Here is a link to a Retro Renovation classic post from the early days, Dec. 2007. I found numerous rose red wallpapers from Thibaut that are excellent proxies for the vintage wallpaper that you get a peek of in the photos above. Rose red is a classic 50s color that you don’t really think about much…I’ve even spotted it in kitchens (click on thumbnail) which is quite something. Even better, I think the color — especially in those wallpapers! — would be wonderful for dining rooms — very convivial. Good for dinnertime cheer, although maybe not for your waistline.
In case you have not figured this out, I derive immense joy at thumbing my nose at reigning mass-market stylistas. If it’s “out” — I ask, “says who?” — and declare it “in.” Today: I declare that these novelty wallpapers are the cat’s pajamas. Heck yeah there is more…
I found these poodle wallpapers at American Blinds Wallpaper & More and the Wallpaper Connection. I guess if you have a pink bathroom…and put up this wallpaper…then you might as well get a poodle…and name her Fifi.
Bradbury & Bradbury has introduced four new vintage wallpaper reproductions — classic damasks that, as owner Steve Bauer says, “would be appropriate in almost any style of home, with the exception of perhaps the most sterilized of midcentury modern homes, where ‘ornament is crime.’”
DOESN’T THIS MAKE YOU WANT TO BE 10 AGAIN — when no one questions why you would want a bedroom that is sweet sweet sweet?
The wallpaper is Lily of the Valley by Thibaut, and it’s available in 7 colorways – including yellow, light blue, even coral. I love the soft pastels the best, I think…. This is so perfectly vintage.
Lots of treasures awaited my return home yesterday… An ebay find which I’ll show soon… Barkcloth samples from Full Swing Textiles… and the best of all: Two rolls of vintage pink wallpaper from reader NYC Dorothy. She has contributed it to our community – so that it can savored for all. You see, these are the two wallpapers that hung in her mother’s kitchen and bathroom – and she wanted them to go to a good home. Dorothy, I promise you, they are in the right place – in front of many thousands of readers who treasure these memories of the homes our own families built in postwar America. Many thanks, indeed!
Oh, and readers… just to ensure you are triply amazed: Did I mention that both of these wallpapers are on a totally high-quality (not brittle) vinyl…. and that they have gold flecks and streaks throughout? Totally swoonable.
Click through for more delightful images of these two great vintage wallpapers…. Heck yeah there is more…
Ifinally got around to scanning and then posting my vintage wallpaper collection on flickr. My love affair continues as strong as ever. I think that I now have about 125 rolls. I figure these are a better investment than the stock market. There is no way that I will stop proselytizing the importance of wallpaper to your retro renovation any time soon! And remember, if you are concerned about resale – you can always do “the basics” – like tile, flooring, cabinetry, countertops in a neutral, conservative, traditional style. Then, add your retro zing with with wallpaper and other accessories. If you use a liner paper underneath the vintage wallpaper, you can conceptually remove the vintage paper and reuse it (at least, this is what one expert once told me, it’s worth checking into). If your fixed basics are neutral…timeless… a new owner can work with them to create their own look..
I continue to be on the hunt for readers who are looking for less expensive wallpaper for their mid century ranch, cape, colonial, bungalow and split level homes. This means: Wallpapers from the sweet cheerful 40s…to the atomic 50s…to the mod generation 60s…and all the stylistic tangents in between. For example, the more I’m into all of this the more I realize: We are a traditional nation. Small tone-on-tone prints are very suitable for your retro renovation, too!
Today: 33 choices with a little of everything described above from Seabrook’s Carey Lind Mahogany Collection. These are “today” wallpapers but I like a number of them for several reasons. One of my most exciting finds is the paper above. See the ’slubs’? And those dogwood blooms? A very typical barkcloth look! I can definitely see this paper in a pink bathroom — for those of you who want to ‘tone down’ the pink… it would also look great in a in a foyer, bedroom or office. Click through for additional selections and a complete gallery of other nice choices. Heck yeah there is more…
I have been on the hunt for affordable, vintage style wallpaper – a major reader want. In my first expedition I found this selection of Raymond Waites wallpaper that I think would be good for 40s or early 50s bedrooms, family rooms, offices, dens and kitchens — and which cost just over $20 a roll. Heck yeah there is more…
No question, I see the Bradbury Mod Generation wallpaper “Daisy” in “Sunshine” fitting right into your mid-mod 60s 70s kitchen. Maybe…wainscoting along the bottom of the wall painted in a creamy white…chair rail…then this wallpaper. Oh my goodness, we’d get your kitchen in a magazine for sure! Where do you live? I want to come over and help!
Welcome to RetroRenovation.com -- your daily dose of mid century renovation resources... design inspiration... fun finds... and a growing community of people all interested in restoring, preserving and cherishing their 40s, 50s, 60s and 70s homes.
Here is a link to a Retro Renovation classic post from the early days, Dec. 2007. I found numerous rose red wallpapers from Thibaut that are excellent proxies for the vintage wallpaper that you get a peek of in the photos above. Rose red is a classic 50s color that you don’t really think about much…I’ve even spotted it in kitchens (click on thumbnail) which is quite something. Even better, I think the color — especially in those wallpapers! — would be wonderful for dining rooms — very convivial. Good for dinnertime cheer, although maybe not for your waistline.
In case you have not figured this out, I derive immense joy at thumbing my nose at reigning mass-market stylistas. If it’s “out” — I ask, “says who?” — and declare it “in.” Today: I declare that these novelty wallpapers are the cat’s pajamas. 
I found these poodle wallpapers at 
Bradbury & Bradbury has introduced four new vintage wallpaper reproductions — classic damasks that, as owner Steve Bauer says, “would be appropriate in almost any style of home, with the exception of perhaps the most sterilized of midcentury modern homes, where ‘ornament is crime.’”
Hey Emily,
