A vintage wallpaper mural. Swanky pendant lights in the two-story living room. An original Geneva kitchen with vintage Sub-Zero refrigerator. This wonderful 1960 time capsule house for sale in Laramie, Wyoming was custom designed for the original owners — who have been in the house this entire time — and the TLC shows. Thanks to reader Betsy for spotting this gem. 26 more photos!
While the house looks unassuming from the exterior, once you step inside, you are sure to be wowed by the architectural details and interior design. One of the first things that you’ll notice is the fabulous, huge maritime-themed wall mural, above. (Did you know that Thibaut still makes four authentic wallpaper murals like this available today?) Positioned on a prominent wall that overlooks the main living space of the house, this colorful mural is framed by warm wood paneling and decorative railings. Thanks to listing agent Karla Spiegelberg for giving us permission to use her photos here on the blog.
From the listing:
- Price: $379,900
- Year built: 1960
- Square footage: 3,210
Description: WELL BUILT home that features 4 bedrooms, 3 1/2 baths, office with custom shelving and fireplace, living room has vaulted ceilings and fireplace, huge windows, sliding doors to spectacular back yard with built-in grill, eat-in kitchen, lower level family room with wet bar, fireplace and indoor grill. Huge laundry room with newer washer and dryer plus an attached double car garage.
THIS HOME WAS CUSTOM BUILT AND HAD ONE OWNER. The main level living room has vaulted ceilings with floor to ceiling windows, fireplace, nice dining area with glass doors leading to patio area that is very private and features a built-in barbecue grill and numerous planters. There is also a office on the main level with built-in custom shelving and a fireplace. The kitchen has a nice eat-in area with 2 large windows, Sub-Zero refrigerator, Jen-Air grill and custom built-ins. There is also a 1/2 bath on the main level along with a large laundry room with doors leading to the side yard. The upper level master suite has it’s own dressing room, double closets and a full bath. There are also 2 more bedrooms and another full bath on this level. The lower level boasts a large family room with wet bar and fridge, fireplace, built-in grill, plus another bedroom and 3/4 bath. The care taken in this home will be evident when you come take a tour.
1960 interior design features: Glamorous
There are quite a few exciting original details going on in this living room besides the wall mural — the amazing pendant light fixtures, the decorative iron railings, and exposed wood ceiling beams. The floor to ceiling brick fireplace heightens the drama of the room. Look at that huge wall of windows — complete with an amazing custom window treatment that follows the slope of the ceiling. Notice also how the brick of the fireplace continues under the walkway to form a built-in planter area.
The original details continue into the kitchen, where there is a Sub-Zero refrigerator with wood (laminate?) panel inserts, a copper range hood, soffits wallpapered with original patchwork patterned wallpaper, and pink laminate counter tops. Hey, we have a vintage advertisement for Sub-Zero with a fridge that looks just like this 1960 design. You can still get Sub-Zeros that look just like this — Pam put one in her kitchen, although it is a side-by-side and she put “appliance white” metal panels on it – available from Sub-Zero.
Photos of original time capsule homes like this can be full of unique ideas for people doing a Retro Renovation today. Above, notice the way the laminate counter top “zig zags” down from the counter top to the built-in desk area — a great custom detail to consider for your own kitchen remodel, perhaps?
The laundry room doubles as a work space — with plenty of counter space for folding laundry or working on a project. I like the peg board lined wall where tools could be arranged, as well as the extra storage space below the cabinets. Notice the cabinet built into the wall — perfect for storing cleaning supplies.
This pink and aqua bathroom may be my favorite part of the house. Pink and aqua is such a great retro color combination. The aqua sink design is a variation we see now and then — it is hudee-rimmed into the laminate countertop, with the front edge protruding. The owner even took the time to make a fabric curtain for the window in the shower — too cute. Indeed: This home appears to have been impeccably maintained.
Here’s another great original bathroom — in pink, white and brown — with a hidden surprise. When the shower curtain is closed, the bathroom looks pretty tame — but once it is open, it exposes a neopolitan ice cream tile arrangement. In any other color scheme, this might feel like too much — but since pink, white and brown all read as neutrals and only the shower wall is striped and normally behind a curtain — it doesn’t overpower the space.
Get a load of this built-in dressing room vanity — complete with flip up mirror, storage drawers and a baseboard heat source — perfect to ensure the lady of the house’s boudoir slippered toes don’t get a chill. Remember Mara’s dressing room? Here’s another example of a boudoir chair design for her.
The wood paneled office has plenty of custom shelving to hold all your books and knick-knacks. Pam wanted me to point out that the light fixture is a “modern wagon wheel light” — in this design, there is no actual wagon wheel, but the shape of the glass light covers and overall fixture shape evoke that old design, just with a modern twist. A good fit for a mid mod home on the suburban range in Laramie, Wyoming, don’t you think!
Last but certainly not least is this basement rec room and bar. The back wall shelving unit has been painted a bright and cheery deep pink and the mirror behind the bar has been treated like a window in a retro kitchen would be — by adding a decorative trim piece along the top. The bar itself has stone that matches the upstairs fireplace hearth with an added special touch — three glass block like squares with different color lights shining through. Fantastic!!!!
On the opposite side of the rec room, the wall has been painted with a coordinating checker board motif — which mirrors the bar lights — and yet another brick fireplace — complete with a built-in grill.
Mega thanks again to listing agent Karla Spiegelberg for giving us permission to use her photos and listing information.
For more information, or if you are interested in buying this house, contact:
- Karla Spiegelberg at Laramie Land Company — (307) 721-3039 or email her at karlas@wyo2u.com
- Listing information is here
To see all the photos from this listing, check our our slide show:
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:
Janice says
I love this house! I love the passageway that overlooks the living room that leads to the bedrooms and I really love the laundry room and kitchen. I have a laundry room that is shaped exactly like this but not nearly that pretty. This is giving me ideas, tho, for a future redo when I get to the bottom of my list – if that ever happens.
This homeowner clearly loved pink and because of that – I love her! Fabulous find in Wyoming!
kimberj says
I have to add my 2cents to this conversation. We have just recently renovated a beautiful 1971 “modern home” that was absolutely untouched. We had 4 dumpsters of tear outs. We love mid century and all our furniture is vintage danish modern. That being said…
We knew going in we’d have to rip out way more than anyone wanted us to. It was a one owner place and the woman was 90 when she passed. The home was badly neglected, far more than we knew. It sat empty for over a year. The carpet was filthy and original. All the extra built ins in the basement (except the bar that we saved) were completely rotted out. Pipes had leaked in bathrooms and the sinks were so damaged they were beyond salvaging. The kitchen had been overrun with mice and rats while she was living there so the cabinets were chewed up and completely gross. We tore it out to the studs and vaulted the ceiling to match the living/dining space. We had to get all the rat and mice pooped up insulation out of the drywall. All the rodents were gone by the time we purchased it, nothing much left for them to eat, but the smell was ungodly. We still had a family of raccoons in one corner of the attic over a bedroom closet. That also was gutted walls, floors, everything to eliminate them and get rid of the pee smell. We kept the full wall sandstone fireplace and lovely curved open staircase. The cabinets we installed were danish modern replicas not the faux Hollywood Regency that were original. The new actually fits the design of the house better. We kept all the original doors and found woodwork that replicated what had to go. We put in hardwoods and tile rather than the carpet that was everywhere (yes, kitchen and bathrooms too). We have dust allergies and carpet is a nightmare for us. We did put in granite as opposed to formica for resale value as we will most likely be transferred again in 7 years or so. The basement walls are still a mess from moisture damage but we only have so much reno money. We had to replace the front doors much to our dismay. But we found nearly exact replicas that were more energy efficient. We even tried to reuse the door knob but it was too damaged from a break in. The door was chained together when we took possession. We kept all that we could but believe me I took a lot of crap from the neighbors until I drug them inside and showed them all the damage.
I realize the house above seems in perfect shape, ours wasn’t. Our house was a time capsule too but one that had been lovingly neglected. It may have looked as though we were gleefully tearing it up but every dumpster load hurt both pocket and heart. The woman’s daughter came to the door and ripped me to shreds until I gave her a tour. She had no idea her mother had been living in such neglected filth. When we finished she came again and said her mother would have loved everything we’d done.
Please don’t judge severe renovations too harshly unless you’ve got the ENTIRE story.
pam kueber says
Agreed. I think that we we react to mostly here is: Gleeful sledgehammering and people who call someone else’s style *hideous* (a verboten word here.) Someone designed, built and lived in these old houses — with great love. Personally, my goal is to respect that, even if stuff needs to be changed out, or even if I just *want* to change it out. Respect. Gratitude. Civility. These are our watchwords here. On this site, I simply request that comments be civil and respectful. If they are not, I edit or delete them. Period.
Big discussion last year, here: https://retrorenovation.com/2012/07/02/retro-renovators-creed-gut-remodel-without-guilt/
tammyCA says
I will have to say you were brave to take on the reno of the house from your description…yikes, it sounds like “Grey Gardens” racoons and all! (a disturbing but most excellent documentary…I could discuss the psychology on this one for days…also google & see the dramatic before/after of that historic house…a respectful renovation, too.)
Of course, sometimes we don’t see the before pictures/story of renovated homes, but sometimes we do, like on those home shows and certain blogs. And a lot of the times the before is perfectly fine, working & cool, but people wanted the latest trend and so it all goes in the dump. I do keep in mind that some things are beyond fixing and getting new is safer & preferred…and, we all have different taste.
I would love to see on the home shows more of the seriously dilapidated houses restored to glory again…like “Rehab Addict”. She’s one tiny little female who buys the most disgusting crack houses and does a lot of the work herself, salvaging every little thing and bringing the historic house back to life.
tammyCA says
Here’s a most recent interesting article on Grey Gardens…It was Sally Quine that bought it and restored it to its former glory: http://www.cnbc.com/id/100444260
Ashly says
I am so glad you made this comment! My husband and I bought our first home, a 54 ranch, from the original owner. At first glance, the home seemed to be in immaculate condition and had all of the original features and fixtures (except for a kitchen remodel in the 70s). After living with the home for two years, we have to acknowledge that some things will HAVE to go – damaged half-wall paneling, our pink bath (previous leak, non functional vanity, miss-matching tile, unlit shower closet), the kitchen (which we have started, however, we are bringing the kitchen *back* to the 50s). While it would be nice to pretend that every time capsule is worth saving, it’s just not always the case. You can bet when the time comes to demo our pink bath, I will be gleefully, apologetically, swinging the sledgehammer.
Rebecca@MidCenturyModernRemodel says
Thank you for the comment. I live in a time capsule home. We have made good changes and bad changes. The bad changes I plan on fixing. 🙂 Sometimes people don’t know what they have. On the good change side, we tore out 2 original 1950’s bathrooms. They were super tiny and didn’t have enough retro cuteness to save them. In order to get the most out of the space we had to reconfigure. We remodeled bathrooms are very much in keeping with design trends from mid-century and I have been very happy with those choices.
Mary says
Oh my goodness, what a treasure. The bar is just….so amazing. I’d be down there every night at 5 sharp for in-house happy hour! And I’d be soaking regularly in the aqua tub, that bathroom is gorgeous.
charlene says
I visited the house I grew up in in SC last summer and went inside, the newest owner basically destroyed it, it was a real feeling of “you can’t go home again” when I left – upsets me to think about it – going this week to pick up some Edward Wormly Precedent furniture from my Mom that’s sitting in her attic, was only made in 1947 – what I do now and have done for years is replace the furniture etc. from ebay and other sources so my new home feels like “home” – btw I love that coral color
Janet in CT says
I have to mention that the mural is fantastic, but struck me funny! The house is in landlocked Wyoming but certainly looks like a scene in Maine or Cape Cod! Wishful thinking, perhaps?
charlene says
My Dad painted murals all over our house when I saw a kid, I always wanted to paint on the wall like that – there was an orange “Duchamp” Descending Staircase in the entryway when you opened the orange front door. I reproduce my versions of all these things in my house now.
Betsy says
It is oddly out of place, but perhaps they were also weary of all the western art that is so common. 🙂
This home was built by a local builder, and it speaks to the elegance and formality of the time. The materials used are of the highest quality, and I can’t help but think that the mural (as well as everything you see here) was designed to stand out as unique and extraordinary.
Janet in CT says
This house is like seeing all my dreams come true under one roof! I see so many things about it that are just absolutely wonderful! And I so agree with Marilyn’s dead-on assessment of all these new house “improvements”. I love everything about an older house and I have to also agree that memories of gramma’s house do have something to do with it. The pencil sharpener is something that struck me funny too. Having looked at dozens of houses in the last few years, what endears me is seeing a pencil sharpener installed in the basement stairwell, just like in my gramma’s house and the house I grew up in. They probably don’t even sharpen a pencil any more but seeing one sure brings me back! I think this house is not only remarkable in itself, but also in that the owners kept it so original and so impeccably maintained. Bravo!
RetroSandie says
I just adore time capsule homes and drool all over the pictures! This one is wonderful, too! Those built-ins in the office – CRAFT ROOM!!! And all of the pink and aqua or pink and white…just lovely. Can’t you just imagine the fun holidays and parties down in the rec room??!! Such a cute bar!! I never tire of seeing these wonderful capsules and always hope that the home goes to a good family. And continues to be well-loved and maintained just as is for many more years to come.
Kathy says
oh oh oh oh – that laundry room! with peg board! oh! too fabulous.
Sarah says
OMG. I am IN LOVE.
Marilyn says
I am a real estate professional and have been astounded the last 18 months or so with the “flipping” market in Denver Metro. All of these “recently remodeled” houses have all the character removed. All look like they had the same designer. Walls removed for the loft look (no longer cozy, drafty, and hard to heat – look like an office complex lobby), stainless appliances (will dent like crazy and show water spots) odd small tile backsplashes (so just try to clean out the spaghetti sauce off of that), pre-packaged wood flooring (the puppy piddles and it runs between the boards), granite counters (tip over a glass or drop a plate and it breaks), rough tile around the tub (how do you clean the soap scum off the rough tile), tile or marble bath floors (slip and fall) sharp edges on the tile around the new tub (slip and fall and serious hurt anyone – and imagine leaning with your tummy on that while bathing the little ones, or cleaning the tub) stainless range hoods that will be horrible grease catchers. Bathroom and kitchen cabintes that are on legs and open underneath (yech! food crud, animal hair, people hair, dirt) On and on. Sometimes it is lipstick on a pig, but often a really cool retro looking house has been destroyed. Sad thing is they are selling like hot cakes.
My antiquated opinion is they are finished for looks and not to live in!! Glory to the true retro house!! If I had the resources I would remodel to live in with total practicality. (At one point with 4 kids and 3 dogs, practical was molded furniture, a floor drain and a power washer!) Now, I would like to see more user friendly. Long term and classic!
tammyCA says
I’d like to know who started that look…granite and such.
I’ve seen so many very modest homes that look like “harlots” after being flipped like that. It’s ridiculous and it doesn’t fit the house at all.