6 interiors with great ideas from the late 1960s

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A look at 1968 – yes, the era of avocado green, harvest gold and other very distinctive designs. I have to say, I really am growing to adore 60s and 70s kitchens, bathrooms and interiors. These people were having a lot of creative fun. Imagine owning a 1971 split level and outfitting it with a red and black rumpus room… bedrooms with multicolored shag carpet…a Nutone intercom throughout, a Drexel Mediterranean dining room set. Hey! That was my house in 1971!  A triumph. Cut to the chase: 70s decor is back – big time. Avocado Oak ad: Georgia Pacific.

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Isn’t this Moenique bathtub/shower faucet terrific? Those are “persian” tiles behind – very popular in ’68, as far as I can see. Ad: Moen.

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In the kitchen, it’s Andy Warhol pop colors all the way. That’s wallpaper on the fridge. This kitchen is so well done. Ad: Armstrong.

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Those panels lining the tub and shower are Formica laminate. I don’t think the stuff turned out to be very waterproof. Pretty, though.  And I really like the mirror and framed print arrangement above the sinks. Tip: Look for unusually-shaped mirrors like this – they can work in so many possible spaces. Ad: Formica.

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I really have a hard time believing that many women put wallpaper on the front of their appliances. But, it certainly is an idea…. Ad: Frigidaire.

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I adore this style of wallpaper. The gold, green, orange colonial motif – just makes me so happy. And this is a wonderful Frigidaire. I am quite partial to side-by-side refrigerators. They are particularly good when space is tight. Note, they are not as energy efficient as fridge-on-top styles, I believe. Ad: Tappan.

How to update the 1964 bathrooms at Amy and Gary’s house?

How to update these two 1964 bathrooms in Sumac Sue’s Lexington, Kentucky, neighborhood?

When Judi, my sister Jenni and toured last week, owners Amy and Gary were all for “gut jobs” – but then they heard more about the retro renovation crowd and said they would certainly consider our suggestions.

To be sure, Amy and Gary have a lot of love for the home – they are a young family and will make lots of memories here. Amy also shows talent as a decorator and her eyes light up when she talks about feathering her nest.

Readers – what do you recommend? I’m going to let you start before I weigh in.

Heck yeah there is more →

Toilet seats in 94 colors – for your retro bathroom

I think I have finally lost my marbles. Jumping up and down in my office, all excited to find a company that offers 94 different colors of toilet seats… and dying to share it — to stop the presses — to postpone the planned laminate story — get this NEWS on the blog! Heck yeah there is more →

A mid mod Australian bathroom

Retroppo is a longtime Retro Renovation reader from Australia. A while back, she sent this photo of … I think, a house she was looking at (?)… and I really liked the way that the pink sink looked, nested into the gray laminate countertop – you can also see a pinch of the pink toilet in the foreground, right.  G’day, R!

Retro bathroom and kitchen: Luscious features from Cindy’s 60s Holyoke house

Hi Pam, Since discovering RetroRenovation.com it has become a “must go to site” each morning! Thanks for all the information and enthusiasm you provide.

I am about to update some aspects of my 1960s bathroom and two of your posts this week caught my eye – I never thought much about my shower base and was considering replacing it…not anymore! I have an original terrazzo base. Heck yeah there is more →

Retro bathroom: Crane shower bases in terrazzo — a most noble, retro material!

These terrazzo shower bases from Crane look like the real deal. The website says that they truly are marble chips embedded in concrete, then polished to a high gloss. I have shower bases in two of my three bathrooms, and when I renovated about 5 years ago, I went with simple white Swanstone solid surface. While the Swanstone has worked out fine, I definitely would have checked out these Crane bases, if I’d known about them. Terrazzo is a most noble, retro material! These bases come in several colors (hint: go neutral) and sizes (hint: go minimum 36″x42″). Here’s the link to the Crane page.

Hey, if you have a Swanstone or fiberglass base, the only thing I can get to really keep it clean it Lysol Basin Tub & Tile Cleaner. The liquid spray is best – my husband actually orders it online. Using this cleaner, I really can keep the white base looking like new – although it may take several soaking applications. Suzie Homemaker (a real joke, you can bet), over and out.

60s bathroom: Fontana Arte bathroom accessory pieces – today’s ebay pick

Today, some haute haute haute Italian bathroom accessories. My google search says that Fontanta Arte is a ‘legendary’ designer of mid century lighting. These 1960 bathroom pieces certainly would make a statement in any of our postwar jewel boxes $$. Tempting, anyone?

1959 Kohler bathroom sinks

1959 kohler sinks

Since we’ve been on a bathroom roll, I thought that spotlighting these 1959 Kohler sinks – “lavatory sinks” with chrome legs and towel bars — would be fun. Aren’t the colors and designs just beautiful?

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Here’s an entire suite (below). For those of you trepidatious about going too colorful with the fixtures and tile, this photo exemplifies how combining a two neutrals — in this case, white and gray — along with snazzy (low risk $) wallpaper and shower curtain can deliver a very stylish retro effect. If you want to buy new fixtures today – the grays tend to be lighter, but the idea still holds. As reader Laurie of 1951 Ranch Redo pointed out in the post about Sebastian’s Montreal bathroom recently, choosing towels with the dark accent trim also is a really nice touch.

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