Retro Renovation » colors

60-page vintage Sherwin-Williams paint and style guide

pam kueber — Wed, 09 Sep 2009 10:01:31 +0000

Flickr friend Java1888 is just the best. He found a 1941 paint brochure — 60 pages long — from Sherwin-Williams, and has posted the whole thing on his flickr photostream. These kinds are guides are treasure troves of inspiration about how to decorate historic homes. In this case, you can get lots of ideas for paint colors for a 1930s or 1940s house — including interior paint color schemes and decor, and exterior paint color combinations and landscaping, too. To get to Java’s lineup, click directly on either the large photo or the thumbnail — then go to the 60-item set in the right-hand column. Many thanks, J!

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Colors for a 1956 Motorola tv console – a good reference for midcentury wood paints, stains and finishes

pam kueber — Thu, 16 Apr 2009 07:59:18 +0000

Oooooh, look at this great color chart – for Motorola television consoles in 1956. Click directly on the photo to get to the flickr photostream of What Makes the Pie Shops Tick – who has some additional images of vintage Motorola’s straight from the 1956 catalog. But back to the color chart — I liked this in particular, because it provides a good reference for paint, stain and finish options for anything wood – furniture, cabinetry, even paneling. Thanks, Pie Shop!

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Tiki Lisa photographs 57 ranch home exteriors in her neighborhood

pam kueber — Mon, 13 Apr 2009 08:00:52 +0000

Reader Tiki Lisa did major retro reconnaissance in her neighborhood — and photographed these 57 midcentury exteriors. She’s sharing via this slide show linked to her flickr photostream. Great exterior details here — wood trim, shutters, brick work, roof slopes, paint colors, window boxes, and more. And, I’m particularly in love with all the Cinderella ranch homes, also known as Storybook ranch homes. You live in a retro-wonderland, TL! Many thanks!

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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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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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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:

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Retro kitchen paint colors from 50s to early 60s Geneva, Republic, St. Charles and Youngstown steel kitchen cabinets

Pam Kueber — Tue, 20 Nov 2007 12:49:45 +0000

“Vintage_Kitchen” recently wrote to ask about repainting her 60s white steel kitchen cabinets and I also promised this post with suggestions on paint colors for your mid century kitchen.

Note: Click on photos to enlarge for better color scrutiny!

From all the advertising material that I own, it appears that kitchen cabinetry was mostly white into the early 50s. Until then, ‘white’ still communicated “sanitary” – which was very important. But… we made it through that phase of kitchen concerns, and in the mid-50s, “exuberance” kicked in big time — giving us flamboyantly colored cars — and kitchen cabinets, too. The trend continued well into the 60s, when wood including natural finishes conquered. But that’s another story for another day. I promise.

I’m posting several photos of beautifully colored 50s to early 60s kitchens. A couple of things to note:

Notice how it’s not the just the colors that are unique — but also the way they are combined. For example, in the blue kitchen above, we get a green-yellow (chartreuse even) sink.
In addition to the colors I show here, also pick up the print version of the Sherwin-Williams Suburban Modern palette for interiors (also shown thumbnail above). For cabinets I love the: Pinky Beige, Appleblossom, Sunbeam Yellow, Holiday Turquoise and Chartreuse. If you want to repaint your white cabinets — and for trim — use the Porcelain. This is a palette that never stops pleasing and must be a key part of your mid century renovation arsenal! I recommend getting it in print, because my scanner and all our computers can only do so much re: actual color resolution.
Finally, remember that there are plenty of examples of mix-and-match color schemes. That is, one color on the base cabinets, another usually but not always ‘lighter’ color on the wall cabinets. This was particularly true the later you go, and really, you can see the idea in many kitchens of the period if you count the countertop as a major color element …. lots of contrast … and embrace of color!

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