Tina spotted a vintage Welbilt stove – mint in its original packaging, $100 – at her local Re-Store / Habitat for Humanity over the weekend. Anyone want to go for it – if it’s still there?

Tina writes:

Hi!

We were strolling through our local Habitat for Humanity ReStore today in Alexandria, Va, and the clerk there saw we were focusing on retro items and showed us an amazing brand-new, never used, 1963 Welbilt gas stove, The back section, with the clock and an amazing glass zig-zag design, was still in its original box. The newspaper that was wrapping up the shelves and items inside was dated November 1963. If we had gas in our home, we would have bought it in a flash.

Here’s my question… where would be the best place to publicize the availability of this item to folks who are looking to retrofit their mid century homes? The price tag said $200 but he told us they’d likely take $100 if someone offered. I took some pictures with my iPhone, but they certainly don’t do it justice.

I’d love to match up a buyer with this amazing piece. Can you help? Thanks! I’d love it if you featured it.

Thanks!

Tina

Ooooh, the stove is a “Tiara” or “Hostess” series. Readers, please note that the one thing I learned the hard way about buying vintage stoves is that in some states you cannot legally connect gas stoves unless they have an automatic safety pilot. So check this out with a professional before throwing down your dollars and carting the hulk home. And, if you’re thinking of doing any restoration yourself on any kind of stove, also consult a pro – as old appliances may have asbestos in their insulation, lead in their paint, etc.

I also asked Tina to tell me her retro renovation story. She responded:

We’re not really doing a retro renovation. We live in a traditional 1980s colonial in Fairfax, Va., and have tried to un-colonial it as much as we can. I have a huge collection of 1950s lamps (some might call it an obsession) that are sprinkled throughout the house (sprinkled? more like layered), and have created at least one retro room. I’ll send pics when I’m finished. I just want folks to walk in and see right away that it’s not the typical Virginia colonial, but not get too wild. Make sense?

I love your site, by the way, and have used it for decorating ideas. We do want to transform our powder room into a 1950s bathroom, which is why we were looking for toilets and sinks at the ReStore. We want to find a great set of yellow, green, pink or blue porcelain.

Thanks again!

Tina

Tina, I am quite sure that the retro decorating gods will send you something lovely indeed. Be sure to watch the Forum — Scathing Jane scans craigslist daily then posts the best stuff. And not just vintage steel cabinets but other Kitchen and Bathroom Stuff. In fact, Jane has quite the eagle eye when it comes to the most wonderful, magical, desirable bathroom fixtures — vintage Crane for example. I’ve seen lots in your area, I think… Watch for her smilie faces. Jane, you rock! And so do you, Tina, for this great retro recon!

Here’s the link to the Alexandria Re-Store. Note, though, that the stove is not on their website.

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First, George tells us about the range — it went in first:

…I had been reading “Atomic Home” by Whitney Matheson, and slowly designing my home in mid-century motif, after the pictures in this book…. The stove was a rescue from the San Francisco Mission District – the owner had the stove in the trash bin. When I came upon it… I thought, gosh, somebody is going to throw this thing away and it looked like it still had some life left in it…  Oh, yes, my research indicates that the stove is from 1959 in terms of model year….Love to gaze at the stove and play “Affair in Aruba” by Les Baxter to get the true feel of the mid-century…I swear by the stove, and it cooks wonderfully.

George does note that he had to do some work to replace inconsistently-heating burners….”Well, it took me about 2 years,” he admits.

Here’s the story on the wall oven and the brick veneer surround. George writes:

For the wall oven, I was lucky enough to find a couple who had purchased an Eichler knock-off in Palo Alto, CA, and were planning to rip-out the high-grade Formica countertops and remove the existing, GE turquoise appliances (original to the house). They were going to re-do the entire house and turn-around to sell it. Luckily they advertised the wall oven on Craigslist, one of my typical haunts for mid-century collecting.

It was here that I picked-up the GE wall oven to match the circa-1959 stove. The wall oven had been in very good condition, as the former owners of the house seldom used it (according to the buyers of the house, and people from whom I purchased the wall oven). The former owners of the home didn’t have any young children that might have rough-housed the oven. It was, however, quite dirty. So I purchased for approx. $100.00 and cleaned it up with some Easy-Off (slowly becoming my best friend), and some latex gloves.

After reading through some 1950-1960 mid-century magazines, I decided to add a brick enclosure for the wall oven to my already pretty-mid-century kitchen. I had a carpenter come in and add the build-out for not too much money ($400). A mason added the brick façade (thin-brick, available at a local stone factory) – this was a bit more ($1,000 altogether labor and materials). Walla, I think it made a nice addition to the beautiful stove.

There you have it, a keen, all-electric kitchen (AEK) with turquoise appliances by GE, circa 1959-1965.

Oops, almost forgot. I purchased the ceiling exhaust fan off E-Bay about four years ago (see top of photo) – this was $150; it was new-in-box. Simultaneously with installation of the wall oven and brick, I had an HVAC installer install the fan over the renovated stove ($350). Works great; the ceiling fan was manufactured by a company called National out of Ocala, FL (no longer in business – I looked for it). The model is “Chef-Aire.” The fan is circa 1970s, is 9-inches in diameter, and has metal blades and a heavy, metal crank-shaft inside built to last a lifetime (as long as you oil it each six-months according to the instructions). Guess they didn’t have Teflon ball-bearings back in those days. I had a damper installed to prevent back-flow of cold-air into the house during the winter. I forgot that these fans are a bit louder then those available today, ahhh but nostalgia….My aunt’s home in Miami, FL (circa 1964) had one of these near the kitchen stove.

Anyhow, take care and hope all is going well.

George – Pleasant Hill, CA

Thank you so much for sharing, George. The whole thing is genius. Adding brick veneer to a kitchen is a great – and not too expensive — way to add visual interest. And, I know you have more going on in that house of yours, so look forward to doing another feature soon.

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READER STEPHANIE sent in photos of her wonderful vintage stove — an O’Keefe and Merritt newly restored by Antique Stove Heaven. Doesn’t it look great with her vintage chrome crackle ice vinyl and laminate dinette. I just wanna pull up a chair and have a cuppa with her right this very minute.

Stephanie writes:

Pam –

Your recent email about your birthday present reminded me to share my birthday present, due to be delivered next week: a completely restored and working 1946 O’Keefe and Merritt stove: gleaming chrome, salt and pepper shakers, and all!  It has red trim and knobs, which will go with my mother’s kitchen (now my kitchen), where we are taking everything back to the 50′s.  Just bought light fixtures from Rejuvenation.

As we have been cleaning, renovating, and stripping down my parent’s home, my favorite time capsules have been the little notes written by my father found inside appliances, electrical boxes, and tacked inside cupboard doors — !  Things like, “garage door opens best when spring is adjusted…” and “this outlet is connected to the bedroom system, because…etc, etc.” Our current stove even has a note inside the storage space, stating when it was purchased, how much it cost (including taxes and other hidden fees), and where it was purchased.  What a dad, huh?

Regards,

Stephanie

Thanks, Stephanie – love that floor, too. We can’t wait to see the rest of the kitchen when you are done. Even more importantly: What wonderful time capsule messages left by your father. You are so lucky… and your house is lucky, too, to have you updating it with so much thoughtfulness and care.  See Stephanie’s blog, dollymamas.blogspot.com here.

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