DOGGIE BLOGGERS JAKE AND BARCLAY — that’s Jake at left, he’s an Eames/Saarinen fan — have a fun blog called The (dog) House. Their reader-owners recently added acrylic inserts to their “great wall of yellow” vintage kitchen cabinets, even more so if you have jigsaw and know how to use it. This is a low-cost, high-impact update for any kitchen.  They also added a dose of pistachio color, and check out the checkerboard Armstrong VCT floor…. Nicely done “grandma’s redux,” as they call it. But read on, this house is very interesting for at least two more reasons.

First of all, I think a lot of readers will identify with Jake and Barclay’s owners’ sense of style. It’s not “dogmatic” tee hee:

…We decided that mid-century, in our house, would mean anything from the 1930’s through the late 1960’s. We don’t want to be dogmatic about style, even mid-century style. So, while the major design theme for the house is generally mid-century, we add plenty of eclectic and oddball contemporary touches too. Ironic? Sure! Earnest, geeky, obsessive….even middle class? Sure; bring it on! (Read more on the blog’s About page, and cruise through the different rooms via their Categories.)

So, cruise around the site and you’ll see a lot of inspirational ideas not necessarily pigeon-holed into a single narrow collecting decade. Hey – “real” houses are like this, aren’t they? A mix of stuff you find yourself… and which came with the significant other…or from mom or grandma or Uncle Bill or… from the dumpster, even. It’s all a big, expressive, artistic life’s collage.

Second, I think that this house is really interesting because it was built during wartime, in 1943, as defense housing. From what I’ve researched so far, pretty much the only homes being built during the war were for defense workers. This was due to widespread materials shortages. Jake & Barclay’s house is in Richmond, California — the home base of the Kaiser shipyards. So, what a history! Relatedly, it was WWII itself that really catapulted the west coast in desirability as a place to live. I guess I’d stop short of saying it was a “backwater” til then, but maybe…just for farmer’s and movie people? Think “Grapes of Wrath.” But during WWII, there was massive industrial buildup with the defense industry, which needed to stage aircraft, ships, submarines and troops to fight in the Pacific theater. After the war, people stayed because there were jobs as industry converted from wartime to consumer production. The west coast has boomed ever since. And we got everlasting legacies like ranch houses and casual style living.

Jake and Barclay’s house is  2 bedrooms, 1 bath. Defense housing was, of course, quite basic. In terms of design, their  owners call the home a transitional “ranch bungalow.” Sounds right to me — forging a path between the old and the new.  Thank you,  Jake, Barclay, Rick and Sanh!

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Nice to meet Sara and her vintage Philco television set. What a find, to be sure!

Hi Pam,

My name is Sara, I just signed onto your site as a member yesterday, although I have been reading your blog for the past year now! I have to say that I just absolutely LOVE your blog and I think you are doing a fantastic job with it. I finally feel like there are other people out there like me! Ever since I was in high school (mid to late 80’s) I have been really into all things 50’s and 60s.

My Mom had a hard time getting me to wear “normal” clothes, because I always wanted to shop the vintage stores and wear 50’s dresses to school! Even a repairman who came to my house last year asked if this was my house and I said “Yes, why?” and he said “Because of all of this old stuff”!!!! Anyway, I seems I am just as obsessed as you are hunting on e-bay, and going to estate sales and flea markets looking for anything 50s. I really love your kitchen pics, and one day I hope to have a retro kitchen of my very own. Maybe even a retro house too, that is ALL original and that has not been modernized with yucky granite! I feel like all of your other readers, it is really heartbreaking to see all of the home renovation shows destroy all of the great 50s and 60s details. I even saw one renovation show destroying and original terrazzo floor, I wanted to jump through the screen and stop them! Keep up the great work, you are really an inspiration.

I meant to send this pic of my Philco the other day – when you were showing the new Philcos. I saw this set at an Estate sale a while back and I just could not pass it up. It was not cheap at $250, but it is in nearly mint condition with the original stand – and it still WORKS! It is a Philco Siesta from 1960 and probably very modern for it’s time, as there is a clock above the channel knob that you could use to turn the TV on and off when your programs came on. I bought it from the original owners, and they obviously cherished this TV because they took very good care of it. There were a lot of older people at the estate sale, probably friends and neighbors of the sellers, and they were all probably thinking I was crazy to buy this old black and white TV, that only has 13 channels, and no remote – but, you know how it is!!! I love it!

Sincerely,
Sara

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My dad lives in an apartment building in Brooklyn that opened on April 1, 1951. I assume the bathroom is original. The bathroom floor tile is a (true) gray and white in a simple checkerboard pattern. The wall tile is a funky purplish-gray field with a black bullnose border. It doesn’t really go with the floor.

We’re going to renovate the bathroom, and I’d like to be able to keep at least the wall tile, but the color is impossible to coordinate. It’s not gray and it’s not purple. Have you seen this color before? What should I do with the walls and floor if I keep it?

Thanks so much,
Alexa in Brooklyn

Thanks for the photos, Alexa – what a gorgeous gorgeous color that tile is! In the palettes of the late 40s and early 50s you do see some dusty lavenders, but I have to admit you are the first reader to send in a bathroom this color. Here are some thoughts:

• This bathroom definitely has a deco feel to me. For additional tiles, if you need replacements, the only place I know to send you is B&W Tile in California.
• And I must say: Unless that floor is destroyed, please keep it! The photo does not show it in great detail – but from what I can see, it’s gorgeous as well! And I think you can work with the grey. It is neutral.
• Put a black toilet seat and lid on that toilet to play up the black trim. The best you can buy, like, really substantial. I need to do some research on this…It’s bizarre to even think about “good” toilet seats, but I think there are truly deluxe ones out there worth the investment – like, with marbling and stuff. This will be fun. I think: Kohler…Barbara Baker or some high-style designer. Wicked expensive.
• Finally, how about vintage wallpaper to perk that bathroom right up: I had to work hard to find the possibility below for you, it’s from Hannah’s. Can your dad handle a floral? If you’re doing wallpaper, you want to be careful regarding the scale – you’ve got 4″ tiles creating one kind of pattern, and then those smaller floor tiles creating their own thing, too. A wallpaper must complement but not compete. I really kind of like this floral, although if you can hunt some more and find something more deco, maybe with some metallic shine, that might be the very best. As I recall, Secondhand Rose is right there in Manhattan – maybe you could go hunt through their stocks? Yowza, what fun. I’d also recommend Bradbury & Bradbury – but nothing in purple family there.
• Oh and accessories: Put in a brushed steel-style hamper, the wicker is clashing, it’s jumping out too much. Can you find one built-in side towel bar to fit the sink-from a salvage place perhaps? That way, the hand towels could move there. (Do you understand this suggestion?) For shower curtain, towels and rug: I would tend to think darkish grey, you want these to recede. But no need to make a final decision on this, until the other elements are completed.

Alexa, let us know how it all turns out! This is a really beautiful bathroom – the quality is amazing. What a wonderful daughter you are!

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Welcome to Woonsocket Trish (way fun to write that), who has questions about her new/old two-family in the beautiful state of Rhode Island:

Hi Pam,

I found your website while I was searching the web trying to find out more about our kitchen. I absolutely love what you do and enjoy reading your blog. I was never a big fan of the retro look until recently. My boyfriend and I bought our first house in January of this year in Woonsocket, RI.

The house was built in 1954, and it’s a two family. The 1st floor apartment, which we are living in, has been updated through the years, but the 2nd floor apartment looks like it hasn’t been touched since the house was built. When I first saw the apartment, I really hated the kitchen and bathroom, and couldn’t wait to start working on them. But now I feel like it would be wrong to destroy something with such a history…. Everything is in great condition, the stove works great, and the countertops are almost perfect.

I have a few questions for you if you dont mind answering them for me. First, I’m not so sure the floor in the kitchen is original, when do you think that was put in? Also, I’m not sure about the linoleum on the stairs and hallway being original (almost a marble effect w/red and blue)? Lastly, do you have any idea what the blacksplash and countertops are made of? It’s not a completely smooth surface, you can kind of feel the ridges in it. It’s a light beige color, with gold threads or cracks, and pieces of gold glitter in it. Thanks so much for your time and help. I hope to hear from you soon.

Thank you, Trish

Hmmm. I asked Trish about her countertops and she reported that they were indeed quite hard – impermeable. My answers:

Yes for sure, the linoleum on the stairs is original. This is in all my historical material, quite common. And very very cool!

Your awesome pink bathroom is original, too. Love love love the floor. Although, I am doubtful about that sink/vanity. That looks like it was installed later. One quick investment – a black toilet seat and cover would really pop. And if you want to invest — wallpaper would make this space over-the-top fabulous. Send me a photo of the lime green bathroom, too, Trish!

Sink and cabinets: Here’s where everything turns tricky. This photo and the three that follow all lead me to believe that the kitchen was re-done in the mid- to late 60s.

To start, I have never seen a porcelain sink-top installed on top of the counter like this. I tend to think you had a steel cabinet in at least that spot originally. When the kitchen was updated, the owners retained and reused the porcelain sink top:

Stove: I am NOT an expert, but I do not think that this harvest gold came into style until the mid-60s. I love your arched entry way!

Your flooring also has a 60s or even early 70s look to it. Which isn’t bad — if it’s in good shape, it’s got a ton of character. I’d work with it! Cute dogs, if indiscreet!

Countertops: While I’ve never seen these live, I have seen ads for “laminated plastic,” which these could well be, considering their look and hard surface that Trish describes. However, the finish certainly sounds 60s rather than 1954. Overall, the surface sounds extremely cool – and if it has held up in perfect shape – all the better!

Recommendations for the kitchen: As this post is getting quite long, I think I will do recommendations within the next 10 days.

Meanwhile, congratulations, Trish, on recognizing the jewel that you have and for seeking out the resources to maintain it.

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Hi Pam,

Our kitchen is a galley kitchen about 9×9 in a small Southern CA bungalow. We just moved into our first home in November of 2007 and have been doing our best to bring as much charm back to this beauty as we can. We’re living in our construction zone – as I’m sure most folks do.

I’ve wanted to change the window treatments since we moved in, but we’ve always had bigger fish to fry. We’ve replaced the sink and faucet. We replaced the hardware on the cabinets we intend to keep. The cabinet that had been under the sink was a cheap mdf replacement, so we just removed it with the intention of replacing it when we find or build something ourselves.

We tossed some of the floor tiles down to get the effect for the photos, but we haven’t gotten to the flooring yet. We actually just taped the edging to the counter as well.But, now that we’ve received the stainless steel edging and have an idea what it will look like, we’re excited to move forward with a backsplash. Should we go with a Subway tile like Kathy, or perhaps another idea?

I know that you’ve had fantastic ideas for other people and it would be great to read about any thoughts you or other readers might have for us. Thank you so much!!

Amy in SD

Readers, that’s “San Diego”, I think! Amy, first of all, congratulations on your new home — and it looks like you have fabulous taste and are doing a fine job without any help at all. Here are some thoughts:

1. Of course — I love the edging from NewYorkMetal. com
2. And the floor is awesome, too! Looks like this Congoleum that Portland Laura found and which we featured last month:
   
3. Re backplash: I think that subway tiles would be just great in this kitchen with its bungalow styling. As I mentioned in an email, how about putting subway tiles 5/8 of the way up the wall (even with the height of the backsplash) wrapping around where your stove it, too? I think that would look really nice, be very functional in terms of inevitable mess around the stove, and also tie both sides of the kitchen together. Here’s a photo from BungalowTile.com, (you can also get subway tile from mass makers like Daltile.) I would stick with a 3×6 edge, though:
   
4. Did you say you were going to change the curtains? Goodness, I love them. Like, really really love them. The way the sun filters through… How about just putting in really nice cafe rods. I like the ones featured at Rejuvenation lighting:
5. Finally – and you know that I would say this – whether you add subway tile wrapping the stove, or not — how about a wallpaper that includes the blue from your and floor and at least one other accent color for fun — like the red of your cute potholder. Bradbury & Bradbury makes some fabulous reproduction 1940s paper. Many styles would look so great in your kitchen — of these 4, the three with blue in them would look great, I think:

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Magbot writes:

Pam, I’ve been following your saga since you first found your kitchen cabinets (can’t recall how I found out, probably mentioned in some other design blog), and swooning over your gorgeous reno. I fervently hope to someday redo a mid-C ranch as impeccably as you have.

My question: I’ve owned several of the 1950s dinette sets with chrome/formica tables and chrome/vinyl chairs, but recently I found (and snatched up!) a dinette unlike any I’ve seen, neither in person nor in vintage ads. The entire set, table and 4 chairs, is ENTIRELY formica, every surface completely covered with light grey woodgrain formica. I love its curvy legs, the spacers on the chair backs, and its original retro-tweed green vinyl seats, plus it’s in superb condition. Two pix are attached.

It has no maker marks of any kind. Would you know anything about its possible age or background?

Much thanks for your wonderful, inspiring blog,

…Maggie

Thanks, Magbot/Maggie #2! I have never seen a dinette like this. Incredible! Maybe another reader has?

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Last week, after our “Save the Pink Bathrooms” fest, I received this sweet letter from Sebastian in Montreal:

Dear Pam,

I‘m a French Canadian living in Montréal. I bought my first house 3 years ago. The house was built in 1955 and I bought it from the very first owner. Not much renovation had been made and the bathroom is still in the 50s look, except from the sink and the ugly vanity…

Being born in 1973, I have not known the era when yellow, blue and pink tiles were “in”… But, after 3 years in my house, I have come to like my yellow bathroom and would like to renovate it respecting the style and color… an idea that pleases you I’m sure!

Attached you will find some pictures of it.

I don’t know really where to start! It seems almost more complicated to fix it rather than changing everything. I saw on your site the Olympic Tile store probably have some replacement yellow and black tiles. I would like to redo the window frame in black tiles instead of wood. What kind of sink should I buy? How can I give back some shininess to the floor? What color should I paint the walls? Do I keep the mirror? Do any of your readers have the same kind of bathroom?

Well, any help would be appreciated! And I would be happy to start the “save the yellow bathrooms” movement.

Regards,
Sébastien Langevin

Didn’t I say this was a great letter?! Sebastian – I am so proud of you for doing things the hard way – and saving this yellow bathroom. It is the right and noble thing to do!!!!! And, it will make you very very happy.

Well, Sebastian and I have emailed back and forth this week, and I have a bit more information. First – as you can imagine – storage space is actually a big issue. The vanity, as inappropriate as it is decoratively, actually serves this purpose well. But, it also turns out that there is 8″ of depth in one of the walls. This is important, I think.

So here goes in terms of suggestions:

1. Get a wall-mount sink with chrome legs and towel bars. I found this one on ebay for Sebastian, but he is rightly concerned about the shipping cost. Even more importantly, he really needs to try to match the Case yellow – this is crucial, as your eye will pick up the difference. So he is going looking today at a salvage place that may have a match. Even if it takes a while to find the right sink — I think it’s the smart thing to do — and now that you’ve put your retro reno vibe into the universe, Sebastian, the sink will come to you! With the bathroom being so compact, having the wall-hung with legs will really make it feel more spacious.

2. The mirror: See this image from 1954. I suggest creating storage space immediately to the left of the mirror – extending to the edge of the toilet, “centering” the entire installation on that wall — to provide more storage space along this wall. I think that open shelving like in this photo would look great; but would not be practical; put part of the cabinet (to the far left, shelves in the middle) behind a door of some sort. Everyone: If you have a lot of space behind a bathroom wall – use it. I did, and it’s great. 8″ is a wonderful depth, actually – nothing gets lost by being too far back, yet it’s deep enough for large bottles like woolite.

3. For over your mirror – I love this Rejuvenation Lighting “Rufus” sconce for you. It is perfect with your black trim and overall deco look.

4. Of course: Wallpaper. I searched and searched and came up with this option from Secondhand Rose. Now, I do have to qualify: This paper is directionally where I would see this bathroom going….but it may not be exactly right (background too pink? Maybe it’s just the internet…). But, I think you need to look for a print like this – one that has a deco feel, a ‘lighter’ look, and includes your core colors of sunshine yellow (in this wallpaper: chartreuse, close enough), black and porcelain white. What I think you want to stay away from is anything that emphasizes the bumble bee look — the harsh tones that this bathroom can evoke if treated wrong. You want to soften it a little. This paper or one like it, would do that. This wallpaper also gives you the ability to work in other colors – blue or merlot towels and fluffy rugs, for example. Again – you must also have some good sources in Montreal, tres chic!

5. Tile around your window? Sure, but please note, it will be difficult to match the ‘mud set’ look of your original tile unless you get someone to do this who really know what you are doing. If you can’t find someone, I would be cautious. If the wood is rotted out, as an alternative, you can replace it and use marine paint for better water resistance. I’m sure a good lumber store will even tell you a wood species to use that’s best for this situation.

6. Polish your floor tiles? Nope. I think they are meant to be matte, Sebastian. They are fantastic, btw!!!

7. Accessories: Once you get the wallpaper in, these will play out. Have fun with towels and rugs. Re the shower curtain, I tend to favor something that blends in rather than stands out, but this is not a hard and fast rule. Find vintage switch plate covers for your electric outlets and light switch. You can also find new models of chrome exhaust fans for the ceiling exhaust that I see in another photo.

So, I hope this helps, monsieur. Retro Renovation readers — what are your ideas for Sebastian?

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