How is this one, Retro Renovation readers? I recently scored a full box of est. 1960-65 era GE Textolite laminate samples, absolute mint condition unused. This is the first bunch — the others aren’t so over-the-top FABULOUS, but still are great gauges of what to look for. OMG. What else do I need to say. We can all eat our hearts out, together, on this one. This post originally ran on Jan. 4, 2008

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Hi Pam,

Since you just had a post on laminate counter tops I thought you’d enjoy seeing my original 1959 gray cracked ice laminate in kitchen and matching kitchen table!! When I walked into the house during the showing I knew this was the home for me. I wish I knew how to remove discolorations but I’ve heard its almost impossible.

The counter banding is also cool, chrome with a black rubber inlay. I was recently reading the fall issue of Atomic Ranch magazine and saw an article about a home where the kitchen has the exact same banding. I’ve never seen it before buying my home last October.

I live right here in Florence, MA.  About an hour from you.  My home is still in the process of being retro-regressed to its  original splendor but luckily not much had been done to update it so most of the  rooms are still original. The bathroom is the biggest exception because they  tried to update it using Home Depot generic products which included replacing  original tiled walls with laminate sheeting made to look like marble. REALLY  BAD!!!!! I plan on having it re-tiled again and brought back to 1959 aesthetics.

Incredible laminate pattern, jsnugbear, thank you!

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High-res scan - click to enlarge

Okay, this is the last day of my little fixation with retro laminates. (For now.) As you know, I am a devotee of the Sherwin Williams Suburban Modern palette, both interior and exterior.  So, I have gone through Arpa’s line of solid-colored laminates and for the most part, been able to line up 10 colors that are pretty darn good matches to the 10 SW mid mod interior colors.

Virtually all of these colors were used on postwar kitchen cabinets by about 1955, lilac and rose red/pink flamingo a little later.

A few notes:

• The Rose Red appears to be a really great match for the S-W Pink Flamingo. On my monitor, though, the color does not show up true. The kitchen below is a better capture of the true colors. And click on the kitchen for that complete, Rose Red post.
• I really could find no good Arpa match for SW Pearl Gray. The Arpa alabaster is much lighter, but tonally in the right direction.

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Ooooh. Look at this – a St. Charles kitchen with wood fronts! As longtime readers know, part of the history of steel kitchen cabinets was their fight vs. wood cabinets. Toward the end … as steel started to lose out… you started to see the mash up of wood and steel. In particular – wood doors, with their painting and repair flexibiity, onto the strong steel bases.

Click thru to read on, and see 12 photos in all —>

In this kitchen, note the cool Railite countertops – Jennifer, I would be forever indebted if you could send us a clearer photo, we are all diagnosed vintage voyeurs — and the Revco refrigerator-freezer looks quite terrific as well. All for sale now, retro renovators.

Pam,

I’ve attached a PDF of the cabinet documentation, which was done in 1956. Basically the kitchen has:

- a built in Tappan EoLV-10 oven (stainless steel) – it’s the first thing that caught my eye! That’s cool – very retro… someone would like that… I said…
- a built in Tappan ERF cooktop (SS)
- a Revco fridge/freezer – like a soft brown color

Countertops – Railite – white with like a gold pattern on it

Stainless steel sink – fan above stovetop.

Cabinets – see the attached for the actual count of units. The fronts are wood, the inside is like a harvest gold color. The lady had covered each shelf with contact paper, so it came off and the insides are in really good condition. The outsides of most of the cabinets look really good. There are a few cabinet fronts with some wear.

I suppose I could try ebay or craigs list, but then I came across your site. You have great taste. I’m not retro, but am artsy and appreciate good style – you’ve got it!!

This 92 year lady kept everything. It’s like walking back into time…. Her daughter who sold it to us said that her mother got this state of the art kitchen in the 50’s… It’s held up well.

Jennifer Whiteford
Rockford, IL – about 90 miles northwest of Chicago

Thank you so much!

If any readers are interested, contact Jennifer directly at cjjwhiteford@mac.com. Good luck and thanks for working with us to find this kitchen a happy retro home, Jennifer.

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Following up on Monday’s exciting post about the Arpa USA palette of solid-color laminates, let’s take a look at how to use this material to recreate this 1959 Ma Bell kitchen. It would be oh-so-easy! Elements include:

• Laminate cabinetry using Arpa’s “Jardin” colorway.
• Cabinet pulls: Rejuvenation’s new midcentury “sharp arch”, in satin chrome
• Countertops are also laminate – I like Arpa’s “Off White” but there are 4 whites that could work – Off White, Snowbound, Dover White and Downy — that you can eyeball in your kitchen – and test adjacent to your appliances.
• On the floor, I’d put Armstrong’s faux-brick vinyl sheet, Saguaro in birch white
• And if you can scrounge them up — this kitchen also deserves a pink stovetop, built-in ovens, and even fridge…Reader Ron might be able to find you some
• If you can’t find pink or don’t want vintage -  the Sub-Zero with appliance white panels and the old-style vent at the top, makes for a mighty fine authentic mid mod look. Pair it with a vintage range.
• For a sink – stainless steel from Elkay, they have lots of great designs straight from the era.

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I have been working on retro laminates lately – and originally thought there were only these big five: Wilsonart, Formica, Pionite, Nevamar and Arborite. But – I’ve now discovered a 6th company – Arpa USA. They have a terrific-looking portfolio — of solids, in particular. Some of the greens come darn close to that famous 50s pistachio… there are some pinks that are pretty good… ditto, blues. And, if you’re looking for that 60s Brady Bunch orange – Fiesta, baby, you’ve got it!

I emailed Arpa and asked if they could send me their ring of solids…and they did! Very exciting as this is the first product that I’ve ever asked for as a blogger – and received. I have several more posts planned on some of these colors and how to use them for retro kitchen and retro bathroom renovations. Thank you, Arpa USA!

Website: Arpausa.com

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During last week’s laminate ramblings, I stumbled on this incredible 1959 house in Texas – it’s the original home of the founder of Wilsonart laminates, and it’s now owned by the company, serving as their archives and a space for corporate events.

All photos: Courtesy Wilsonart – who were fabulous, very responsive! Thank you, Diana Z.!

The story of the Wilson House’s salvation is right out of a retro renovation suspense novel. 10 years ago, when there was little appreciation for this type of mid century modern design and certainly not for something as pedestrian as laminates, the company decided to sell the house. But, it needed to gut it first due to the “problem” interior. The house had been built as a showcase for the use of laminates – so the stuff is everywhere but the ceilings and floors. It’s truly incredible.

Then — someone brand new to the company is taken over to the house on the very day they are going to start demolition.  She has historical sensibility – and passion – and stands in front of the bulldozer. Well, there was no bulldozer. But she did stop the demo…convinced the company to keep the house…and went on to lead the restoration of what is now the youngest-ever National Historic Landmark.

Her name, by the way, is Grace Jeffers - and I will do more features on her soon. She is my new idol (along with Courtney and so many of you readers!) She has gone on to many other fabulous projects in the world of man-made materials.

Holyoke Cindy was the first one to mention here that laminate kitchen cabinets are a great solution for our midmod kitchens – and she is absolutely positively right. Cindy’s kitchen is totally appropriate to her early 60s contemporary…and this Wilson kitchen, with its Mondrian influences, undeniably gorgeous, is further proof that laminates are a great and worth alternative for our retro renovations.

Thank you, Grace. You did a good thing.

Click here for a history of the house on the Wilsonart website, and here to a New York Times story circa 1998 on the Wilson House – well worth it.

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Isn’t this laminate vanity terrific? Pink – and Speckle Sparkles – and those Atomic handles – oh my! It’s from Roezee on flickr - thank you, R! – who reports that the label reads:  “Star Vanity Bathroom Furniture for Modern Living.”

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As follow up to my post yesterday – with a round up of all the laminates for bathroom counters that are on my radar today – I also recently found this great little history of laminate in the 1950s, from Wilsonart. Click through to read the complete story, but here are a few highlights:

• Laminate was so popular in the 50s, that a chrome-and-metal dinette cost four-times more than a wood dinette.
• Plastic laminate was desirable for its impermeability – easy to clean up.
• Another reason for the bright, exuberant colors of the 50s: Colors were rationed in the 40s during the war, when the color du jour was battleship gray.
• Speckled laminate — also known as lame’ — was made with real glitter, which was invented in the 30s.
• Marble and wood-grain were popular – with many choices still available today.

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Maryland Nancy is searching for laminate for her bathroom reno, and alerted me that the colorful Nevamar swirlie’s are discontinued. Alas.

So, I did another survey  — and here is an update of the laminates landscape for bathroom vanity countertops, as far as I can determine. Scroll over each image with your mouse to see the name of the design, and the manufacturer. You can also click on each image, and the name/manufacturer are there just below the image.

Over the coming weeks, I will do similar updates for kitchen countertops, for laminated kitchen cabinets, and for laminated bathroom cabinets. I also will be comparing these to some vintage Textolite samples that I have, to help suggest the most authentic matches. A big topic, my eyeballs are popping out of my head just from this one!

I also want to point out that:

1. I have found these online. Please test them in your house for color correctness!
2. I can never vouch for whether they are still available. Argh. They do get discontinued with some frequency, it seems…
3. You also always have the choice of solids. Although I personally have a big fondness for anything with texture.
4. You can do your own search by surveying all these manufacturers: Wilsonart, Formica, Pionite, Nevamar, Arborite and Arpa USA.

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