Retro Renovation

I am now the proud owner of a binder of large, vintage 1954 Armstrong advertising comps — created by Batten, Barton, Durstine & Osborn, Inc., and signed off by Max Banzhaf in Floor Division National Advertisements. Pretty cool, huh?
Meanwhile - readers had been asking for more living room ideas — and I found some great [...]

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In response to Friday’s post on the patriotic 40s kitchen, Josh writes:

I’m in love with that sink. Do they still make any like that?
Thanks for the question, Josh. Unfortunately, not that I know of. But, I have some recommendations:
These porcelain-enamel-on-cast-iron or steel drainboard sinks were UBIQUITOUS in the postwar period, so you [...]

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Today, it’s a complete look at Kohler sinks suitable for your 50s bathroom retro reno.
Most 2008-design sinks are either very minimalistic (a simple round bowl mounted under solid surface) or…Victoriana on steroids. 50s style bathroom sinks are a sweet…or streamlined.
Fortunately, Kohler has an array of sinks appropriate for retro reno’s. You can see the classic [...]

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American-Standard, an absolutely great name in postwar bathroom fixtures, continues to make several porcelain sinks that would look great in a 50s or 60s bathroom.
Isn’t the Hexalyn model at the top fabulous? So much fun to wake up to every morning. Set it into a countertop of retro laminate with steel edging, install one of [...]

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The bathroom fixtures above are from 1955 — deep in the heart of the postwar boom. From “Homart” — a Sears brand.
I have more images from this brochure - stay tuned - but I love this page in particular as it gives a great look at sink and toilet styles that were very typical. [...]

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This ad from 1953 spotlights the Elkay Lustertone sink/countertop/drainboard combo. You can still get these today - and they are an awesome choice if you can make it work with your cabinetry and layout.
Stainless steel is a great surface to work on and to be sure, when you’re moving dishes into and out of the [...]

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Finishing up my recent series on bathroom sinks matched with chrome legs, I wanted to spotlight this Waterworks model. No doubt, it is GORGEOUS. But, the chrome legs with integrated towel bars do run $1,475… while the sink is $315. If you’ve got the cash and the desire, this certainly would be the centerpiece of [...]

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Yesterday, I wrote about a new source for chrome legs to go with wall-mount, aka wall-hung sinks. Now that we have that problem solved (thank you, Franklin Brass), I offer several wall-mount sink models from Crane Plumbing to go with the legs. The first one is particularly cool, don’t you think?
Another very good alternative is [...]

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This is a big find for me — I’ve been on the lookout forever for new chrome legs that can be used with vintage or new wall-mounted sinks.
The look is a 50s classic — and great for small bathrooms, as having the space underneath the sink makes the room look much bigger. Just keep on [...]

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Does anyone know of a company that’s reproducing the cast-iron, porcelain-enameled sinks with drainboards as featured on top of this metal sink base? They were very popular in the ’50s and while you can get them today in metal, I cannot find a source in porcelain.
They can be picked up salvaged. But it seems [...]

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