Daniel is a college student in California and already a longtime fan of mid-century architecture, decor and collectibles. He wrote in to share his story. I’m impressed! Heck yeah there is more…
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From the category archives:
modern
READER SAMANTHA now is the proud owner of a vintage brochure that includes houses in her own mid-century San Mateo, Florida, neighborhood. I am sure we will all be very jealous, because once you get into retro renovating your home, it seems like you want to know its complete history. Read on for Samantha’s story and for links to her blog, where you can also access the complete catalog. Heck yeah there is more…
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Reader Retro Ruth and her husband Tom were recently featured in their local newspaper, The Midland (Mich.) Daily News. Home Editor Lori Qualls did a fabulous job capturing their retro renovation story. I helped Ruth reach out to the newspaper. I think this story is a hot one with lots of potential today … So, readers, if you think you have a good story to tell your local newspaper about why postwar homes are worth preserving and are willing to have you and your house featured, let me know and I’d be happy to help with the initial contact for you, too. Interested? Email me at retrorenovation [at] gmail [dot] com. Meanwhile, read Ruth’s story here – it’s terrific. And congrats, Ruth, you are rockin’.
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Solenoids. Low-voltages. Relays. I have no idea what any of this electrical stuff means. But you guys tell me it’s cool. And these vintage lighting systems certainly are something to look at. So here’s Gretchen’s 1961 GE dual-dial 12-station light control panel circa 1961.
Great looking switches like these were installed with the system.
And these.
Gretchen’s home is a “half Jetsons, half Flintstones” Eichler design that is really wonderful. See it on her blog – eichlerific.blogspot.com – and see these lighting system photos and more on her flickr stream. Thanks, Gretchen!!!
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READER NANCY (of the yellow bathroom and beautiful-but-uncleanable-brick fireplace) sends us a happy July 4 image – the wall hanging above has been by the front door all 50 years! Thanks, Nancy, and happy holiday, all!
Hi Pam – We are getting ready for the 4th of July & our granddaughter’s 2nd birthday. Wanted to show you how happy our 50’s home is. Don’t you think that the front almost looks like a happy face? Had to include the wall hanging by the front door – that has been there for all the 50 years & I love to decorate for holidays.
Have a great weekend!
Nancy
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READERS GARTH AND MARTHA gave me so much information about their renovation project that I’ve split it into two posts. In this first one, Garth tells us about how they were not…no, they were not(!)…going to tackle another fixer upper when they moved from Maryland back to Dallas in November. Of course… they found a fabulous 1950 home and the rest…well, they’re now five months into their new, five-year project. In the second post, below, Garth details the saga to restore vintage Crosley metal kitchen cabinets. Heck yeah there is more…
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Alison King and I first became acquainted when she was looking for some vintage St. Charles kitchen cabinets. Being a humble, patient and deserving retro renovator, Alison had her request answered almost immediately by the retro design gods, who awarded her with a set via our Forum.
Not only is Alison an avid home renovator, she also is the force behind modernphoenix.net. This site is one of the best around to document a city-region’s midcentury domestic architecture. And, it also is at the epicenter of the region’s growing mid mod community. Fascinated, I asked Alison, who calls herself PixelPixie and a “design dork”, to tell us all about herself and what’s going on down in Phoenix. And of course – she sends us lots of pixures of the house that she and husband Matthew are working on.
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Last week we looked at Cindy’s beautiful Holyoke, Mass., home – photos I took last summer. Today – we get to see the updates that she made to her bathroom vanity and tile floor and shower over the winter – she replaced the laminate on the bathroom vanity in a lighter ‘beigewood” shade, and also retiled her floor and shower stall. Cindy’s updates are incredibly well done – she has a great eye for detail and I know that she labored over each little decision…. Great inspiration and ideas, I am sure, to many retro renovators looking for a way to update their tired bathroom vanities, in particular.
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Last July we got our first look at Cindy’s 60s ranch home in Holyoke, Massachusetts. A real midcentury time-capsule beauty that needed some work – and which she has been accomplishing with great sensitivity to its original lines and features. In August last summer, I went to visit Cindy, as we live only an hour away. How delightful to be sitting here today – in my cold computer cave, 20 degrees outside – and see proof that warm July and August will be here soon enough. Several photos from Cindy’s house were featured in an earlier post, but I took a bundle more, featured here today. In particular, I was entranced by the many small, yet very carefully
selected, details within the house – from that beautiful Asian-style doorknob — to the porch light – to the can lighting – and on and on. Oh – the “Goldwater in ‘64?” It’s a bumper sticker I picked up at an estate sale and brought for Cindy as a little housewarming. For the graphics, we didn’t talk politics! And wouldn’t you know it, it matches her kitchen.
Click through for 28 wonderful photos in all! Heck yeah there is more…
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Jane aka Elvis sends these photos of her lovely yellow-and-blue retro renovation kitchen. In completing what sounds like a fast-paced update, she combined some of the old, with some of the new — probably pretty typical for all of us looking to combine the best of today’s functionality with the wonderful spirit and lines of our home’s original era. Read on for Jane’s material list, choices, vendors and learnings, along with more photos….
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