Original Eichler paint colors for your ranch or contemporary home

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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. Heck yeah there is more →

Cindy updates her 50s bathroom vanity, tile floor and shower

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Last week we looked at Cindy’s beautiful Holyoke, Mass., home – photos I took last summer. Today – we get to see the updates that she made to her bathroom vanity and tile floor and shower over the winter – she replaced the laminate on the bathroom vanity in a lighter ‘beigewood” shade, and also retiled her floor and shower stall. Cindy’s updates are incredibly well done – she has a great eye for detail and I know that she labored over each little decision…. Great inspiration and ideas, I am sure, to many retro renovators looking for a way to update their tired bathroom vanities, in particular.

Heck yeah there is more →

Should this avocado bathroom be saved?

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Reader Jennifer spotted this avocado bathroom over on Apartment Therapy. The reader is asking what she should do with it. I sense…revulsion. What do you think, Retro Renovation readers? Should this avocado bathroom be saved? Leave your comment here – or over on the post at Apartment Therapy. P.S. I bet you know what I think!

Where to find vintage-style barkcloth? Full Swing Textiles is a new player in retail

40s-style-barkclothSeveral readers have pointed out that Melinamade’s website seems to have gone away… But just in time, I recently heard from Suzanne at Full Swing Textiles about their product line. The company has been making barkcloth for some time, she says, but it was only offered to “the trades” – professional designers. In October, the company launched online, retail sales. They have an absolutely wonderful selection of barkcloth and lighter weight “birchbark” designs.  The material is not inexpensive…so I asked Suzanne to explain their process and their story. Here it is…. Heck yeah there is more →

Nathan approves of the retro style Gerber 4″ bathroom faucet

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Reader Nathan ordered three of these Gerber 4″ lavatory faucets, which I spotted for their simple retro style. He has installed them – and says they are great with quality that is “superb….better than most.” Thanks, Nathan, for the report from the front lines of retro renovation!


Get Dishmasters at dishmaster-faucet.com

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Wanna buy a Dishmaster? Go straight to the manufacturer at dishmaster-faucet.com. They also list other retailers on their site. Heck yeah there is more →

Four, 4″ faucets for your retro bathroom sink

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Do you need a new faucet for your vintage bathroom sink? TodayI happily add a third alternative to my short list of recommendations. It’s this simple Gerber 4″ lav. Nice lines, nice faucet handles. Also a nice one here with fluted handles.  Hurray.

Update: Nathan went looking for this and Gerber eliminated the image from their catalog. However, it IS still available. Here is what Nathan reports – MANY THANKS, Nathan!

Hey Pam,

I was able to track down that particular faucet that you had on your site.  I contacted Gerber, and they gave me the part number.  I then tried to find it locally here in Abq, but that was a dead end.  So, I then resorted to shopping on the internets (d’oh), and found it here: [link now gone - search for model number online, folks - Pam]

I ordered 3 of them ;)

Thanks again, and I’ve bookmarked your site

Hasta,

Nathan

Other faucet choices:

One of my very favorites - great deco style

One of my very favorites - great deco style


Six great 1961 interiors – floors, furniture, art, outrageous interiors and more

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

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

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

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1961_kentile-mosaic-santa-sofiaAren’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.

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FABULOUS!

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Click through to see these side-by-side in a gallery. Heck yeah there is more →