Oh, how we love thee: The original features — big and small — in our homes. They managed to avoid the curse of the previous owner update. Or, maybe you found a time capsule whose first owner who knew they had something good, and didn’t change a thing. Yes, we neeeeeeeded to see the original “they don’t make ’em like that anymore” architectural details and features in readers’ old houses — and you gave us 483 photos, to be exact! There is some FANTASTIC stuff in here! Uploader is now closed — thanks, everyone, for playing. Time to gawk! Above: Close-up of the room divider in Andy A’s 1962 house. Oh my! See? We bet you’re gawkin’ already. 🙂
To see the slide show, click on the thumbnail, it will enlarge, then use the arrows just below to move forward or back. You can start or stop the show from any slide.
modernT says
We have a large 1965 MCM Ranch. It was a timecapsule when we bought it and we haven’t changed any original features. I’ve posted the flagstone floor, the walls of windows and the wood soffits in the butterfly roof.
Ann says
Re: photo #75…Lori’s MOE LIGHTING HEADER. Please elaborate on the starburst deco on the upper corner of your fireplace. I am looking to cover some broken, but original, brickwork on our fireplace. Something similar would be perfect. Thanks!
Lori Tevis says
Hi Ann, Glad you liked the starburst accent on the fireplace screen. Actually it’s a vintage door cover that I had purchased to use around the doorknob on our front door but the center of the hole was too small. So I had bought a pair and when I got to looking at them I realized the center whole matched the round circle trim on my fireplace screen. So I removed the round circle trim got a longer bolt and voila I had a beautiful starburst trim on each side of my fireplace screen. I can’t tell you how many places I had tried to find a use for those starbursts. Hope this gives you some ideas on your broken tile on your fireplace. Have a great evening. Lori T
Julie G. says
Andy A., I love your polka dots room divider. The colors are relish! Is it glass?
Julie G. says
Delish, not relish!
Andy A. says
Hi Julie!
I wasn’t sure about them at first, but they do fit the character of the house, which is literally 100% original right down to the turquoise carpeting and draperies in the living and dining rooms. After having the chance to get used to them, we really love them.
At first, I thought the panels were a plastic of some sort, but now I’m not sure. They are thick, at least 1/2 inch, so not the thin panels that have been featured on Retro Renovation previously.
Tapping on them, they sound like glass, and they’re shinier than it seems like an acrylic or plastic would be, especially after having had so many adhesive removers on them to remove the wallpaper glue.
I’m leaning toward glass. I haven’t found anything else like them after searching, so it’s possible they were custom made for the house. The house was built by a local builder for his family home, so he spared no expense. I’m glad you like them!
Julie G. says
My home is circa 1900 and very few of the original details were changed. I’ve uploaded three photos. One of the stained glass window in the bathroom, which by the way has original subway tile on all four walls and the ceiling. One of the stained glass windows on the staircase. And one of the statue of a lady holding a (working) light also on the stairwell.
Diane says
Doug,
Thanks and yes that is my wall of windows that go from the kitchen into the dining room into the living room over looking the Allegheny River in PA.
nina462 says
Pam, oh Pam – you must contact me. I went to an estate sale of a family friend today….and the house is in mint 1960’s condition. I’ve uploaded the green mirror wallpaper/wrought iron railiing that leads from the eat in kitchen to the basement…and the front entrance. The house is a time capsule house!!
I’ve told the realtor to contact http://www.retrorenovation-com-staging.enwf9w61-liquidwebsites.com when it is ready to sell. Nothing has been been updated!! Both bathrooms have mirrored, flocked wall paper & coloured fixtures.
Oooh, it’s just scrumptious!
Elaine Schuster says
I did the same at a beautiful 1953 ranch on Indian River. The realtor selling it is a member of the family that owns the house. It was built by the family whose money came from orange groves. It is gorgeous. The kitchen has one of those original Flair pull out cook tops and wall ovens, in what looks like mint condition. He was talking about renovating it and I immediately gave him the sales pitch about retrorenavation.com, and preserving it. I wrote down the website for him. The bathrooms are pretty good too. The other day, I saw one of my neighbors, a contractor, parked in the driveway, so I buttonholed him that evening and begged him not to destroy that kitchen but to pull it out carefully and sell it so someone could appreciate it. He said he was just bidding on the job. We’ll have to keep an eye on that place.
Katie B. says
I am jealous of all the built-in storage! My house was built as a summer home, so it has about as much storage area as a motel room. I have to keep my vacuum in with my clothes. I love my house, but it is very difficult for two pack rats like us to live in a house with only two closets and some hall cabinets! 🙂
Diane says
What a super cool split level
Doug/ never see many of those
Doug Camin @ House on Rynkus Hill says
Diane –
Thanks! The house was designed and built by my grandfather starting in 1958 and my fiance and I bought it from my grandmother last year. I even have the plans he drew. We’ve been steadily updating, restoring, and refinishing since. We just started a new blog chronicling our work and sharing a lot of the old stories associated with the house since we possess so many photos and documents (I think if you click on my name it takes you to it.)
BTW if that’s your wall of windows in those pictures – love it!
John says
Its one thing to live in the house your grandparents did, and to own it…. its a very different thing that your grand father not only designed but built it. THAT is a treasure…. to me anyway. How lucky. You have a piece of your grand father with you every day. Thats great!! now I am over at your blog to get some more views! =)
modernT says
Hi Doug–I love your house!! I’ll have to check out your blog a bit more this weekend. We are also in upstate NY (Rochester)–well, some people call it upstate, some people call in Western NY. Are you in our neck of the woods?
-Trish
Doug Camin @ House on Rynkus Hill says
Trish –
We’re in Owego, just outside of Binghamton, so the Southern Tier area. Bigtime IBM country – the neighborhood we live in was built up starting in the 1950s and has some really awesome mid-century gems.
John –
Maybe I should say he HAD it built. He didn’t do it himself. Though he was handy – he had bachelor degrees in both electrical and mechanical engineering. Definitely agree it is very very cool to be in the house my grandparents designed and had constructed and we treasure it. 🙂
modernT says
I had no idea Owego had such mid-century gems. Very cool! Maybe you can find good vintage furniture in the area then? We have pockets of mid-century up in Rochester–but some real gems here, too.
I look forward to following your blog and I’ll add you to the blogroll of mine.
Trish
Doug Camin @ House on Rynkus Hill says
One of my plans is to go stalking some of the other mid-century houses around and put up a post about them. I feel like that would be a good summer project.
Vintage furniture around here is tough. You sometimes see it at estate sales but there definitely isn’t any stores catering to that aesthetic. The closest fit is a modern store in Ithaca (called Contemporary Trends), which is an easy drive for us.
Checked out your blog – that house is great! I’ll put you on my blogroll as well.
John says
Ive thought about that myself, there is some mcm architecture in my town, and those of us that love it would like to see it shine in my home town.
modernT says
Thanks!
Suzanne says
Very cool features. I’m so jealous. The only thing I have is a pocket door between the living room and the kitchen. But I love my house anyway. 🙂
John says
I love pocket doors! I have one that separates the main part of the house from the guest bedrooms. Its a detail i really love. It comes in handy if someone wants to lay down and there is activity in the rest of the house.
Marty says
Yeah, I have two pocket doors in my home (’59) between the kitchen and dining room and dining room and living room. About the only time I use them, though, is when I’m taking care of my neighbor’s dog.
Jay says
That divider/floating china cabinet w/glass doors is the cat’s meow! and the 61 kitchen with the soffit lighting – yum! Would love to know how the new appliances were retrofitted into existing cabinets and counters. Heck everything posted is just glorious!!!
Wayne in Aurora says
Hi Jay, I’m ’61 soffit. I was lucky enough to find a 30 inch Fridigidaire wall oven to fit in the existing cabinet. All other appliances fit in the lower cabinets as those had to be re-built. The previous owners cut out a section of the lowers to put in a range.
Really wish I could have save the original (beech?) wood on the soffits/cabinets, but the previous owners had refaced (very poorly) 25 years earlier.
My grandfather owns the model home in my neighborhood, so I used his house as a template to get mine back to the original configuration. Interestingly, he worked for the homebuilder in ’61!