Entries now closed. Congrats to winner Brenda, chosen by the magical wheel of the random number generator. Thanks, everyone, for playing! The most gratifying part of the blog, for me, has been meeting so many new people. This year, I met Cullen Meyer. We gaped in awe of his Brooklyn apartment, 40 photos … we helped him get featured in the New York Times… and I also made a little music video. Cullen is super talented — I predict, big design star — he’s just 27 years old so has lead time to work it. And “working it”, he is. A month ago, he launched his own line of scarves. Now, these are sorta Brooklyn Steampunk (I have inferred from other media that everyone in Williamsburg Brooklyn is now walking around dressed as if they were in the cast of Boardwalk Empire [which Cullen also was -- in the cast -- a cameo -- on Boardwalk Empire, I'm not kidding!]), rather than midcentury modern, but heck, it’s all “in the family” and it’s all good. As part of his launch, I asked Cullen if he wanted to do a giveaway and heck to the yeah for sure. So, this week — final giveaway of the year — enter to win this Milwaukee Road “Rail Head” scarf — my personal favorite.
Read on for the rules and to enter –>
How to enter to win the Cullen Meyer Milwaukee Road scarf:
|
Thank you, Cullen, for this terrific giveaway, and congratulations on your new venture!
Link luv:
I LOVED Nancy’s 1950′s pool house build! I so want to do my kitchen in red and white 1950′s style, and I’m sooooo glad I found your website. Thanks for the giveaway!
I like any of the blogs where people share their own special take on mid-century- loved Cullen’s collections, but I also have a fondness for the blogs wherwe readers share their stuff- small appliances to aluminum trees, I am fascinated with the numbers of midcentury items still in use. Very Green!
It’s too hard to pick just one but I’d have to say that my favorite stories have been the time capsule houses for sale around the country. I just love all of them!
I have to agree with Dona, I absolutely loved reading about Nancy’s Poolhouse. I was so impressed with her design. Definitely a case where everything was done just right.
My favorite was all of the time capsule houses! I love them!!!
I love all your stories, but in general I just want to thank your site for convincing my husband to let me redo our horribly “modernized” brown bathroom in PINK.
The scarf would look great on him btw.
It’s hard to peg a specific story as my favorite this year, especially when the entire website has been such a huge help to me almost every week. But if I had to pick one series, it would be the Love The House You’re In series of posts. Sometimes when I look around my house all I see are the projects on my to do list, seeing how other people have knocked out those same big projects and are loving their house inspires me to not only get to work, but to look at the projects I’ve already accomplished and, well, love the house I’m in.
I have to say I also love the time capsule houses!
Time capsules all the way! Love them all.
So, besides my dog shower that was featured (hehe), I loved, loved Nancy pool house. I love knowing that we have this little community here and all enjoy seeing what other’s have accomplished. It’s such an encouraging place to be!
And most recently I loved Kate’s little midcentury village and all her crafty projects. I plan on making those next year to have them ready for Christmas 2013. Yay!
Anything Kate does, but I especially have loved her Putz houses
I really liked the zombies for Halloween on the mini-Mid-Century mod house. Also Kate’s DIY instructions for making our own Putz houses was too cool for school.
If I win Cullen’s scarf, I will wear it proudly around Louisville, Ky & also Paris, France, as I split my time between the two cities!
Thanks very much,
Katherine
2012 was the year I discovered this blog. It has inspired me in making choices for my 1956 ranch, so every post is my favorite. I loved the one recently on aluminum holiday trees, and now really want one.
I guess the post that started it all was my quest for information on how to strip and refinish my basement floor. Then I fell down the rabbit hole and used the site as a roadmap to completely renovate a mid century modern we close on in December of last year. If I wouldn’t have found the site and all the detailed information I am not sure if we would have gone after this house and if we had it would have looked dramatically different. Oddly enough, I live in Milwaukie OR and I work off of Milwaukie Ave so that scarf would be quite appropriate!
I don’t know if this counts, but my favorite post this year was the one over on Knotty is Nice – “Dear Lord, Not Wood”. I have lots of knotty pine, love it and your post (and Eartha Kitsch’s) made me laugh. Also, I love that Kate has been added to the staff and regularly contributing. I enjoyed her blog before and am enjoying her posts here, too. Plus, as a pet lover, I always enjoy guest appearances by Astro and Leo
My favorite post this year was the appliance photo uploader. It’s so reassuring to see so many people out there with awesome vintage appliances!
Having done some research, the ‘old appliances are inefficient’ bit appears to be partly a myth. We recently replaced our 1992 GE with a 1963 Frigidaire and the differences are astounding! It cooks evenly, everything is well built, and most importantly, it’s all mechanical so we can replace the parts as needed!
My favorite post was “15 new VCT floor tile designs in classic 1950s ‘streaky’ style”
I hope to be able to redo my kitchen floor very soon and VCT is the way I’m going! It was great to see all the colors now available!
Awesome site, thanks!
I don’t have a single favorite post, since they are all so much fun. But the ones I look forward to the most are the time capsule listing posts. I adore seeing all the pictures of homes for sale out there with so many original and unique features and architecture.
If I had to pick one thing it would be the spotlight on Woddities. I’m still dreaming of coming across a GE Partio Cart one day!
I really appreciate the articles like the info on cleaning the bathroom tub with the non-slip surface. Mine was becoming worn down and dirty and I didn’t want to scrub so hard as to remove them. Any tips (and the stories of others re-dos) are always a treat!
What I really like is when you focus on items (such as unusual lamps, applicances, kitchen gadgets, etc) and have the readers upload pictures. Some wonderful mid-century items out there. I love it.
I loved the photos of people’s real living rooms. Often in the magazines everything is so staged that it is difficult to understand how one would live in that space, and seeing the amazing photos of how people arrange their own spaces for actual living was inspiring. It was also great to be able to connect with so many other passionate RR devotees.
As an obsessive thrift shopper, it was also inspiring to see what people out there are able to find. The treasure hunt continues!
Love those scarves! I don’t think that I can pick a favorite story because they all mumble-jumble around in my head…I think I’ll just say that I’ve been inspired (as usual) to see how many people are just as passionate about this stuff as I am. It’s super inspiring!
I have really enjoyed the posts on antique appliances, and bathroom redos- things that I could easily apply to my early century modern bungalow
In particular, I loved the kitchen that was modeled after the Franciscan Starburst pottery with the paint how-to, and have considered plastering my kitchen in starbursts ever since!
i love when you feature hidden jems, i love the look of a totally untouched mcm home!
I never miss a post! I love them all! If I have to pick, I guess my favorites would be Kate’s putz houses. So cute!
I always love seeing the time capsule houses too but I narrowed it down to two stories and I have to say Cullen’s apartment floored me! Everywhere you looked was something different and fascinating – not only does he have so much interesting stuff, but what an amazing decorating job he did! Such inspiration to someone like me who has not a whit of decorating sense. I love the scarves too! Great line!
I loved Cullen’s apartment – and the fact that someone his age could possibly understand just how important it is to hold on to those happy 50′s-60′s & 70′s times…and all the things that came with them!
I just discovered this site this year, so it’s hard to pick out one… but the posts I’ve enjoyed the most have been with metal kitchen cabinets. I just love the charm of enameled metal! I also like the links to real stuff in the wild, keeps me dreaming of a future perfect kitchen.
I don’t know how to pick a favorite… Anything about preserving our knotty pine walls, our lovely bathrooms with colored tiles and helps us find suitable lighting fixtures for our homes… that’s what delights me!
My favorite posts that I needed this year were the ones about the vinyl floor tiles. I put some in this past year, and I was encouraged by your post to have someone else shine them! : )
I also really enjoyed seeing the retro appliances.
I’m new in 2012 too — and love all the MCM interior photos! One memorable article among many: “David creates a sunny red and white vintage kitchen for his 1930 Dutch colonial house.”
To mention another genre, I loved the Vintage Collages by Feral Housewife!! She is witty and talented – I adore her art.
Pam’s beige bathroom and Kate’s 3 putz house patterns.
First of all…congrats Cullen on your new adventure! You’re style is great.
Pam and Kate,
This blog has inspired me so much over the last year and a half. I could not begin to pick ONE article, or even five. My hubby and I have been mid century furniture/decor collectors for several years…but never thought about getting out of stuccoville until we stumbled across Retro Renovation. We bought an amazing home built in 1958 last month! It’s a major “fixer upper”. Thanks to you..our eyes have been opened up to the retro resources available today for our “remodel”. We’ve ordered pink and mint bath tile, boomerang laminate for all countertops, and vct flooring. We even managed to find appliances that are period appropriate for the house. Thanks to you two we are loving the house we’re in.
Hmmm… favorite story, eh? Let me think for a while… just kidding! Hands down it has to be the story on Cullen and his wonderland of an apartment. I still swoon at not only the incredible amount of amazingness in the photos, but also at the masterful way he managed to make it all look good and somehow not cluttered. This young man is my inspiration for the year… I have taken to utilizing as much space (especially wall space) as possible in our 1958 dream house.Thanks Pam (and Kate) for the story. I look forward to seeing what Cullen comes up with in the future. His neckware collection is impressive!
I also loved Cullen’s story but my favourite was the weekend uploader of living rooms. It was great to see so many awesome living room arrangements. All the weekend uploaders are awesome!!!
My favorite story was the couple with appliance collection, the amazing mixers/dishwashers/washing machines that they repair themselves!
I love everything about your blog…Love kitchen resources…ebay finds…and the idea that I can put in a subject and find archived blogs. This is a great blog and changed my ideas about my mid-century home:)
“Swankienda” in Houston. Loved that house and all of the old Houston Ranchers. They are being torn down at an alarming rate, especially in my old neighborhood!
I’m pretty sure it was from this year–Betty Crafter’s kitchen!!! I love it!
Also the piece with the woman who lives in that awesome round house–I love the challenges where a reader wants to explore options and get input:)
Actually Cullen’s house post was my favorite.
My favorites are the before/after real life remodels, especially the kitchens. Especially Lauryn & Dennis’ because I love how it came out, and I know those guys and was so thrilled to find them here!
I think my brother would love that scarf, although my son might claim it first.
My favorite was the rant agains the big box store destroying the pink bathroom, it sort of made me realize that there are more people out there that cared about living with what they have and loving it. Sometimes one feels alone in this world of granite counters, vessel sinks and stainless steel. Keep up the good work! Merry Christmas–Bill
p.s. My house is a 1930′s miminal tradition that retain about 75% of it orginal features (including keys to the inside doors)
I think my favorite idea was the mud room dog shower! I’m definitely going to incorporate that when I redo my laundry room (which is probably last on my list of things to do but oh well!).
But, I have to say, I adored the original feature on Cullen. It is so great to see a young person with such a clear vision and style (especially when it coincides with my own). He’s a treasure and I agree with Pam that he is going to be a design star. : )
It was a year ago this Christmas that I discovered retrorenovation. Your website has been an inspiration to me everyday! This past year I’ve begun to transform my 1949 ranch into the home I love. Thank you!
I think my faves are the Design Dilemma’s – the different options that are presented and all the great feedback and ideas from readers. For an individual article I think the feature on Chris’ black and white bathroom I found it great inspiration for what you can do for not a lot of $- and how you can do classic but still be relevant
I loved examining the photos of Cullen’s place, so that has to be my favorite. I had a couple “Ooooh! I have that” moments paired with many more “Dang, I’ve always wanted one (or seven) of those” moments. However, this entire operation has really helped me throughout my retro renovation, and I also really appreciate the company profiles on those that provide either genuwine mid-century or mid-century inspired products (I’m so getting the blue university tile once home depot carries it!)
Time capsule houses are my favorite feature, followed by thrifty finds.
Loved looking through the oddities. Some of these inspired me to look a little more closely through my local thrift stores. I always love the kitschy kitchen gadgets. Thanks for the inspiration! Also I have been fascinated with all things Cullen Meyer. What is not to love about that apartment.
Cullen’s apartment is the ginchiest!!!
It’s been a busy, awesome year over here at Retro Renovation. My favorite? I’ve enjoyed getting to know Kate, and love her house.
I could never pick a favorite story, for they are all wonderful. You inspire me daily, Pam!
I have most adored the King of Kitsch story and that fabulous Brooklyn apartment!
The 1964 Round house was so cool.
I have to be very bias and admit that the story on Cullen Meyer is my most favorite…
Love the scarf! I appreciate Kate’s point of view and friendly writing style and have enjoyed her travails in creating a retro but functional bathroom out of modern materials. I can relate and she’s done the legwork for us lucky readers! My most fave story, other than the painstakingly collected jade green kitchen redo, was the tv lamps as art installation in the hotel. Love seeing creative displays of collections. Pam and Kate thanks for creating such an informative, friendly and fun site! More time capsule home tours, please!! Cheers in 2013!
Geez, I can’t pick just one favorite story for the year. We just bought a MCM house in SW Portland, and there’s so much that needs to be done! But the RR creed of “Love The House You’re In,” and also ‘Live with it awhile’ attitude has made the glitches and conundrums less stressful for us. I love the cheerful can-do attitudes on RR, and I’m poised to upload our putz house submissions (my darling husband whipped out an amazing house in a glitter-bomb crafting feat I’ve never seen from him before. It is a whole new side of him. He is glowing, literally, with glitter).
I love the Time Capsule homes. Highlighting the use of color instead of greige is always inspiring. Keep up the good work!
Befores and Afters always get me but your most recent post reminds me of how delighted I was to rediscover Royal Barry Wills from a previous post. It started me on a couple hours of internet research. We used to live in Rockport MA…a small seaside town north of Boston…and I remember my mother pointing out a RBW house. The house, still standing, is lovely and his name intrigued me…I never forgot it. I knew, as my mother inferred by her tone, that he was someone special.
Thanks for the memories! Oh, and I LOVE that scarf!!!
My favorite story is the “Retro Renovation success story”! Pam: You have accomplished so much, and inspired so many! You, Kate and Retro Renovation are with me every day – always making me smile. You have given a voice to a wonderful community of like-minded, creative individuals and their MCM homes. I can’t wait to see what you and Kate accomplish in 2013. Congrats!
I really can’t pick a favourite… Cullen’s apartment, the many AMAZING time capsule homes, World of Tile… It’s been a great year!
My favorite of the year was March 5–the gray and turquoise kitchen in Tennessee.
J loved the Tile World story and King of Kitsch. Also like you Ebay features. Thanks!
My favorites are always the time capsule houses. I could spend HOURS looking at them…. Happy Holidays!
One of my fave articles this past year was your piece on Knape & Vogt shelving. That article inspired me to rethink shelving all together. I hope to purchase Knape & Vogt shelving next year and redo my living room! As always, thanks for the inspiration!
I loved the recent piece you did on vintage lamps. Having readers send in photos of their lamps was so interesting. I adore vintage, funky, or just unusual lamps. I have so many in my house that I have to rotate them – I just don’t have enough room for all!
Hi, I’d love to win the scarf and I especially liked seeing the pictures of a kitchen recently with red gingham curtains and a black and white floor, the whole house seemed so inviting, but the kitchen especially!
I love the kitchens on Retro Renovation! I love the boomerang countertops and black and white kitchens! This is one of my favorite blogs to check out for inspiration and ideas!
The scarf is very cool — I have a FIL very much into trains and I know if he sees me wearing this scarf, he’ll probably want one of his own!
It’s below zero in ND but I’m still digging the blog on outdoor spaces…porches, decks, sun rooms and the lot. Reading the article started a week long project of making the deck look as cool as our retro wannabe condo! Thanks for making my Sundays with emails!
loved the chance to win a great area rug! Didn’t win, but would like to try again!
I love them all but especially when you tell us where to find all replacement products for our homes. You really helped save my bathroom.
I think Cullen’s apartment is one of my very favourites. Who wouldn’t love that onslaught of kitsch?!
Hi Pam,
I also have enjoyed sharing some of my finds.
I love the tag sale uploads: I love to see what others have found, although at times it has made me insanely jealous
Sue S
I wouldn’t necessarily want to select one favorite, the the Cullen story does stand out (but then so do many others). You do a great job!
My favorite story was the one about Cullen Meyer! I am in love with his place and it has inspired me as far as some designing possibilities for my place. Loved it!
I love all the posts. I’m still living in an apartment and can’t do any of my on renovating. But I come to this blog to look and get ideas for my dream home. I’m only 23 and I love the retro look and design. I sometimes think I was born in the wrong era.
Love this website!! I have a 50′s home, we are renovating. This website has been a huge reference point as well as merchants to use for older items. Keep up the good work!!
As I reflect on all the wonderful renovations, like many, I cannot pick one. The “home in the round” was a memory fixture, but I also loved the enjoyable group that sang and provided amusement- do they have a holiday number?. I applaud everyones hard work and eye candy for the rest of us who are still looking for the perfect home idea before we start destruction on the old.
Most of all I want to thank and bless Pam for her awesome website. Without her, we couldn’t come together in this special community to enjoy and preserve a passion for the past and share ideas and talents.
Merry Christmas to all and I hope that scarf finds a warm neck to snuggle onto.
Loved Kate’s house, loved Cullen Meyer…pretty much loved it all! Looking forward to seeing what you will find in 2013!
I always love and am inspired by the time capsules!!
Love the font on the scarf!
Hard to pick a favorite, but the one I actually enjoyed staring at for hours was all of the MCM lamps readers submitted themselves! I love seeing photo submissions like this to see what other collectors are finding throughout the country! Please keep more of these coming for different items as well…also LOVED Sarah’s 1964 round home (still waiting for interior pics, please!)
I NEED that scarf!!! My dad and both of my grandpas worked for the Milwaukee Railroad for their entire careers! I remember tons of trips on the Hiawatha from Illinois and Wisconsin to Minnesota, where both sets of granparents lived. My bothers and I never wanted to go on any vacation trips except the train trips to see the grandparents. My dad turns 81 this month and would absolutely loooove the nostalgia of the scarf…
I look forward to getting your email every week. I love all of it, but my favorite part of your blog is when we get to see your readers’ problems and solutions. And I love the motto: Love the house you’re in! I am the coordinator for an historic preservation program in a rural town in the San Juan Islands. We are just now starting to survey the town’s post-war architecture. Convincing property owners to value their ubiquitous recent past houses is a real challenge. I refer them to your site so they can feel like part of a special club of in-the-know homeowners. Without you and Atomic Ranch magazine, where would we go for inspiration?! Thank you for your great blog.
I love the up loaders where get a peak into the readers homes and collections.
I thought I added…
My favorite stories this year were the two about Adrian Pearsal house. In general, the time capsule segments are my favorites!
Loved the round house story! And I 2nd the uploaders. So fun to hear from readers. Someday we will upload our kitchen, but still waiting to finish the countertop. Only been 2 1/2 years. Can’t rush these things…
Happy New Year!
If your uncle went to war or your Auntie worked on the assembly line, everything about those growing-up years impressed itself on your retina forever! So the RetroRenovation site is a feast. Beyond the super stories and great looks, however — the links are immensely helpful for getting to the best places on the net for the history, and the ideas
I love the articles on vintage bathrooms the most. Having a pink and black vintage bath, I love to see all the other color combos and how others are decorating. Also, my dad worked for the Milwaukee Road and then the subsequent rail lines that they became, and I think that scarf is fabulous!
Time capsule house rocks! I would love to see more posts like this to truly see retro in pure form.
My favorite feature of the blog is when we get to see the time capsule houses. When I see that there is a new one added, I can’t wait to read it!
It would be so, so hard to pick just one article – they’re all a delight! But I have a few favorite themes. First I love the articles that Kate has done – all of them! Second, I love the uploader articles, asking for viewer submissions. I also like all the architecture articles or articles on a special house – especially when there are some vintage photos of the place to compare. And I love all the renovating articles, whether it’s about work already done or suggestions for future work – Pam’s blue bathroom (on Vimeo!), Jan’s kitchen, what should Cathy do with her narrow bathroom. Geez, outside of Kate’s articles, it seems I just want to see into other people’s houses! Am I a voyeur?
I enjoy reading Retro Renovation so much. I grew up in the 50s, and it is so much fun to see how people are making use of the items that were in my home and in the homes of my friends.
Like the other readers, it is sooo hard for me to choose a favorite, too – pink bathrooms, time capsules, knotty pine, aluminum Christmas trees – I love it all. I look forward to the newsletter every time I see it in my inbox. Today I’m gettting in the holiday spirit and loving the putz houses! I have several small ones with holes in the bottom that my mom always put on the tree. The hole would just fit over one of the light bulbs on the string of lights…Happy Retro Holidays to all!!!
I love this scarf! Thank you so much for offering such a lovely and generous giveaway. My all time favorite posts are those glorious time capsule homes, but my recent favorite is the flat gold aluminum Evergleam “Peacock” tree. Holy Tinseltown, Batman!
My favorites are the DIY Artsy Fartsy articles, projects I can actually do without spending much. Being on a tight budget, I appreciate that.
Alright Pam, So many of your articles have been amazingly full of information. I don’t have a specific article but there is one specific picture of a kitchen done in Red and white with butter yellow cabinets. So cute and very cool!
Love, love, love!
Pink and black bathrooms — ahhhhh…..I adore, and the vintage LAMPS!!! An awesome reflection (pun intended) on times gone by.
Any time capsule house story–I *love* those so much. (And I’m tempted to count Cullen’s digs among them, in a good way!
)
i luv all the articles–because it makes me realize i’m not alone with my mid-century obsession!
Tile finds! Makes me want to tear down the beige bathroom in my rental.
I learn so much from RR, whether it’s kitchen sink or counter styles, the importance of preserving time capsule houses or keeping an eye on cool kitsch. Thanks for all you do!
My favorite stories are the interesting facts you tell about rare and obsolete brands. I have had antique shops for forty years and have probably learned more interesting facts in the last year on your site than in my forty years selling. LOVE LOVE LOVE IT!
Growing up in So. Cal in the fabulous mid fifties was living the dream. Like others ahead of me here, I too have owned & operated my own Vintage Clothing & Paraphernalia shop, because the love of the era, style & SWANK always continues to make me tingle with dee~light. Oh yes, I enjoy all aspects of Pam’s Retro Renovation, peeking into Time Capsules, What to Collect, etc Your article, your story, your home is Shamdangling young sir!!
Love the fabulous time capsule house stories.
I loved all the kitchen remodels. There were 2 or 3 that really stuck out to me… the long rectangular kitchen with the well-lit sitting area at the end that had neat wallpaper with red accents. And the kitchen that had white subway tile with black grout for the backsplash, as I’ve been thinking about doing that for my kitchen. There are so many beautiful pieces of furniture in the articles too. Great job this year!