Retro Renovation» “mid century”

That 70s house: A Palm Springs time capsule

pam kueber — Tue, 06 Oct 2009 11:00:04 +0000

I started out, all about the 50s. It wasn’t long before I totally adored the 60s. And now, I will do my best to suck you into the Best of the 70s vortex, right along with me. Despite the fact that I came of age — with all the associated horrors — during the 70s, I have to say that much of the design now appeals to me. Immensely. Today: A Palm Springs time capsule spotted by reader Frank. This first bedroom: Awesome.

This Palm Springs time capsule has the most wonderful decor. I especially love the three bedrooms shown on the listing. This master bedroom has PERFECT feng shui.

The guest room bedroom: Totally typical tropical decor. My husband’s nana in Florida had a Pier I-style bedroom set just like this. I LOVE the quilted bedspreads, both the style and the fabric. Quilting — with piping around the edges, look close — is de rigueur all the way into the late 80s, I’d say. (This style of bedspread is not easy to find today, though… I need to hunt.) And look: The drapes are in the same fabric. Oh and I love the wallpaper, too. This is a fabulous bedroom. I know that I do not feature bedrooms enough on the blog – and will keep working at it.

A big thanks to Frank for spotting the time capsule and the real estate agent’s website.

And, thanks to real estate agent Miles Kuhn for giving me permission to feature these photos. See the entire listing here — it’s worth it, I promise.

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Natalie’s mid-century sofa

pam kueber — Wed, 26 Aug 2009 08:01:46 +0000

It’s 3-for-Wednesday Reader Shout-Outs. First up: Natalie’s fabulous sofa. She writes:

Pam – I wanted to share with you the couch I purchased on Craigslist yesterday for $75. I have been searching for a mid-century modern couch for a few months now – going to estate sales, garage sales, and craigslist. It is hard for me to find the good items at estate sales since they start on Thursdays and Fridays and I have to work those days. Anyway, I was doing my daily search and came across this gem. I emailed the owner and he still had it! Turns out the couch was his Great Aunt’s main couch from 1952 to 2006 when she passed. When she passed, he got the couch, dining table, dining chairs (which had the matching fabric of the couch), and the beautiful china hutch. The table, chairs, and hutch were not for sale and the only reason the couch was was because the wife didn’t like it. Haha. The owner told me he remembered the couch sitting in the same place all the years he knew his Great Aunt, he even mentioned that his mom, who was born ’53, remembered the couch from way back then. To me the couch looks like it has only been sat on a few times. It has a pull out bed and is the heaviest thing I have ever lifted – even without the cushions and mattress! Under the arm rests there are metal bars that go all the way down the side – one of the pictures shows the first metal bar. And this couch is small to me. I think I am just used to the gigantic couches of today. Anyway, I think this is an amazing find and it matches our $40 record player coffee table (which is in need to a new something or other to make a loud buzzing go away). Craigslist is amazing. Just wanted to share! Thanks! =)

I asked Natalie if there were any labels, she said: “No tag. I looked every where on it. It looks like there used to be one on the mattress but that’s it. Makes me kind of sad that I couldn’t find anything. Any other ideas?” Well, Natalie, no — but we’ll all keep an eye out. That’s a pretty distinctive sofa – and a great story. Congratulations, and thanks for sharing both with us.

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Terrazzo shower pan from Stern Williams

pam kueber — Sat, 22 Aug 2009 08:00:05 +0000

Reader Christina writes with a second supplier for terrazzo shower bases — Stern Williams. These are terrific for mid-century homes, I see them all the time in time capsules. One tip: Think carefully about the size of shower pan you get. The Stern Williams rectangle is 32″ wide, the Crane/Fiats are 36″ wide. 32″ is going to be good if you are tight for space, but that’s not much elbow room for a 5’8″ amazon like me. 36″ would be better, I believe, *if* you have the room for it.

FYI, two of my bathroom have Swanstone shower pans that are 34″ wide — as much as we could squeeze in. Honestly, I am not sure which way I would have gone if I had known of the terrazzo options. In other bathroom, I simply don’t believe there was room for 36″. The other – it would have been tight and meant a narrower enclosure for the toilet. This particular decision would have caused me anguish: More room in the main part of the usually already small postwar bathroom, or more room in the shower? Such is the retro renovator’s life, alas.

Snaps to Christina, who writes:

I have an original 1962 terrazzo shower base downstairs and I love it! I’m turning my upstairs master bath tub into a shower-only and I’ll be getting a new terrazzo base for that shower. After much research, I’m getting one made by Stern Williams, ordered via Ferguson. It’s super-heavy, but even with shipping the cost is comparable to Swanstone. So, the only downside is reinforcing the floor enough to handle its weight. I’ll get photos of each to you at some point. Great site – thanks for doing this!

Here’s the link to the Stern Williams site.

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