Archive for the 'Reader homes' Category

Trish and her two-family 50s house in Woonsocket, RI

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 [...]

Amy and her San Diego bungalow kitchen

San Diego Amy writes:

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 [...]

Ellen’s search to recreate her parents’ Crosley kitchen

I’ve been emailing with Massachusetts Ellen for a while, about her quest to re-create her parent’s 1955 kitchen. If anyone knows of Crosley cabinets for Ellen - please comment here!
My parents had a 1955 Crosley kitchen. It was the state of the art kitchen - actually the set from the 1955 Crosley Bendix dealers’ [...]

More photos from Alice

Remember Alice and her yellow Geneva kitchen in Richmond, Virginia? We’ve stayed in touch, and she sent some additional photos of her time capsule house. Here’s her update:
You see I got busy with the camera. Attached are a couple of photos of the wallpaper in the dining room of our new, old house..I love [...]

50s kitchen cabinet hardware — Elizabeth finds chrome pulls, great value

St. Louis Elizabeth writes:
Dear Pam:
I wanted to alert you and forum readers to a recent find.
After the Palm Beach restorer’s comments on rechroming hardware, I decided to seek a modern, replacement pull with the right retro feel for my slab-front cabinet doors. (I’ll need ~36 and couldn’t afford vintage items at $8-12 each.)
It took [...]

Vintage wallpaper — Retro Renovation reader favorites

Last Saturday I invited readers to help wallpaper the world by sending in images of their favorite vintage wallpapers. We had three contributors — all wonderful examples and stories.

From Sumac Sue:
Hi. I was looking for a kitchen wallpaper that featured coffee pots, and I stumbled onto this one. I can’t imagine using it in my [...]

A happy ending for Ashley, Doug and some beautiful vintage Kelvinator appliances

Last week I posted an urgent message about Ashley in Nashville with some beautiful Kelvinator appliances that she had to get out of her home - fast. Several intrepid retro renovators jumped to the call and Doug from Atlanta whisked up to get them from Atlanta. But hey, there’s more - so read on:
Ashley [...]

Amy’s 1953 time capsule, Portland

Portland Amy wrote to ask about paint colors and I requested more info — so that we can all continue our 50s voyeurism. Amy writes:
Here is the story on our house; it was custom built in 1953 in Portland, Oregon. We are fortunate enough to have the original blueprints. The man who had [...]

Ideas for Alice’s yellow Geneva kitchen

Wow, Alice. You have a beautiful kitchen, bathrooms – and house to wrap all around them. What a classic! Readers, note that Alice is in Richmond, VA. Alice, you asked about suggestions for your kitchen, so here are a few thoughts:

How about putting a picture window with two sidelight windows (double hung) in your kitchen [...]

Alice’s picture perfect yellow Geneva kitchen… pink bathroom…and blue bathroom — a festival of 50s cheer

Sleeping Bee Alice writes:
Hello, I am a novice retrorenovator…and am loving your website.
My husband and I are leaving our modern, brand-spanking new customized kitchen for a charming 1950’s yellow Geneva kitchen in a home that we have fallen in love with. I’m having trouble thinking through the “enhancement” of the kitchen…the cabinets are in [...]