Retro Renovation » 1960s

1960s time capsule house on DeluxeVille

pam kueber — Mon, 14 Sep 2009 10:00:13 +0000

MARY DELUXE of Welcome to DeluxeVille get the weekend super retro recon award for the photos of the wonderful time capsule open house. Dig this deep pink — salmon? coral? — bathroom with its original folding tub enclosure shower door and octagon-and-dot floor tile. And, oh my, yes, we LOVE the metallic wallpaper. Repeat after me: Yes, we do! Click over to Mary’s blog, and you’ll see that the vintage wallpaper — very 60s — covers the ceiling, too. And, there’s more on her blog, including another bathroom and vintage steel cabinets that have been stripped down to the metal for a stainless steel finish, something that we have not discussed or seen yet. Thank you, MaryDeluxe, for sharing, and for RetroRoadmap for sending the link to me on Twitter. Oh my, we are so socially networked.

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Mid-century American Standard Gracelynn sink

pam kueber — Thu, 06 Aug 2009 08:00:55 +0000

YES, I AM OBSESSED with this sink. I have one — in white, although I also love this icy gray — in my garage on hold for my tiny, storage-challenged master bath; I am waiting to see if the retro decorating gods also send me the vanity. Meanwhile, I have finally learned its official name: It’s the Gracelynn Cabinet-Lavatory. The toilet: The lovely Carlyle. You know it is one of my life goals to be able to name every midcentury toilet and sink on sight. This 1960 photo is from flickr friend Java1888, click the image to go straight to his photo stream. Another flickr friend, What Makes the Pie Shops Tick, has a 1965 American-Standard catalog posted where I found the name of this much-coveted sink, and more. Final note, I believe this sink was introduced in ‘59.

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Gina’s 1960s mosaic splatter tile bathroom

pam kueber — Tue, 30 Jun 2009 12:00:35 +0000

WELCOME TO GinaUSA’s 1960s bathroom. I am really quite in love with this style of mosaic tile — 3/4″ or 1″ squares — and in this case, with little porcelain splatters. I generically call this “Romany Spartan” tile because that’s the company that seems to be in all my vintage magazines. I know of at least one source for tile pretty close to this, still (continue after the jump.) Ooooh, peek at GinaUSA’s door handle, too — crystal. Yes, you can add this bit of sweetness to your house, if you prefer it rather than mod metal.

Here is a close-up of Gina’s bathroom tile. Those splatters also provide a bit of slip-resistance, I bet.

Gina has nice built-in, too.

Want to replicate the look? I found this wide selection, real 60s-70s-80s colors, at S.J. Masters:

And of course, there’s pink!

Thank you, GinaUSA, for sharing your bathroom! I am so happy you love it and are not changing it. It looks to be in great shape. What a treasure.

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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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Flower power 1960s Drexel bedroom set

pam kueber — Tue, 28 Apr 2009 08:00:01 +0000

Thanks to Puddletown aka Cheryl for spotting this 60s flower-power Peter Max-style Drexel bedroom set on Craigslist. It’s in Minneapolis, and it’s not cheap, but oh my goodness, this is the greatest bedroom set in the world! And, thanks to seller Molly for the photos — [link expired]– and click through to the next page for 5 more photos.

Jan 2010 update:
A flickr friend has identifed this AWESOME bedroom furniture as Drexel Heritage ‘Plus One’ circa 1970. She has a catalog, which said that Drexel interviewed girls via SEVENTEEN magazine to design the line.

Click first image to launch slide show:

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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.

Eichler paint palette and other color stories
All about Joseph Eichler

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My vintage wallpaper collection from the 50s, 60s and 70s

Pam Kueber — Fri, 20 Feb 2009 08:00:08 +0000

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..

New vintage wallpaper repro’s from Bradbury Bradbury & Bradbury has introduced four new vintage wallpaper reproductions...
Wonderful vintage style wallpaper for a 40s 50s or 60s bedroom DOESN’T THIS MAKE YOU WANT TO BE 10 AGAIN...
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Six great 1961 interiors – floors, furniture, art, outrageous interiors and more

pam kueber — Tue, 06 Jan 2009 08:00:25 +0000

I have been reading everyone’s suggestions for updates to the blog – many thanks! – and keep them coming.

I already was on course to add many more photo galleries – and I get my fancy gallery tool and tutorial later today.

Meanwhile, I could not hold off from showing this delicious 1961 eye candy – photos from Kentile and Congoleum Nairn ads during the year.

Aren’t these so…70s? It is SO INTERESTING, when you start wading through periodicals, that so many trends were foreshadowed a good 8-10 years before they were adopted by the masses and entered our collective memories now active today. I swear, our 1971 split level had features just like those here. I could be wrong. I need to study the 60s and 70s more. That’s coming, too.

FABULOUS!

Click through to see these side-by-side in a gallery.

That 70s house — 3 interiors Could there have been a more creative period in...
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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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Colors for a 1956 Motorola tv console – a good reference for midcentury wood paints, stains and finishes Oooooh, look at this great color chart – for...

Mid century paint colors: Painting your 60s ranch home (and more) – a retro palette, courtesy Ronn

Pam Kueber — Fri, 16 May 2008 08:01:44 +0000

Fridays are shaping up (informally) to be the day we think about sprucing up our postwar jewel boxes – on the outside. Today, this terrific 60s paint palette from reader Ronn. Not only are the colors great, but the graphics of the paint chips themselves are yummy. Ronn admits, this is a treasure he keeps in his NFS (not for sale) treasure trove.

Other recent posts about painting your mid century home:

Samantha and Dave paint their mid-century house jadeite green Here’s an inspiring story from readers – Samantha and Dave...
Paint color for a red brick and wood ranch house I‘VE ALWAYS ADMIRED THIS HOUSE three blocks or so from...
Jsnugbear paints his ranch house READER JSNUGBEAR adds his paint colors for a ranch house...