Finishing up my Youngstown Kitchens 1957 mini-series, here is their Monterey line. The unique selling proposition of this line: Sandalwood-colored steel base cabinets and doors…. with wall cabinets with Sandalwood-stained wooden doors on steel bases. Reading through this marketing material I see: Industry concern about color fatigue, oh no! “Give us a color we can live with for years” and “that goes with everything,” consumers asked, Youngstown explained. Again…as we’ve discussed before…the move away from enamel-painted steel, which was difficult to repaint (and likely getting more expensive), to wood cabinetry (which was easier to re-paint and also had the “furniture look” of adjoining spaces”, was under way. Heck yeah there is more →
Youngstown Kitchens Monterey cabinets
Posted by: • August 28, 2009
Vintage style drinking glasses
Posted by: • August 4, 2009
We all love our vintage glassware, I know that. But for everyday family use, especially tall drinking glasses, I use glassware that is less precious. Next time around, I think I am goint to buy this Anchor Hocking “Central Park” glassware in this ivy color – almost an avocado. It has a nice retro feel, and Anchor Hocking is pretty affordable, as I recall. Link here.
Soffits: Midcentury kitchens need them
Posted by: • August 3, 2009
I AM AN ADVOCATE OF KITCHEN SOFFITS, or as some readers call them, bulkheads. The postwar era was all about the introduction and spread of “fitted” kitchens. Long runs of base and wall cabinets and countertops, with an integrated stove and sink and fridge. This “scientific” design was an outgrowth of the efficiency movement earlier in the century, married to the postwar industrial economy that needed to find consumer outlets for the built-up wartime production. To me, while they are an additional hassle and expense if you are renovating, soffits are a no-brainer for a 1940s, 1950s or 1960s kitchen.
Six mid-century bathrooms, vintage 1962
Posted by: • July 24, 2009
There’s more to come in my series of vintage Hall-Mack bathroom hardware. But a pause here for some bathroom illustrations featured in the 1962 catalog. There are some really great ideas in these six mid-century bathrooms. Above: One of our favorite sink and vanity base combos, the American-Standard introduced in 1959. I think a reader just wrote to tell me that he or she had the sink in just this color. It’s terrific. And what about that fabulous toilet. Heck yeah there is more →
Where to buy a wall mount kitchen faucet: The Delta 200
Posted by: • July 21, 2009
HERE’S ANOTHER WALL MOUNT KITCHEN FAUCET for our retro recommendation list. The Delta 200 Classic Wall Mount Kitchen Faucet. Isn’t it wonderful looking? Such a quirky blast from the past. Spotted by Scathing Jane. If anyone buys one let us know how you like it. You can buy it directly from the manufacturer via my Pamazon store, for what looks like a pretty good price, $89. Thanks, Jane!
Retro bling: Eyeglasses from Shuron
Posted by: • July 19, 2009
I AM OF A CERTAIN AGE, so I need reading glasses. A couple of years ago, I had some money left over from a flex spending account so instead of using $10 reading glasses, I purchased “real” frames with glass lenses. What a difference. I’m now in the market for a new pair or two, so I went trowling for what I could find with retro style. In virtually no time at all I found these Shuron frames available. Heck yeah there is more →
Great retro renovation ideas from vintage Popular Science magazines
Posted by: • July 10, 2009
Here’s another one of those stories that I thought twice about posting for fear that you’d leave RetroRenovation.com and never come back. The wonderful folks at Popular Science magazine have partnered with Google Books and made every issue of Popular Science way back to the early 1900s available online. I am just starting to make my way through these, and already, I can see plenty of original source materials for period-appropriate renovation ideas. I’ll start featuring them over time…Faithful readers, if you spot great stories that should be shared with others, please feel free to send me an email. Oh my goodness, what a treasure trove! Here’s the link. Do come back to me!
The midcentury flower of choice: red geraniums
Posted by: • July 8, 2009
Longtime readers may recognize this photo, it’s one of my favorite images of idealized 50s family life ever. And ooooh, I like that colonial-modern kitchen, too! But look, it also includes pots of red geraniums on the window sill. In my detail-focused time travels back into retroworld, I have most definitively noticed a trend to include red geraniums in postwar kitchen designs. I have a few theories why: 1) Geraniums are big and bold – in synch with the times. 2) They are middle class… egalitarian. 3) They need sun, and we were California-livin’. 4) They look really good with cool colors like aqua and robin’s egg blue. 5) They also play into the patriotic sensibilities of the time. I run a flickr group called Midcentury Modern Red Geraniums - take a look at about 50 images in all. The majority of them come from flickr friend American Vintage Home, who has quite an online archive of vintage photography. Thank, you American Vintage!
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