Retro Renovation » meeting readers

Retro Renovation readers’ Charlotte road trip

pam kueber — Thu, 11 Mar 2010 11:00:11 +0000

I have a fancy picture of this group — Retro Renovation readers who got together between my talks at the Southern Spring Home & Garden Show in Charlotte last Friday. But I like this photo better. Because you all know how we feel kind of … *unique*? Like no one quite understands our excess of enthusiasm for renovating our mid-century modern and modest homes? Well, the tribe came together for real, here. That’s us all sitting around talking about cabinets and kitchens and landscaping and trials and tribulations. Oh my, we could have gone on forever.

Here’s the official portrait of the in-between-talks-meet-up. From the left, that’s: Jane (yes: Scathing Jane from the Forum, she and Michael came all the way from Atlanta!), Michael, Linda and Hugh. (Missing from photo #1 is Audrey, Linda’s friend.) They are in front of Ted Cleary’s mini-Eichler house, built on site at the show to show off his fabulous garden design. (Yes, yes, a post WILL come with mid-century garden design ideas.) Don’t we retro renovators clean up nice? You all are such a handsome group. Who would guess you are retro-maniacs… errr, that is, I mean, leaders in a new and growing national movement to save and preserve our nation’s post-war housing, the first true American Dream Homes that actually maybe have a lot still to teach us today?

There were even more readers at the various talks. Here’s Lauren — she brought me this treasure, nabbed, as I recall her story, from a flea market where a guy had a bunch of mint-in-box Hall-Mack. This is an advertising display, and Lauren said she thought of me and grabbed it, too. It’s still in my luggage. I need to get it out, photograph it for a larger post, then hide it from Mr. Retro Renovation. He will not be amused by yet another museum piece bigger-than-a-breadbox entering the house. Lauren, you rock! Send me photos of your place!

Elaine was at both my 12:30 and 3:30 talks on Friday and would have stayed for 6:30, too, but I forewarned her it was kind of similar. She is a romance novelist! Retro Renovators are such interesting people! Gosh, I am using lots of exclamation points. Readers who drive long distances to hear me opine get exclamation points.

That’s Edwin. He is from Charlotte and said that he saw the video that I posted from the Charlotte Today TV interview and ran down to the show. Edwin, I didn’t get your house story. What’s your house story? Hey, I didn’t get Elaine’s story either. My head was spinning. I need to know!

Here’s me and Hugh (who also is featured in the first two photos). We actually met on Wednesday, when I came down to hear Suzy Coehlo, then Ted Cleary speak. He lives about 75 miles away and has sent me some photos of his house — a real beauty — to post in the future.

Taylor gets on the blog again, because she made and wore a Save The Pink Bathrooms tee shirt!

And my #1 reader: My mom, Fran, who came down from Kentucky to hang out with me in Charlotte. She also saved my behind and the big finale ending of the Save The Pink Bathrooms talk by diving for my last page of notes, which I’d left in my travel case, and running them up to me talk-in-progress. After five talks in two days, you can bet that, as promised, we headed straight for Margaritaville on Friday night. That, and some good ole North Carolina barbeque.

Did I say – margarita? Life is good.

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Open thread: What made you happy about your house this summer?

pam kueber — Mon, 07 Sep 2009 11:00:18 +0000

HAPPINESS IS… a cozy house. What has made you happy about your home this summer, dear readers? Me: Outside, my perennials are getting well established and sending me lots of colorful blooms. Inside, we had the kitchen floor polished so it’s nice and shiny. Best of all, my brother and his kids came to visit, and we spent a lot of time at the nearby lake. How about you? Are you glad you chose the home you did? Is your home happy you chose it?

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Midcentury-miniature design for Barbie, from Maryann Roy

pam kueber — Mon, 06 Apr 2009 08:00:36 +0000

WE FIRST MET MARYANN ROY when we interviewed Pat Henry, publisher of Fashion Doll Quarterly magazine, in honor of Barbie’s 50th birthday. I so loved contributor Maryann Roy’s miniature retro interiors that I asked her for an interview, too. Read on…for details on what it’s like to create mid mod looks for Barbie’s dream house… and 8 photos in all, with plenty of ideas to consider for our own, fullsized homes.

Midcentury furniture for Barbie — Maryann, how did you get into that?!

Quite simply, I was contributing articles and photos about vintage dolls for Fashion Doll Quarterly Magazine. If you’ve ever had a chance to glimpse this glorious periodical, you know that the photos alone are stunning and the writing, superior! Having the opportunity to contribute was an honor, but when I looked at everyone else’s contributions, I felt that mine were not up to snuff (so to speak). I wanted my photos to have as much punch and interest as everyone else’s. I wanted – dimension! I started to add props in the photos, and then when the occassion warrented, I looked for furnishings to include in the sessions, giving the pictures and the subjects more life. When I couldn’t find exactly what I wanted, I decided to just make the pieces and props I needed. – Oh, I know…that sounds quite simple! But, it did take practice and since I was only making one or two things for myself, I was only trying to make them look good in photos. A few of my friends took an interest and then I decided to try making a few more pieces, and then pretty soon, suites of furniture and well, it kind of took off from there! “Welcome Home” (Neo-retro furnishings for fashion dolls) was born!

I hope you don’t mind my saying, but it gives me a headache to look at all that teeny tiny detail within your interiors and imagine trying to do it. Tell us about the process of creation and how you manage to do such beautiful work – in miniature. It must be ’some therapy’.

LOL! I will tell you, that designing and creating in miniature is definately therapy for me! I have ALWAYS had a fascination with anything miniature. The designing of furniture came totally out of the blue. I did not even realize what a passion I had for it until I started building. Then I found I couldn’t get enough! I started reading and purchasing all kinds of books and magazines that had to do with mid century modern design. It was a completely eye opening experience to have a new found love. And, of all things – furniture design!

In miniature, I actually find that less is more. What I mean by that is, you don’t need three vases in a room setting or 8 magazines on a table. A few carefully chosen accent pieces is what truly makes the room seem more like reality. If you enjoy what you do, it’s a labor of love, not just labor.

Where do you get your inspiration for your interiors? Do you have any “design gods or goddesses”?

This question may depend on the day you ask it! I find inspiration in alot of ways. Sometimes I will actually “see” a room in my head that I want to create. Other times, I may come across a certain kind of material while I’m supposed to be shopping for a current project and think: “I’ve GOT to make something with that!” Some days it’s a look in a magazine or trying to recreate pieces that other designers have made years ago even. I read a fabulous book on William Haines (actor, turned interior designer for the stars in 1940’s through the 1960’s). The book was called Class Act. It’s a wonderful coffee table book filled with inspirational stories about his life and how he became an interior decorator. It also has fabulous photos and some of his actual drawings of furniture that he designed. LOVE that book! Pat Henry, Editor of Fashion Doll Quarterly,generously let me write an article on William Haines and recreate some of his furnishings in miniature. “The Glamour of William Haines” was featured in the FDQ summer of ‘08 issue. I am also of the belief that – Everything old is new again. And so, since I am taken with MCM, I guess I just decided to start from there.

Can you tell us about your own home and your personal aesthetic.

My home is quite traditional. Comfortable and not stuffy, but casually nice (is that a style?) Right now we are in the planning stages of a new kitchen addition. I am trying to convince Hubby that we really should go Retro with it. He’s not too keen on the idea yet, but I have ideas that will help him realize it doesn’t have to be a total throw back. You can incorporate retro with traditional – it’s called “transitional”! Ssshh, let’s not tell him.

I kind of think of myself as having a split personality when it comes to design. My house is traditional yes, but if I had another, say, waterfront home, I’d love to design the entire thing in MODERN furnishings! Fabulous bright colors, wild looking lamps, sleek sofas and curved chairs – a motif wall here, a room divider there – delightful!

You also restore Barbie dolls – can you tell us about that?

I began restoring vintage dolls,about 13 years ago. I was looking for a way to work from home so that I could be there to raise our two children. I worked in the corporate world before then.

I was always artistic, and did do free lance work, but that never put enough food on the table. When I came across my old barbie dolls, which of course were played with by 3 girls in the family, they were less than perfect. I thought I could at least clean them up and do a little restoration to make them look the way I remembered them as a child. Since this came easily to me, I chose to offer my services to other collectors. It took a bit of practice, even for an artistic person like myself. But, once I gained experience and word of mouth travelled, I became quite well known in the doll world as a professional doll restorer.

Finally, tell us about your customers. Are people who collect Barbie also likely to collect or be interested in midcentury interiors – circa 1959, as when Barbie was born?

I will tell you that my furniture customers may have noticed me because I work with dolls and that’s what they happen to collect. But, they are an entire audience of people who love and enjoy many different things. I’ve found that most who enjoy furniture to go along with their dolls have a connection in some way to the mid-century modern style. Either their homes were this way as they grew up, or a realitve’s home. I do actually know of several who have their own homes decorated in some sort of retro style. If any are like me, they might not be able to have THEIR homes look MCM, but, at least their dolls can live that way – for now. It’s a nostalgic connection when you think about it. Dolls from their childhood and furniture that they remember. A way to go back and enjoy, at any time.

Is there anything else that you’d like to share that would interest and fascinate RetroRenovation.com and SaveThePinkBathrooms.com readers?

I was recently asked by Integrity Toys/Jason Wu, famed Fashion Designer and creator of Michelle Obama’s Presidential Inagural Ball Gown and makers of the Fashion Royalty Dolls, to create several room settings, backgrounds and furnishings for their 2009 Doll Line. You can see the results on my website at: www.maryannroy.com. Like RetroRenovation.com that caters to life size retro decor, Jason Wu also caters to people for fashion! And now, “Welcome Home” has crossed the barriors to the REAL world as well. It really IS a small world after all!

Thanks so much, Maryann, for sharing your time and designs with us!

See Maryann’s website at: MaryannRoy.com

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“Cooking Up a Retro Revival” in Eugene and Portland, Oregon

pam kueber — Wed, 18 Mar 2009 08:00:21 +0000

The Lane County Home Show in Eugene, Oregon, was a terrific experience. Despite being jet-lagged and overdosed on a particularly luscious brownie sundae (my Saturday night excitement), it was absolutely exhilarating to talk about midcentury modest homes…the audiences at my talks were fantastic and clearly so considerate of doing nice things with their homes…and the staff of the show – Karen (center), Emily (left), Bijan (right), along with Helen, Jaye – everyone – made me feel so at home, and were topnotch professionals who ran a great show.

On Monday, I returned to Portland where I spent the day touring Rejuvenation (including Satellite Modern)’s factory and store. That’s Tim Wetzel, Industrial Designer – and a Retro Renovation regular (left), along with Bo Sullivan, Historian, who led me and Portland reader Elvis aka Jane on a TERRIFIC tour. Oh yes — I was joined by Elvis aka Jane! That evening I met with members of the Portland MidCentury Modern League for dinner and a talk at Country Bill’s restaurant on Woodstock. A wicked fun day all around!

I’ll have lots of coverage over the next several days about my visit to Eugene and Portland.

To start, here is a link to the Eugene Register-Guard story about my talks: “Cooking Up a Retro Revival.”

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Judi and Joni: “Rulers of their Barbie Universe”

pam kueber — Tue, 10 Mar 2009 08:00:21 +0000

All photos: Copyright Mattel

Today – Judi, aka Sumac Sue, shares her memories of growing up with Barbie. Thank you so much for contributing this, Judi — you are a beautiful writer and story-teller!

My younger sister, Joni, and I probably got our first Barbies in 1963, when she was in kindergarten and I was in second grade. These were the Barbies with hair in a ponytail with a fringe of bangs in front, sultry eye makeup, and pert red mouth. These features, along with a rather long, slender body, made the Barbie mildly similar to Audrey Hepburn….

…. Over time, we acquired Ken dolls with peach fuzz hair, a Midge with freckles and a strawberry blonde flip, and a Skipper with long blonde hair and funny flat feet. There were two more Barbies, one who came with several wigs, and one with hair that changed colors. Finally, we got tiny dolls called Liddle Kiddles, that we pretended were Barbie and Skipper’s little sisters. This was the extent of our Barbie Family. We stored them all in black Barbie suitcases that opened up into little dressing rooms, with storage and hanging compartments.

We had a few “real” Barbie outfits, but most of our Barbie clothes were made by our mom. A favorite Barbie memory is of Joni and me sitting on the floor wrapping scraps of fabric around our Barbies as Mom sat at the sewing machine, stitching up such ensembles as a nurse’s uniform complete with cape and cap and a satin wedding dress and gauzy veil. Nothing demonstrates a mother’s love quite like sewing teensy tiny buttons onto a sportcoat for Ken.

Barbies have gotten a lot of criticism over the years for supposedly being sexist toys that stifle girls’ development, presenting an image of women as pretty objects interested only in fashion and traditional female roles. I think that sort of view of Barbie is off base, because it doesn’t take into consideration that any toy, including Barbie, can be a launching point for a child’s creativity and imagination. When we played with Barbies, we each became rulers of our Barbie universe, and there was nothing stifling about it.

For instance, Joni and I received a Barbie newsletter, in which girls shared ideas on how to make things for Barbie from items found around the house. We were networking! By sharing ideas, we all became architects and interior designers — and recyclers, too — by making houses out of shoe boxes, and tables and chairs out of popsicle sticks and margarine tubs. We developed organizational skills, not to mention dexterity, by storing tiny accessories in old pill bottles and Band-aid boxes.

We kept this up until we hit junior high. Other activities took the place of Barbie, and our black cases stayed on the toy shelf. My sister never had children, so she still has her Barbie and Ken in their black case. I had a daughter, and I made the mistake a lot of moms make — I presented Kaitlin with her first Barbie when she was much too young to appreciate it. She promptly stuck it into a fountain at the park and used it as a tool for splashing her brother.

I waited a few years before letting her play with my old Barbies, but she never was as interested in Barbies as she was in her Beanie Babies and Pound Puppies. She received several Barbies from relatives for birthdays, an older cousin passed along her Barbies, and in time, my black Barbie case contained a tossed Barbie salad of tangled hair, detached arms and legs, wrinkled dresses, and tiny shoes scattered throughout like croutons. At some point I threw it all into a box of things headed for Goodwill. I regret doing that now because I’m sure there were a few outfits in there made by my mom. I wish I would have given them to Joni, to put into her Barbie archives.

So far, my favorite Barbie is actually one I gave as a gift to Joni a few years ago. It was a country girl Barbie, dressed in a straw hat and gingham dress, that I ordered off of a box of Little Debbie Snack Cakes. She loved it. Maybe someday I will have a granddaughter and I will get her a Barbie — but I will wait until she is seven or eight and is old enough to take care of it.

Can’t wait to hear more Barbie stories!

Judi

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Congratulations to Kevin and Meredith R. — the winners of our Found Objects Found Art Contest

pam kueber — Mon, 23 Feb 2009 08:00:02 +0000

The votes are in — and congratulations to the winners for our 2nd annual contest: Kevin has won 1st prize — two pendant lights from Satellite – for the memoir about his mother’s Kokeshi Dolls. And in 2nd place, Meredith R. wins a set of our Retro Renovation “bibles” from Schiffer Books for the vintage photo she discovered featuring her flapper grandmother.

Thanks so much to everyone who entered, and to everyone who took the time to read the entries and vote.

Already, there are some new contests in the works – stay tuned!

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Last day to vote for our Found Objects Found Art winner!

pam kueber — Sat, 21 Feb 2009 08:00:50 +0000

The clock is ticking down — voting for our winners in the Found Objects Found Art contest ends tonight at midnight. Results will be hidden until I announce the first and second place winners on Monday, Feb. 22. They can collect their yummy prizes, #1 a pair of pendant lights from Satellite, and #2 a pair of our “Retro Renovation bibles” from Schiffer Books.

Note: The poll software allows one vote per computer, but there’s no stopping you from launching your own mini-campaigns. Don’t curb your enthusiasm – spread the word to friends and family, and along the way, help encourage the preservation of these wonderful memories of our collective past.

Our finalists (in the order their submissions came in) with all links opening in a new window:

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Reader Kevin solves the Twin-Sister Mystery

pam kueber — Mon, 16 Feb 2009 08:00:04 +0000

Kevin in North Carolina — one of our readers — has amazed the retroblogospher by solving the “Sister Mystery” within 24 hours. I asked him how he did it, and here is his story – which is now a part of Maureen and Noreene Everett’s story:

Hi, Pam, it’s nice to finally meet you firsthand.

I’m just thankful I could help find out who the sisters were. Like most of the other people who saw Maurine and Noreene’s pictures, their obvious love for each other and for life struck a chord in me, and the mystery of the whole collection and how the photographs ended up on eBay intrigued me. History, genealogy, and preservation are some of my passions, and it saddens me to see once valuable possessions being sold off or destroyed and losing their original meaning. Fortunately, Roz gave the photos a new meaning to be shared by so many who never even knew the sisters.

Kevin continues:

I wanted to know who the sisters were, so I checked out all of the comments about the sisters on your site, The Sister Project, and Flickr, and saw there were no updates, so I took on the challenge myself. I really didn’t know how much luck I would have, and I never thought in a million years that I would have found their yearbook photos online, but once I found them in the census records it all fell into place. There’s still a lot that’s left unanswered, but at least it’s a starting point. One detail I don’t think was mentioned was that the sisters were raised by their mother and stepfather, Ina Hay and Rucker Everett, but their birth names were Maurine and Noreene Howard, which was a nice coincidence. It really would be something if the twins and I were related, but I doubt it since Howard’s such a common surname.

[I also asked him how he came upon Retro Renovation...] As for how I came about your site, I hope to get my grandparents’ late 1920’s bungalow (nothing very fancy) and restore it, so I was on Flickr looking at vintage linoleum ads and trying to get a feel of the layout of rooms in the 1920s and 1930s. I saw your geranium comments which led to your Flickr site and groups and ultimately to your blog. I’ve been checking in since then to see your updates because I really like midcentury style (furniture, appliances, patterns, etc.) and historic preservation (I share a similar distaste for granite countertops and HGTV’s habit of “updating” any house they set foot into). I also just like to get inspiration for any future projects I may come across. You have a really all-around great blog.

I’ll try to wrap up with a little about me. I work with my parents and sister on our farm in North Carolina. We also have greenhouses and were planting geraniums for the spring today. I majored in Southern Studies in college, dabbled in archaeology, and interned with a historic preservation group before I came back to the farm. Right now I’m just trying to clear out my yard (it’s pretty overgrown) and get some gardens going. And like I said before, my big goal is to eventually restore my grandparents’ house as a model working farmstead. Also, I hope to one day (probably a year or so) start my own blog about the farm, restoration, life around here, etc. I know I’ll do one when I can start restoring the house, because preservation needs all the publicity it can get, and I’ll definitely send you a link when I get it going, if you’d like. I’m still trying to get my office/library/studio fixed up before I can start working on any projects like that.

I know that was way too much information, but maybe there’s something interesting in all of that. Let me know if there’s anything else you’d like to know, and I’ll keep it shorter next time.

Kevin

Kevin, are you kidding, you are just amazing and I could read what you write all day long. Thank you, and don’t wait too long to start that blog.

Readers, there’s also more at TheSisterProject.com, where the mystery was first published.
And see all the original photos here, at writer-artist Roz Liebowitz’s flickr photostream.

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Vintage 1960s Latvian book plates – Lisa’s found art

pam kueber — Fri, 13 Feb 2009 07:59:48 +0000

Two more entries in our contest. SO SORRY about that! Penultimately — here is Lisa’s entry in our Found Objects Found Art contest, an intriguing stash….
She writes:

Have you ever gone to a thrift shop and spent your entire time digging through one special box, and never bothering with the rest of the store? That describes two hours of my life spent in downtown Minneapolis on a snowy afternoon. On the floor in the corner was a wooden crate filled with book cover printing plates, in a complete jumble, covered with dust. To describe me as a junkie for books, as well as retro graphics, is a bit of an understatement. Trying to maintain my cool, I inquired about their history (and their price) at the front counter; the clerk knew nothing. I purchased what I could carry. They now hang by my bookshelves, loved and appreciated.

An internet search provided some history. The publishing company, based in Minneapolis, printed these Latvian books (mostly pulp fiction, science fiction, and mysteries) between 1961 and 1964. The Twin Cities is home to many people of Latvian descent, and these were sold both domestically and overseas.

Each brass plate is ink stained, and you can see how the two- or three-color process came together for some stunning images. The book’s front, spine, and back were printed in one plate, layer over layer.

This “found object/found art” really speaks to me, because it embodies so much that I hold dear. The graphics alone are gorgeous, but hey…books aren’t printed like this any more. These have a warmth, and a sculptural, dimensional quality as well. And I like to imagine a Latvian immigrant, a typographer/printer like my own Italian immigrant grandfather, lovingly packing these away as his portfolio. Now they’ve found a home in my 1962 tri-level split, admired by someone who cherishes them just as much.

Thanks, Pam!

Lisa … a.k.a. “Beverly Sills”

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Vintage Pig Mania, Yahtzee – and family game night … Judi’s entry

pam kueber — Fri, 13 Feb 2009 07:59:41 +0000

Now … our final entry in the Found Objects Found Art Contest. Judi aka Sumac Sue’’s tribute to those days when there were only three network TV stations – so we played games…

This is our final contest entry – I think. If I missed you, please email me, retrorenovation at gmail dot com. And get ready: Voting starts Sunday.

Judi writes:

Hi Pam. Here is my entry for the found objects contest. While I think there are other entries far better than this one… I want to contribute something to the contest, if only to show
how many different types of objects can appeal to us all.

My photo shows a couple of my favorite games, Yahtzee and Pig Mania. Yahtzee probably was played by Adam and Eve, it’s been around for so long. I first played Pig Mania in the 80s, so I don’t think that game has been
around quite as long as Yahtzee. This particular Pig Mania game originally belonged to my parents, but, at some point it got passed to me. I found this old Yahtzee set at a yard sale a few months ago.

These two games represent the dozens of games my family played around the dining table over the years, a tradition that got started when my siblings and I were kids in the late 50s and into the 60s. My parents would have a game night with us at least once a week, and we would eat popcorn and drink Barq’s root beer while playing Old Maid or board games often based on TV shows, such as the Concentration Game or Password. I was a terrible game player; I would get bored and quit paying attention, so I usually lost the game or got the Old Maid card. (I did pay attention when we played the Barbie game, because I did not want Poindexter as a date to the
prom.)

I always liked Yahtzee and Pig Mania because they are quick and easy to play. My Pig Mania game box still contains a few old score cards from past games with my siblings and our kids. And, this Yahtzee game contains a
score card showing that some other family was just like us — Dad, Mom, and Molly penciled in their scores when they had a game night.

Thanks Pam, for a great contest!

Judi

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