Mid Mod Madness

My 1955 vintage Hoover constellation vacuum cleaner

Posted by: pam kueber • July 6, 2009

1956-vintage-hoover-constellation

So what do I buy at estate sales? Things like Sexton cast metal hoot owls from1969 in a perfect shade of avocado green to match my office ($10). And, a Hoover Constellation vacuum cleaner, circa 1955, purchased from this wonderful time capsule house. I am not (yet) and historian on vintage appliances, but this purchase gave me the opportunity to read up on the Hoover Constellation – a very historic vacuum cleaner, initially for its atomic space age shape and then, because the design was tweaked so that the vacuum cleaner actually floated on air, buoyed from the bottom by its own exhaust. Mine is one of the earliest models – the booklet still with it indicates it was purchased in 1955. The vacuum hose attaches from the top. Heck yeah there is more →

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Hoover constellation vacuum cleaners – modern and new

Posted by: pam kueber • July 6, 2009

hoover-constellation How cool, Hoover has reintroduced vintage style Constellation vacuum cleaners. They include modern technology like HEPA filters, and yes — they apparently float! Two colors – a pearlescent white (shown) or in stainless steel. They are currently listed on Amazon for $230 from Allergy be Gone — I added them to my Pamazon store.

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Kitchens – Countertops
The most popular laminate design in mid century America? Boomerang Formica? Nope, guess again. According to materials expert Grace Jeffers, the most popular design was actually linen. You know what I’m talking about — that kind of tight-to-medium-weave with nubblies stuff. I had it both my bathrooms with vanities. In pistachio green = absolutely iconic. [...]

If you are looking for retro-style laminate for a kitchen or bathroom countertop, you have some blinding research ahead of you. Unless there is a home-run-out-of-the-park solution — like the boomerangs, crackle ice or dogbone still available — it’s going to be a hunt-peck-and-forage to find something that’s “close enough” to original laminates from the [...]

Here is another set of products from the past — still available today — with a fascinating history: ‘Memphis’ style laminates designed in 1978 by Ettore Sottsass, “the greatest Italian designer of the last half century.” These laminates are still offered by Abet Laminati. This is not necessarily a name familiar U.S. consumers, but Abet [...]

UPDATE (Oct 2011): Click over to –> this story to get an update on all three sources for boomerang laminate. In wake of the news that Formica is discontinuing, or has discontinued, two shades of our beloved boomerang laminate, I started receiving reports from readers of other discontinuations. I checked with the super duper helpful [...]

I spotted this vintage salesman’s sample showing different styles of metal edging for a kitchen countertop, and it reminded me that I wanted to do a story showcasing some other varieties beyond the stainless steel edging that I used for my kitchen. First off, thanks to Hard to Find House Parts for letting me share [...]

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