I heard from Ohio Catherine recently – remember her adorable ranch…and all her Drexel furniture? Catherine has continued to work on her vintage steel Youngstown kitchen — pulling together the extra pieces she needs — as well as her pink bathroom — including checking out Bradbury & Bradbury wallpaper to go-with:

hey pam!

i got a few samples from bradbury today.  i love all the grey in the sunnyside up for the kitchen! and in the bathroom, i thought i would like the googie better, but after i put them up on the wall i’m leaning toward the atomic doodle. what do you think?

the youngstowns in the pictures are my newest addition, before we tore them out of an old house about an hour from here.  someone contacted me via my wanted ad on craigslist and told me they wanted them out of the house so he could remodel.  they need a lot of cleaning, stripping, and painting!! but i have my corner piece!  i cringed when i saw you posted my youngstown handles on your ebay picks, because i NEED them!! haha!!

and lastly i sent a picture of my chambers sitting in the garage!

thanks for all your suggestions, LOVE your site!!

Thanks, Catherine. You have your own Tag now! I agree – that Atomic Doodle wallpaper up against your classic Mamie pink tiles looks fantastic. But I am not so sure about the Sunnyside in the kitchen. Even though I think I recommended it – I tend to think the grid of the wallpaper alongside the grid of your tiles is not the perfect combo. So…I consulted Steve Bauer of B&B to see what he thought. He also had some great advice for wallpapers going into a bathroom:

Pam,

Thank you for taking the time to help Catherine and asking for our opinion! You mentioned “Atomic Googie” looking fabulous, but I didn’t know if you meant our “Atomic Doodle” or “Googieland”, but hey, I think they are both terrific in that incredible bathroom! I would recommend however that we seal the paper, (which is not expensive) if the bathroom produces a lot of moisture. She can ask for that through our Customer Service if she places an order.

As far as “Sunnyside”, it is probably the least grid-like pattern of the four Post War papers (when you compare them on our site) but it might pose some competition with her terrific tilework. Some of the reds we matched for these papers in the paper are actually values of “carmine”, a sort of wine red color used frequently in late 40’s and early 50’s papers rather than a primary red as it may appear in the photos. They definitely appear lighter however than the deeper maroon in her tile.

Does she have a breakfast nook off the kitchen? If so, she could paint the walls in the kitchen a light pearl gray to harmonize with her cabinets and use our “Scallop Trim” at the top of the wall, (the one with silver in it like the cabinet handles) and use “Sunnyside” in the nook with the “Trim” above that (!) The nook would then be a beautiful compliment to the kitchen without the two competing. If those options don’t sound appealing to Catherine she could always try to find a vintage paper through some of your links (?).  From the tiny portions I could see it looks like a terrific vintage kitchen! I wish her the best!

I hope this offered something in the way of assistance to you and Catherine. We are always glad to help. Thanks again!
Steve

Thanks, Steve!

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Catherine is so young – and so sucked into the retro renovation vortex – I love it! She absolutely positively gets this month’s Ann Landers award for tenacity and decisiveness!

hey pam! i had to share with you pictures of my new drexel piece i found on craigslist for $25!!! it matches my other declaration pieces, but have never seen anything like it. it has a motorola turntable inside and three speakers!! i haven’t even got it in the house yet, but i am so excited i had to share it with you

also!!! tomorrow im picking up a new stove for my kitchen renovation, a chambers 90c! still searching like crazy for more youngstown kitchen cabinets. if you come across any in the midwest let me know

thanks! take care,

catherine

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On Thursday we looked at Catherine’s 1948 Ohio kitchen and bathroom. She wants decorating ideas that will bring these firmly into the modern era and to complement her growing collection of Drexel and Heywood Wakefield furniture — along with her young family’s needs. With this post, I will start with the kitchen. Ad image:  American Standard 1948.

This house was built in 1948, which you can clearly see in details like the tile. Anytime I see the punches of black or darker colors like maroon, I think ‘deco / streamline’ – which clearly preceded 50s atomic.

40s look: If you want to be true to the 40s basics already in your kitchen, I’d recommend you go with colors from that palette – as seen in the wheel above. And in fact, I really like the red/violet floor from Marmoleum that picks up these tones. You’d have to go get some samples and see — but it could be fabulous in terms of picking up your burgundy.

I also see in your kitchen a red-white -blue theme possible, which was very popular in these patriotic time – when dads were welcomed home from the war, and all was right with America (as in the lead photo). Starting with your burgundy trim – how about adding a blue linoleum floor, blue laminate countertops, a sweet colonial-modern retractable lighting fixture, porcelain white painted walls, a set of 2-3 framed prints, and curtains trimmed in burgundy.

Early 50s atomic: All that said – you seem to really want to pull this kitchen decisively into the modern era. If so, I think you can do it while still keeping your steel tile walls with that burgundy punch. How about: Charcoal boomerang laminate (set into the existing frame), a neutral ivory VCT sheet or tile floor, a retractable ceiling fixture, all tied together with a patterned barkcloth valance for the window that includes grey, black, maroon and porcelain white.

In both cases, if there is room, how about a smallish 50s laminate table and chairs. Something with a crackly finish, lots of personality. The retractable light goes centered over it.

Regarding the stove, fridge and possibility of more cabinets: Yes, if you can find a corner pieces and extend the kitchen into an L — that would be great. You are going to have to be patient, though, as well as tenacious to watch for the pieces meant for you. A lazy susan that connects to a vintage stove (yes!) then a small cabinet on the other end, would be great.

Without seeing the layout of your kitchen – it’s hard to say regarding where to put the fridge. Do you have any space to recess or otherwise ‘build it in’ somewhere? That would be ideal. As far as brand – I think that reader sentiment right now favors Fisher-Paykel, in white. The size is right, and it’s counter depth.

Catherine, this is already a long one, so I’ll come back with bathroom ideas on Tuesday. Hope this helps. You know, the thing to do is to …. go get samples, put them down and see what “clicks”… Pay attention to decorating that you see and like and analyze why it works … You are so young, you already seem to have a great eye and the enthusiasm … Don’t stress, have fun.

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Sweetheart Catherine wrote me a while ago, asking for ideas for her 1948 Ohio ranch. She tells me she is already a daily reader — hurray! — and she’s also the Catherine who scanned and sent us some great Drexel brochures. So she is a Giver not just a Taker!

Catherine is fortunate to have a vintage Youngstown kitchen (albeit beat up) with metal tiles (do we agree – fortunate on this?), as well as a pink (metal tile) bathroom with some original fixtures. There are a lot of fun photos to look at, so I thought — I’ll post them today — ask readers to contribute their ideas via the Comments (or if you have a photo, send it to me) — and then on Saturday — I’ll do a post with all the ideas, including mine of course!

Hello Pam,

I am a big fan of your website and your passion for all things retro! I have recently (well, two years ago) moved into a 1948 brick ranch in Northeast Ohio. I am 27 years old and live with my husband and two young daughters. We like a lot of things about the house. It has a great location and a great .5 acre yard full of lilac trees. It’s just right right size for us, with good bones (brick with hardwood floors). There is very little that I want to change, it’s more about what I would like to add to it. I’m new to this so I need all the help I can get, as far as design and what would be the style of a house from 1948.

The kitchen

This house has the original Youngstown Steel cabinetry in the kitchen, with the original burgundy and cream metal tile all around. I am having a hard time figuring out which direction I should take this. The cabinet’s paint is severely worn, and the laminate countertops have been replaced with some sort of flooring material. I found out about your site when you wrote to me after posting an ad on craigslist for wanted: Youngstown Steel kitchen pieces. My cabinets only stretch one wall, and I am looking for a corner piece, and a few others to make an L shape with it. The stove and the fridge (both newer, came with the house and do not match) just float out by themselves on other walls. To sum it up, I want to pull my house together in a very clean and mid century modern design. Does this fit my house? How do I work that into a pink bathroom? I need a color palate to work with my kitchen tiles, and fridge and stove information. What do people think about repros like Northstar and Big Chill?

The bathroom

Here, the bathroom still has the pink and black tiles (also metal). Tub, medicine cabinet, and lights are original but the sink and toilet have been replaced. I love my house and the fact that it hasn’t been stripped of it’s originality, but I am having a hard time understanding the overall style and color palate.

I have purchased a beautiful Heywood Wakefield Sculptura bedroom set, and a Drexel Declaration bedroom set and dining room set for my house. And I think the style of those fit the house perfectly. All suggestions and information is greatly appreciated. Your website is such an inspiration, thank you!

Sincerely,
Catherine

So – faithful readers — let’s help Catherine retro-renovate! Post your ideas in the Comments section – or send them to me for the Saturday Ideas post.

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Following the “original” Drexel post (where we also met Troy of Troyland), the wonderful Catherine kindly scanned some precious vintage Drexel advertising to share with other readers. She says:

Here is one of my Drexel Declaration ads that was in the drawer of the dresser that I bought from my Great Grandmother. She had marked the ones that were “mine” and even wrote the price next to our Catkin bed – $79!!! I just love the living/dining room scene!! Wish I could find that living room set. Anyway, hope you enjoy! – Catherine

Catherine, did you say “Catkin”? That bed was surely destined for you! And from your Great Grandmother, no less! Thank you so much, this Drexel furniture is AWESOME! More posts on it to come – the original post inspired some other content, including a reader purchase!

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