don’t live in a mod MCM ranch, we do have the only Spanish Hacienda stucco ranch in town. Very incongruous with the traditional Pennsylvania architecture, and we love it!
My parents had furniture just like April’s, only the frame was white and the cushions were yellow and green (with yellow solid where hers are brown).
Oh how I wish we still had that wonderful furniture. Comfortable and so bright and cheery.
I love everyone’s spaces! I feel like I’m enjoying a cocktail or tea with everyone here this weekend!
Laura: I love your door!!!!
Stacey: I love your patio furniture! Is that upholstery new or vintage?
Everyone’s spaces look wonderful
That’s the original upholstery! Someone kept it in very good shape and never took it outside. The whole set was in wonderful condition. It was one of the rare times I paid retail for something, because I doubted I would find another set like it out thrifting.
Stacy- I think you were brilliant to snap that up, no matter the cost. That’s an exceptional set (and I agree you probably wouldn’t come across something that amazing twice!)
I love all the photos. We don’t have anything vintage/retro yet for our outdoor areas…hoping to fix that eventually.
Stacy – Your pics were my favorite!! Love aqua color and the simple design of the set… wish I could find something like that! But I only have a deck, no sunroom….. yet!
Add me to the list of those who love Stacy’s furniture!
I also like the orange Soft-Tub. I’ve never seen orange–ever!
Thanks! There were actually tables with this set that someone bought the day before I found it. I still dream of finding them. I bought the ones I have with it now at Garden Ridge.
Laura, I LOVE the “thought bubble” door! I have never seen anything like it! What a fabulous find.
I agree; so cool!
Thanks! My knees got weak and I thought I might throw up when I first saw it on craigslist! The seller even agreed to deliver it to me (he lived 30 minutes away) for only $5! It makes this old house smile!
I’m loving seeing all of these amazing outdoor spaces. And….Retro Roadmap’s donkey cart! FANTASTIC!
Eartha- thanks for the kind words about our “Borough” (we live in the borough of Phoenixville, so we call him that
) – I bought him out in central PA as a birthday present to myself last summer, and think I may start a lawn ornament birthday tradition! It’s hard to find the cool old ones that are painted, many people nowadays seem to favor the plain concrete look. For me, bring on the kitsch!
Phoenixville eh! what a great old town. I live near Malvern, Discovered your site through Mr. Modtomic’s. (sorry to be off topic, enjoying everyone’s pictures/
Mark in Indianapolis… I LOVE the carpet in your three-season room!
Thanks, we fell in love with it the moment we walked in the door of the house for the first time!!
Robin@DecoratingTennisGirl… is that a space you made fabulous under a deck? It’s beautiful and so inviting.
I love this subject. My two front porches are very narrow, so I need all the ideas I can get to cozy them up. Looking through the pix, I see quite a few of us love those retro red motel chairs. Those fit nicely on my narrow front porch.
My favorite so far is Laura’s with the fabulously space age aqua front door and aqua salterini chairs. Those are a great fit for a narrow space as well.
How do you know if your set is indeed Salterini? I just picked up a 3 piece set at our local auction. Are they marked somewhere?
Thanks.
Lynne, the little chair on my porch was a dumpster find, but the two that match are the Salterini ones. They aren’t marked, but I was able to identify them after a lot of internet research. They belonged to my husband’s swinging grandad. My in-laws thought I was a nut when I begged for those chairs!
Elaine, Thanks for the love! The narrow porch is wonderful- the kids can ride bikes back and forth when it rains and very rarely I can escape out there to read a book!
Wow, all these great outdoor and semi-outdoor spaces are wonderful. Thank you for posting your pictures.
Laura – your door has to be one of the most fab doors I have EVER seen! What a find!
Orange Soft-Tub owner – very cool, and I’m waving hello from San Jose
Stacy – sometimes the wallet just has to be emptied when you find something as cool as your set, glad you didn’t pass it up!
I’m slowly acquiring my outdoor space furniture which will go on my covered deck. My husband just *groans*…..so far I have my ultra cute (he says “godawful ugly”) maple 50′s wagon wheel dinette set, and I have just located a small maple 50′s wagon wheel sofa and chair to go with it. Western will be the theme!
Now I just have to decide if I want to split with the cash for the carved and painted lifesize wood cowboy statue I found. He has a split in his hat down into part of his face – but if I get him, I’ll just tell guests he has a crack problem, LOL!
Wagon wheel dining and living? Yeehaw!
Yes Pam, real authentic Wagon Wheel furniture, I am soooo excited! If you haven’t perused wagon wheel furniture lately, it has become pretty danged expensive in the collectibles market.
I’ve seen some wagon wheel sofa/chair sets for as high as $3000 when they are in excellent shape with their original upholstery.
My dinette set cost me $75 including delivery – the sofa / chair will be a fair bit more, but once you have a theme going, well ya just have to stay in the groove!
Pam – here is a CL listing for the same dinette I have (1958!) except mine has solid aqua upholstery and no plaid on the table top. Unfortunately, he didn’t move the chair out of the end shot so you can see the wagon wheel ends.
My table is much more petite though at 27″ wide, and only 36″ long, and I have 4 chairs. Just right for my deck.
{link gone}
How I love Mark’s sunroom! I’m guessing that flooring is no longer available! But if I’m wrong, let me know where you got it. It all looks so tailored and calm.
Stacy – The carpet is original to the porch which was added to our 1959 ranch in 1964. We were lucky enough to get to keep the furniture from the original owner of our home.
Oh, I want to have morning coffee or an evening cocktail in just about every one of these spaces! So fabulous! Nice work, everybody.
I am just going to vote again for having a different way of uploading and displaying pix that would be compatible with Pinterest. There are so many pictures here that I’d love to put on my garden and mid-century exteriors boards, but the two formats are not compatible. As if RR needs to be any more popular, but it would drive traffic to the site, and to people’s individual blogs.
More pictures uploaded, so now I have to comment again!
Noreen – LOVE your patio set, especially the flowered backs with solid seats.
Laura – thanks for uploading another shot of that over the moon door of yours! It just pops on your understated exterior!
Larry – Got Bricks? LOL Seriously, send Pam some before/after pics when you are done.
The Long Beach bar is swanky at its best.
Thanks Tami! It really was a great find. The cushions have springs in them, so they are just as springy as ever.
There will definitely be an array of before, during, and after pics coming Pam’s way!
I love these weekend “show us” uploads! They’re fun and inspiring.
I love this and am so inspired and excited to get started on my backyard projects!
Wow! So many incredible spaces. Thanks to all of you for sharing your retreats. Aren’t we all lucky to have a place where we can relax and catch our breath. Hope you all had a wonderful weekend and thanks again for posting Pam.
Cheers! April
Kathryn & Robert’s “Woodcrest Set” is filling me with covetousness! So cool!
I am DYING to know more about those beautiful colored aluminum planters that chicken301 posted! Those are incredible!
Hi Eartha, the pots are labelled Camburware by Cambur Industries and are mode locally in Melbourne, Australia. I have put the message out in the universe and every so often one will turn up on ebay http://www.flickr.com/photos/28370405@N04/6110598815/in/photostream
Good Morning! I woke up today and realized I mis-labeled the furniture! It is actually “Homecrest” Oops! Sorry!
I’m beginning to see more and more of it now. There are tall back chairs. full coffee tables and it was made in a green floral pattern. It’s super sturdy! That pic was taken in Indianapolis and we have since moved to Northern California. We’ll see about the effects of the ocean air on it.
I LOVE all the pics in this post! Gleaned some good ideas from it too!
Thanks Pam!
kat
Awww, I guess my previous comment didn’t post for some reason? I just wanted to say that the apron banner was an awesome idea, since you can only wear one at a time and I’ve been looking for some way to display part of vintage apron collection.
*crosses fingers and hopes this comment posts*
I was so disappointed when we moved into our little split-level to discover after consulting three remodeling contractors the only way we could add a sunporch room off the back of our house would cost over $40,000! First problem was several things about the garage that were not up to code that would have to be redone, then the room would have to be a sunken room because the roof line of the house was so screwy the sunroom roof would stick up and show from the front of the house! The first contractor didn’t even think of sinking the room. Then, of course, we would have to do some major landscaping and grading, and heaven only knows if the city would have gone for it.
Of course, now I am living in my Texas house. I never got back up to Wisconsin this summer as I had planned because one of my dogs has cancer, and I would rather let her end her life here where she is more comfortable.
I keep looking at my back covered patio and thinking it is a waste of space. It has been 90-some degrees since the middle of May. Maybe I should turn it into a sunroom…..
Hello! My question is for Jenny A. (I think). First, cute patio! I was curious about your fence panel. Where did you find it? What is it made from? We’re redoing our ranch and I think it would be perfect! I just can’t really find any good fencing options, unless I make it myself, but we don’t really want to go there!
Drooling! Really great furnishings here. I especially love that pink bar and the giant tiki heads! Too cool.
love love love the solaire chairs in pic #63!!!!
I’d love to see a story on sunroom porch flooring. We are rehabbing our 50′s brick colonial. Our concrete sunroom porch is currently stained and in poor condition. At the very least, the concrete floor needs to be painted. We were also thinking about decorative tile, but after studying the Retro Renovation site, I’m not sure tile was very often used on sunroom porches during the 50′s.
It would be very cool if someone still had those aluminum patios that everyone seem to have in the 50s and 60s. All have been replaced with pergolas.