Retro Renovation » Paint

60-page vintage Sherwin-Williams paint and style guide

pam kueber — Wed, 09 Sep 2009 10:01:31 +0000

Flickr friend Java1888 is just the best. He found a 1941 paint brochure — 60 pages long — from Sherwin-Williams, and has posted the whole thing on his flickr photostream. These kinds are guides are treasure troves of inspiration about how to decorate historic homes. In this case, you can get lots of ideas for paint colors for a 1930s or 1940s house — including interior paint color schemes and decor, and exterior paint color combinations and landscaping, too. To get to Java’s lineup, click directly on either the large photo or the thumbnail — then go to the 60-item set in the right-hand column. Many thanks, J!

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Jsnugbear paints his ranch house

pam kueber — Sat, 15 Aug 2009 08:00:32 +0000

READER JSNUGBEAR adds his paint colors for a ranch house to our growing list of real-life reader stories. In addition, he has been a great reporter and taken lots of before, during, and after photos that show the transformation. Jsnugbear aka John also gets to show off his vintage cloth awnings, I am jealous. Above: A shot of the house, completed. And, do I spy with my little eye: Don Featherstone flamingoes to celebrate a major major item crossed off the “to do” list?

John writes:

I recently had 2 sides of my home painted. Here are a few pics to share with your readers per your request for renovation pics and stories. I included a before pic so you can see what it looked like when I bought it in Oct 2007.

Above and left: Original look when I bought home in Oct 2007. Not bad but I personally don’t like shutters especially on either side of the front door!! Neighbors couldn’t remember last time it had been painted. Needless to say they LOVE me!!!! I love the original door. Hope to paint that as well.The inside of door is natural wood but the exterior has already been painted.

Above: West side primed and ready for paint.

Above: South side needed lots of primer!!!

Above and left: Front before trim painted and awnings put back up. Looks much cleaner and MCM without the shutters!! I … removed one of the exterior lights by the door as it originally only had one.

Above and left: South side. The awnings make SUCH a difference in the summer. I rarely use air conditioning and only in my bedroom at night. I love the natural breezes that flow thru the house.

Above: Front(west side)

Pam, I used Behr paint. Body is called Spiceberry and trim is Mojave Sunset. I tried to play the trim off the brick fireplace under carport. Its a terra cotta color rather than red brick. I tried looking into Eichler colors since I love the Eichler homes but I didn’t find one I liked. I have a Benjamin Moore store where I live so they had all the color cards for Eichler.

John

John, thank you so much for recording all this and for sharing. Have I ever mentioned that I love shingled ranches? The house looks great!

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Paint color for a red brick and wood ranch house

pam kueber — Tue, 11 Aug 2009 08:00:22 +0000

I‘VE ALWAYS ADMIRED THIS HOUSE three blocks or so from mine. The salmon-beige paint with the red brick looks terrific, I think. On Monday, I grabbed my camera, took a walk over, and knocked on the door in true retro recon style — to find out the brand and name of the paint. They were home and happy to respond to this unexpected request from a stranger. Of course, I live in a small town so we identified a mutual friend within seconds.

The house has wonderful curb appeal — notice the stone retaining wall that brings the front yard onto the level on the sloping lot. In front of the retaining wall, the owners tend to variegated hosta and each year plant impatiens. I was able to see a little of the inside. Some of the features included knotty pine paneling in the living room … wagon wheel lighting in the kitchen … plaid carpet in the mudroom … and it was reported there is a pink bathroom with green trim. The house actually qualifies as one that may be near perfect in our continuing search. There are three bedrooms, two bathrooms, a mudroom that connects the garage to the dining room/kitchen area…all in a small footprint – one likely smaller that this ranch we spotted a while ago. Remember, we want all of these features in as small a footprint as possible. This house may be it! I would LOVE to get the plans….

The body paint is Wal-Mart, Copper Haze.

The door and shutters are Sweet Potato.

A lovely, well-tended 1955 house in a lovely neighborhood. Thanks to the owners for sharing this treasure, and for clearly putting so much love and care into it.

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Samantha and Dave paint their mid-century house jadeite green

pam kueber — Sun, 02 Aug 2009 08:00:01 +0000

Here’s an inspiring story from readers – Samantha and Dave – who told beige to bite the dust and instead painted their Colorado bungalow / ranch a fabulous shade of Burma Jade — jadeite green — from the Sherwin-Williams Suburban Modern palette. A note on the brick detailing on this house. By the early 50s architects and builders were looking to create a “long and low” ranch house feel on designs of every ilk. Adding a half-wall trim like the brick that runs along the front of this house — and in some cases beyond, as in this house — accentuates the horizontal, even though this house appears to be pretty much a square box. A classic classic mid-century house design trick. Click thru for Samantha’s explanation of their journey.

She writes:

Hi, Pam,

Love, love, love your web site! I am writing to tell you our experience with using the Sherwin Williams Suburban Modern palette for our home’s exterior. Our house is a 1300 square foot ranch built in 1959 There are many classic midcentury modern houses in our neighborhood–some “cooler” than others; that is, some have bolder color choices and seem to stand out.

Our house before painting was yellow with maroon trim. It has a brick facade that was originally pinkish-beige. We chose Burma Jade for the body of the house, and white for the trim. This was a classic combination according to the Sherwin Williams Suburban Modern palette. We also painted the brick facade white. When we finished, we received nice compliments from the neighbors. One woman who raised here family in the neighborhood said that it reminded her of when the neighborhood was first built. That was a big compliment, in our opinion! Some didn’t “get it.” One friend said it was an “old” color. Most people said that it went with the style of the neighborhood, so we chalked that one disparaging comment up to a matter of taste. The house looks amazing. We love the color and the fact that we don’t fit in with most of the brown and beige houses on our street.

As for taking a courageous step…..it really was. We went through many color combinations before deciding to “go bold.” Initially, we wanted to use the beige color on the Suburban Modern palette, but when we tested it on the house, it looked pinkish. Not good. So after much discussion about colors, our “final” decision was white with the trim in Burma Jade. But then….we noticed that the house kitty corner from us was white with teal trim….a little too close to what we had in mind. So, at the last minute, we switched, deciding to go bold with Burma Jade as the body color and white as the trim. We love the way it turned out, even if some don’t get it.

Thanks again for your wonderful website. I am addicted!

Samantha and Dave

Thank you, Samantha and Dave, for sharing your story. It will give courage to all of us who struggle with taking a bold step when it comes to color.

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Roofing for your midcentury ranch, cape or Colonial: Classic three-tab shingles from Owens Corning

pam kueber — Sun, 21 Jun 2009 08:00:55 +0000

Drats and double drats. A couple of months ago I stumbled on a source for this great information about how to recreate – yes – an authentic midcentury roof. The solution is: classic three-tab shingles from Owens Corning…and look what a great match some of the colors are, to the 1954 advertisement above.

My drats, though, come from the fact that I cannot find my original source for the information, who I wanted to credit. Drats.

Nonetheless – what a wonderful tip indeed, as roofs are wicked expensive, to say the least. A couple of years ago, when we needed to get ours done, we went the yuppie way and installed architectural shingles. They look great. But… if I had the choice to re-live today, I would now know about and appreciate this three-tab solution. Oh, and save a lot of money, too!

Gosh, isn’t this a very serious issue and recommendation today? I feel so grown up.

Website: roofing.owenscorning.com/homeowner/shingles/

This post was originally published on Sept. 29, 2008.

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Colors for a 1956 Motorola tv console – a good reference for midcentury wood paints, stains and finishes

pam kueber — Thu, 16 Apr 2009 07:59:18 +0000

Oooooh, look at this great color chart – for Motorola television consoles in 1956. Click directly on the photo to get to the flickr photostream of What Makes the Pie Shops Tick – who has some additional images of vintage Motorola’s straight from the 1956 catalog. But back to the color chart — I liked this in particular, because it provides a good reference for paint, stain and finish options for anything wood – furniture, cabinetry, even paneling. Thanks, Pie Shop!

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Original Eichler paint colors for your ranch or contemporary home

pam kueber — Sat, 14 Mar 2009 08:00:59 +0000

Are you looking forward to repainting your midcentury ranch or contemporary home once the weather warms up? I recently connected with the nice folks at The Eichler Network, and saw that they have identified a palette of original exterior paint colors and accents used on Eichler homes, which were built from the late 1940s through the early 1970s.

The 11,000 homes that Joseph Eichler built in California have been very collectible, and The Eichler Network runs a website and magazine to connect Eichler homeowners with service providers specialized in helping them with sensitive updates.

This paint color research is particularly helpful – because the Eichler experts also have translated them into Benjamin Moore (BM) colors easily available today.

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Kohler colors from the 40s, 50s, 60s and 70s

pam kueber — Tue, 30 Dec 2008 08:00:51 +0000

What colors to use in your 40s 50s 60s or even 70s home? This timeline of Kohler colors is really quite wonderful. It provides a snapshot of why certain colors were common during the wartime years and immediately thereafter… on into the 50s when true exuberance emerged… the 60s with its pop and hippie influences…and the 70s when harvest gold and avocada reigned supreme! The whole postwar period – defined as about 1946 to 1963 was an era when America was really finding its own way from a design perspective. Color does not just “happen” – it’s part of a complex story of social, economic, and demographic factors all interwoven. History. Just like our kitchens and bathrooms and lights — all of it!

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Related posts:

1. Mamie Eisenhower: Unwitting creator of “Mamie Pink”
2. Wilsonart’s snapshot history of 50s laminate including colors
3. Wilsonart’s snapshot history of 60s laminate including colors
4. Complete archive of our midcentury paint color posts
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Special thanks to Scathing Jane for reminding me about this Kohler timeline! She is ALL OVER this era, I am really impressed – and grateful for her continuing help!

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St. Charles mid century modern kitchen cabinet colors

pam kueber — Fri, 14 Nov 2008 07:59:15 +0000

From Metal kitchen cabinets

I recently found this image of 10 original paint colors for St. Charles steel kitchen cabinets. I believe that these are circa 1957.

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Retro kitchen paint color schemes from 1953

pam kueber — Sat, 08 Nov 2008 08:00:34 +0000

Following up on yesterday’s post about Nancy’s (popular!) kitchen project… and on our Monday blue Television Kitchen… here are kitchen cabinet paint colors straight out of 1953. Lots of good mix-and-match ideas.

I do want to point out that with two-tone kitchen cabinet combinations, you want your darker color on the bottom to ground or anchor the design. It’s interesting to study the color combo’s below – for their use of harmony … and contrast. Honestly, study these things – and over time your design-eye will sharpen! I do think there’s some innate ‘talent’ in design – but like most other pursuits, it’s 99% perspiration! Work hard, study hard, and your ‘instinct’ (and ‘luck’) will get better, ha.

Floors can be light or dark – one guide might be whether you want to bring sunshine (light) into the kitchen, or coziness (medium/dark).

One of the tips you also see written about a lot in the 50s – as everyone was learning to decorate, together — was to choose your principal color scheme based on the direction the room faced. That is, south- and western-facing kitchens will get a lot of sunlight — they will be “hot” — so to counter that, choose ‘cool’ colors… colors in the blue/cool spectrum. North-facing kitchens tend to feel “cold” because of the quality of the sunlight — so use red/hot colors there, to warm things up. Eastern-facing: flexible, ahhh… that morning sunshine! I’ll look for some info on this issue and feature more, in the future.

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