Products and ideas to remodel your mid century home in authentic vintage style
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postwar homes – “modern” and “modest” alike.
I'm Pam Kueber, your mid mod mad guide. Read more
With the growing popularity of all things retro, it’s great to see more manufacturers bringing authentic reproductions back to life. Case in point: Rejuvenation – long known for it Arts & Crafts, Colonial Revival, and Deco-era reproductions – introduced its first off-shoot brand “Satellite” last year.
Hi Pam,Thanks to Greg and his Moe catalogs, I now know that this is a Moe Venetian featured in their 1965 catalog. I picked this up at our local Re-Store for $10! It’s in great shape! I thought I’d share, since it ties in with this topic…- Susan
Our series on lights spotted by Jimmy continues:
Also, I don’t know how much your site goes into the late 60s/70s, but these globe lights they sell are just too good to not be mentioned! If you go into the indoor decorative section of the catalog, page 7A has a whole listing of hanging globes, ellipses, even cubes! And my favorite part is that they even have that funky smoked glass with chrome stem that personally reminds me of a 70s ski resort I go to every winter. Also, (I know I’m rambling, sorry!) check out page 15 for clusters of hanging globes, and pages 35 and 41 of the outdoor section for the post and wall versions of the globes.
Tikimama liked these, too, adding in comment when Jimmy and the first batch of light were introduced:
Wow! Great resource…and from such a youngun’! It’s definitely worth taking a look at the whole catalog (although Jimmy’s right – their website is truly dated!). I thought there were a lot of indoor fixtures that had a very mod vibe, but even more exiting were the outdoor fixtures! I’ve had a hard time finding anything I like for the outside of our home, but here there are lots of clean-lined options. Even dark-sky friendly lights (something very important where I currently live near Joshua Tree National Park, but also something relatively easy we could all do to lessen light pollution).
There are powder-coated color options – lots! – even pink!!!
Lisa in Yucca Valley (but in Upland as of next week!) CA
Powder-coated Pink outdoor lights – my heart be still! Thanks, Jimmy! Thanks, Lisa!
–> Click thru for a bundle of additonal catalog pages –> Heck yeah there is more →
I am very excited about my latest vintage marketing material – a large catalog from Progress lighting dated December 1961.
The catalog is about equally split between retro groovy… southwestern style “Rancher”…colonial Americana… and viva Las Vegas, which is something that we have not dived into too much on this blog so far — but I feel an itch coming on!
Reading through I’ve learned that these lights were not called “retractable” — which is the term that I have been using. Rather, they were simply called “pull downs”.
And the copywriting from the Progress catalog is very fun:
Pull-downs in refreshing variety, with matching ceiling pieces and other coordinates… In this section, smartly sophisticated metal; nonchalance and warmth of wood in both walnut “slats” and “matchsticks”; “Ranchers”, large-scale and handsome as the Southwestrn originals; authentic charming and heart-warming are the “Early Americans”… Light moves from its age-old stationary position and becomes a faithful service of satisfying mobility, ease and luxury….
Today, I’ve featured two of the more modern lines: (1) The Sophisticates, and (2) Mardis Gras. I also have the price list, and it looks like the largest pull downs sold for $35-$40 at the end of 1961. Today, these can still be found on ebay, in many varieties. If you’re lucky, you can get a great price for a very mint fixture, but sometimes the bidding gets going on a desirable piece. In general – I predict these will continue to get hotter and hotter in the marketplace.
My Progress catalog has some 40+ pages of fixtures in all to showcase — many of them really terrific — so stay tuned for more!
Retro globe lights from Primelight
This is the second in our series of lighting alternatives spotted by our youngest retro renovation reader, Jimmy Walsh. This is Section B — so groovy. Be sure to look at the cubes! The more I do this blog, the more I realize that I also need a 60s and then a 70s house to decorate. Sigh.
All of our retro renovation lighting resources to date are now available on my:
I received a catalog from Liz’s Antique Hardware today and spotted this reproduction ceiling fixture right away. I love that it has pin-dots in both the glass shade facing bottom, and on the aluminum housing itself. A great kitchen or mudroom fixture.
Brian, a new reader, emailed about a great company — Remcraft — that produces 50s and 60s style lighting — much of it near-exact replica’s of their vintage styles. (See them in the 1953 pink Formica kitchen we looked at just a few weeks ago.) Remcraft is a client of Brian’s, he is a graphic designer who himself is renovating a midcentury home. Here’s what he had to say:
Hi Pam,
Today was the first time I’d ever seen your site, and I think it’s an awesome resource.
As I mentioned, these fixtures are great because they are still made like they were in the 50′s…with some convenience and technology updates (thumbscrews versus wing nuts, and alternative energy-saving lamp options). They are usually found at lighting dealers and showrooms, and the company usually says “contact the factory for a dealer near you”. Their toll-free number is 800-327-6585, and their bullet page is here
The Swedish Modern series comes in four different sizes. The largest size retails for around $50 (one-light), $90 (two-light), and $130 (three-light).
The Classic Bullet series comes in one size, retailing for around $55 (one-light) and $100 (two-light).
The Up/Down Light retails for around $100.
I prefer the satin aluminum finish, but several others are available – with surprisingly little impact on the price of the fixture.
Please let me know if you need more information.
Thanks!
Brian
No — Thank YOU, Brian, for this great resource, and welcome to the retroreno clan!
Wow, does anyone know about countertops like these? Becky recently bought a time capsule and her french provincial kitchen (I’d call it) includes these countertops. Reminds me of these Fritz floor tiles. Anyone work with this back in the day who knows? Kind of, an early-days version of Silestone or the other composite-quartz countertops sold [...]
These are sure a blast from the past: Glass combination trivets and cutting boards that are installed directly into your kitchen countertop. Yes: with metal rim aka Hudee ring. I think that these built-in cutting boards were all the rage in the 1970s, because there was one in our 1975 countertop, to the left of the sink.
Wowza — here is a ton — several tons, actually! — of vintage Consoweld laminate likely to come on the market soon. I never cease to be amazed at the retro treasures out there, yet to be unearthed. Interestingly, this seller first posted this on our Forum — but then got so much interest, put [...]
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 [...]
My local Re-Store was offering some maple flooring from bowling alley – and some handy homeowner re-purposed it into the most excellent countertop. Isn’t it great?! …Right up there with the Teacups Chandelier we looked at a while ago.
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