Retro Renovation » split levels

Rebecca and Keith’s 1961 split level

pam kueber — Sun, 06 Dec 2009 11:00:31 +0000

MEET REBECCA AND KEITH, new owners of a 1961 tri-level home in Ann Arbor, Mich. Rebecca has been totally sucked into the mid-mod vortex… and has a great eye. It is just so fun for me to see all the young couples feathering their nests. That was me, too . Rebecca has a few questions… and shares photos of the fabulous features of this gem of a home — including an asymmetric fireplace with a “Feastmaster.”

Rebecca writes:

Hi Pam,
I LOOOOOOOVE your site. Thanks for all your hard work! I have been bookmarking MANY pages on your site for all the redecorating I plan to do. … I just bought a 1961 tri-level in Ann Arbor, MI. It has a brick wall with a fireplace and a “seat” that runs the length of it, if that makes sense. It was the reason I decided to look at the house! I would LOVE your help with what to do with it. Did they put pillows on it? Also, was cork floor ever used in a kitchen in the 50’s or 60’s? I am thinking no.

I respond: THAAAAAANK you, Rebecca. That is so sweet. Question #1 re the fireplace; Hmmm. I am going to have to scour my materials this week, and look for examples of circa-1961 asymmetric fireplaces like yours to see how they were decorated. My initial response is: No, that ledge is not intended to be a seat. It doesn’t make sense – as the mantel is kind of too close for comfort… like, you’d bump your head and also, it seems kinda narrow for seating although no doubt they had smaller tushes that we do today. One thing am I pretty sure of is that the first thing I’d look for is a mid-century style fireplace poker set to go to the right of the fireplace. Even if you don’t need it, well, it would look cool. Then: Tchotchkes or art on the mantle, and hmmmm, what else on the seat? That is a good question we now have on our plate. Readers…what do you think? How were these things decorated?

Question #2, regarding cork in kitchens. Yes, I think this was done, albeit less frequently, so go for it. The key with cork — is that it can be porous. But, today, I think that there are many cork styles that are very well sealed through the magic of modern chemistry. So, when you go shopping for your cork flooring, be sure to check to see how it’s specified. Does the manufacturer say it can be used with kitchens… that it’s watertight enough? If so, you’re in business. Note – Maribeth installed a cork floor in her renovated kitchen, I am pretty sure.

I ask Rebecca to tell us more about her retro renovation story.

We moved from the East Coast (I moved back) to live and buy a home in Ann Arbor. First I decided against the areas of town that the homes were from the 30’s because the yards are small and all are too close together. I really didn’t want a 70’s colonial, which also seem to be everywhere in MI. I decided that I wanted a split-level or tri-level because I generally love things that look “dated” andor are from the 60’s. Once I figured out that that was what I wanted, I was determined. I wanted a real neighborhood of streets, not a subdivision. My realtor sent me the link to this house along with many others. THE aspect that made me want to see it was the brick wall with fireplace. We liked the neighborhood because it has a lot of homes from the 60’s, and it’s very nice but modest. The house we saw right before was a 1969 colonial, which my fiancee liked, and I remember feeling like an argument would occur when I had to tell him that I just couldn’t do it. I didn’t have to deal with that because we loved this house immediately.

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Right when we got to the door we loved the windows on the sides of the front door with diamond shapes and wavy glass. And when I saw that there is an attached, screened-in, three-season porch I actually said ” this is enough to buy it!” The four rooms on the upper level are hardwood, and the lower level is better-than-usual-looking pergot. The only major work that NEEDED to be done before moving in was the awful green carpeting on the main level. (atrocious!) Other plusses include big bay windows looking out to a nice and private back yard, a pink-tiled guest bathroom, and shiny new Dishmaster!

Me: Woah, an in-situ Dishmaster! And tell me about that coffee maker thingy. Coffee is my life, even before this blog. That coffee thingy looks cool. Also, what did the realtor think about your response to the house … the fact that you “generally love things that look ‘dated’”? Rebecca says:

She thought I was funny. I hated the 50’s ranch because they added a new bathroom that looked like a restaurant’s bathroom. She thought I was funny that I LOVED the dishmaster. It’s the “Imperial Four” edition. I also think my Dutch coffee maker looks incredibly cool and retro on accident. It makes amazing coffee… Terroir Coffee Company

I ask Rebecca to tell me more about the house, and how it’s coming together:

My style is basically all things retro, but not too kitschey, and I love Scandinavian/Danish Modern…. We still need to PAINT! I hate white desperately. Keith is going to make something to have printed on canvas, with my helpful opinions, for above the teak record stand.

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So much of this room is craigslist, btw.

I want this area, which is the lower level/media room, to feel good for cocktails near the fire. :) I have a Room & Board couch down there, and an orange Ikea rug, and Ikea coffee table. I love that wall! Honestly, we were practically sold when we saw just that.

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BTW, the fireplace has a “Feastmaster” on the right side, of course written in fabulous typeface. Do you know what that is? It’s a grill on which to make steaks! So 60’s – love it. We were thinking of this Ikea lamp for it because we love it. What do you think? But, we didn’t actually buy it, yet. Oh, And I would love to do something to the walls. My dream is wood paneling-the nice beautiful hardwood kind. My god if I could have it be teak, I think I’d die.

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The kitchen isn’t retro, except for my tupperware, Martha Atewart clock, and Typhoon scale. Typhoon makes these adorable items! I LOOOVE my bread box so much.

Keith’s lifelong dream…a built-in bookshelf.

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[The living room's atrocious green carpet...before.]

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I love the plate around the bathroom shower faucet!!!

The tile in shower is different than the floor. The milk glass vase is from a thrift store (I collect them ) but the soap dispenser, toothbrush holder and box are all Martha Stewart from last year. I love the formica on the countertop.

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BTW, you know how you took that old ad for the pink and green kitchen (with the fabulous lady talking on the fabulous pink phone) and you broke it down telling people how to get that look? Complete with the laminate color, cupboard pulls, and floor? That was great! I love it!

Phew. Those were a lot of photos, Rebecca, so I am pooped. I’ll be comin’ at you again tomorrow with some ideas and suggestions. This has been a fun one. A Feastmaster! And after cookin’ those steaks, clean up with the Dishmaster! Awesome. This also has been fun because Ann Arbor is my old stomping grounds. I lived in Saline, Michigan, one town over, for 6+ years — I had my first married house there, so it was really special. I am sure we looked at houses in just your neighborhood when I was house-shopping there in the early 90s. I remember seeing some awesome time capsules but to tell the truth, my own sensibilities about the appeal of mid-century homes were non-existent back then.

Back tomorrow with ideas for you! Many thanks for sharing all these great images, and your story.

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1964 split level time capsule – great midcentury mailbox and kitchen

pam kueber — Mon, 11 May 2009 08:00:51 +0000

THE ESTATE SALE ON FRIDAY was a jackpot — the 1964, single-owner split level house was in gorgeous condition. What I really liked about it was that it was a very middle class, unpretentious house – but it had features that were clearly chosen for their high quality and craftsmanship. It was timeless in the true sense that everything about the house can endure. Oh lordy, I hope that the new owners understand what they have in hand! Today, two slide shows: The first of an awesome midcentury mailbox, recessed into the roman marble brick of the exterior. I know lots of readers will be so envious of this feature, I’ve never seen anything like it yet. And second, a fabulous time capsule kitchen — it includes two-tone cabinetry, a great little breakfast counter with original stools, and yellow GE appliances with gorgeous design features. One of my new favorites ever — like this house. 27 photos in all.

To start: Here’s the mailbox. Fabulous! Click on the first image to enlarge, then proceed through the slide show.

And here is the kitchen. I wish I’d taken more photos of the GE dishwasher. Like the built-in yellow oven and range top exhaust fan, it is a real beauty. Gorgeous gorgeous gorgeous! The fridge is a replacement, of course, the harvest gold is a bit off the yellow, but still an uber-cool refrigerator. And notice how the wall cabinets above the breakfast counter are in a different material (darker laminate), with glass on the dining room side, and suspended. This house is all about the details! More photos to come, tomorrow.

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The Gonce House and their fabulous 1960s Bass sofa

pam kueber — Wed, 06 May 2009 07:50:17 +0000

It seems like there are a lot of new readers lately, including those with their own blogs. I hope this means that (1) the real estate market is picking up, (2) midcentury homes – “modern” and “modest” alike – continue to gain appeal and there are people who want to preserve their charms, and (3) you all are having so much fun reading this blog that you want to start your own. Hey: That’s the way it should be! A recent addition to our retro renovation community: Susie, who writes, ” …We recently bought our first home, built in 1957, and we”re having a ball getting settled in and putting our personal touches on everything. I’ve really enjoyed looking at your site, especially the flooring section (getting ready to redo our kitchen, probably with classic black Armstrong).”

Read more about Suzie’s new-old house which includes the fabulous “Exclusive Style Crest Custom Quality by Bass Bros.” sofa pictured above, at her blog, The Gonce House. Welcome, Suzie!

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Lawrence Bill’s 1955 pecky cypress living room

pam kueber — Tue, 12 Aug 2008 08:00:44 +0000

Last week, reader Magnarama clued us all in about Pecky Cypress when we looked at a 1959 Drexel living room and bedroom.

Pecky cypress…I cannot tell you HOW MUCH I love to say that, write that, think that, add that as a Tag, tell my husband about it! And now, dream it: Look at the living room in Lawrence Bill’s 1955 split-levell! Here’s his wonderful story to go with it:

Hi Pam,

Yes, the pecky cypress looks fantastic in contrast to the huge fireplace here in the living room. I just love the look and texture. It’s feels natural, organic, of a place, yet utterly modern. Though it’s hard to tell from the pics, the wood was lightly stained a light blue color. The effect is quite striking; it cools the eyes yet remains warm and inviting. It’s magical, really.

The architect, who is still alive in L.A., told me the story about how the house was built. I’ll tell you just a bit of what I know. He said the owners wanted the pecky cypress look in their living room/dining area. Evidently it was becoming popular at that time. They sourced the best pieces they could find from a supplier that got it from Louisiana. The rest of the house has a lovely mix of hardwoods and softwoods. You could not duplicate this quality today unless you had hundreds of thousands of dollars to spend. And even then it wouldn’t be the same–the untold story about midcentury homes is the quality of woods sourced from forests that no longer exist or can’t be logged for environmental reasons, etc. I don’t need to tell you about that.

The house was completed for exactly $18,000 in October, 1955. I still have the original receipt. It was built by two brothers (+ a helper), one of whom was a demolition expert during WWII. One day, while trying to lay the sewage line from the house to the (then new) dirt road, then ran into a huge underground rock. The demolition expert went out and found some dynamite somewhere, came back, and after a few unsuccessful attempts to dislodge the rock, finally blew it up, sending a huge chunk of clear over a neighbor’s roof into their back yard. Luckily no one was hurt. From what I heard, the brothers went over to the house, apologized, and the police were not called in. How’s that for a 50s moment for you? Could you imagine that happening today?

I could go on with stories I’ve heard about how they built this place but I’d probably bore you. But then again, one of the funnest parts about your blog is reading about other people’s houses and their stories. So in that context maybe not so boring. Which reminds me: one of these days you should consider doing a post about architectural drawings. We have the original drawings to this house and they’re really cool. I don’t know, it just amazes me that all this derived from a hand-drawn plan. I get the same feeling looking at the drawings of famous golf course architects. For some reason, there seemed to be a correlation between the quality of the drawing and the quality of the end result. I don’t know how you’d make a post about architectural drawings interesting, but it might be worth considering. Could be a good idea over the winter when not much is going on.

Regards,
Bill

KABOOM! Get your architectural drawings ready, readers. We will indeed take up Bill’s idea come fall and winter…Thanks, Bill!

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