by pam kueber on September 9, 2009

Flickr friend Java1888 is just the best. He found a 1941 paint brochure — 60 pages long — from Sherwin-Williams, and has posted the whole thing on his flickr photostream. These kinds are guides are treasure troves of inspiration about how to decorate historic homes. Heck yeah there is more…
by pam kueber on August 15, 2009
READER JSNUGBEAR adds his paint colors for a ranch house to our growing list of real-life reader stories. In addition, he has been a great reporter and taken lots of before, during, and after photos that show the transformation. Jsnugbear aka John also gets to show off his vintage cloth awnings, I am jealous. Above: A shot of the house, completed. And, do I spy with my little eye: Don Featherstone flamingoes to celebrate a major major item crossed off the “to do” list?
Heck yeah there is more…
by pam kueber on August 11, 2009
I‘VE ALWAYS ADMIRED THIS HOUSE three blocks or so from mine. The salmon-beige paint with the red brick looks terrific, I think. On Monday, I grabbed my camera, took a walk over, and knocked on the door in true retro recon style — to find out the brand and name of the paint. They were home and happy to respond to this unexpected request from a stranger. Of course, I live in a small town so we identified a mutual friend within seconds. Heck yeah there is more…
by pam kueber on August 2, 2009


Here’s an inspiring story from readers – Samantha and Dave – who told beige to bite the dust and instead painted their Colorado bungalow / ranch a fabulous shade of Burma Jade — jadeite green — from the
Sherwin-Williams Suburban Modern palette. A note on the brick detailing on this house. By the early 50s architects and builders were looking to create a “long and low” ranch house feel on designs of every ilk. Adding a half-wall trim like the brick that runs along the front of this house — and in some cases beyond, as in this house — accentuates the horizontal, even though this house appears to be pretty much a square box. A classic classic mid-century house design trick. Click thru for Samantha’s explanation of their journey.
Heck yeah there is more…
by pam kueber on June 21, 2009

Drats and double drats. A couple of months ago I stumbled on a source for this great information about how to recreate – yes – an authentic midcentury roof. The solution is: classic three-tab shingles from Owens Corning…and look what a great match some of the colors are, to the 1954 advertisement above. Heck yeah there is more…
by pam kueber on April 16, 2009

Oooooh, look at this great color chart – for Motorola television consoles in 1956. Click directly on the photo to get to the flickr photostream of What Makes the Pie Shops Tick – who has some additional images of vintage Motorola’s straight from the 1956 catalog. But back to the color chart — I liked this in particular, because it provides a good reference for paint, stain and finish options for anything wood – furniture, cabinetry, even paneling. Thanks, Pie Shop!
by pam kueber on March 14, 2009

Are you looking forward to repainting your midcentury ranch or contemporary home once the weather warms up? I recently connected with the nice folks at The Eichler Network, and saw that they have identified a palette of original exterior paint colors and accents used on Eichler homes, which were built from the late 1940s through the early 1970s.
The 11,000 homes that Joseph Eichler built in California have been very collectible, and The Eichler Network runs a website and magazine to connect Eichler homeowners with service providers specialized in helping them with sensitive updates.
This paint color research is particularly helpful – because the Eichler experts also have translated them into Benjamin Moore (BM) colors easily available today.
Eichler paint palette and other color stories
All about Joseph Eichler

by pam kueber on December 30, 2008
by pam kueber on November 14, 2008
I recently found this image of 10 original paint colors for St. Charles steel kitchen cabinets. I believe that these are circa 1957.
by pam kueber on November 8, 2008