Readers and their...

Vintage wallpaper — Retro Renovation reader favorites

Last Saturday I invited readers to help wallpaper the world by sending in images of their favorite vintage wallpapers. We had three contributors — all wonderful examples and stories.

From Sumac Sue:

Hi. I was looking for a kitchen wallpaper that featured coffee pots, and I stumbled onto this one. I can’t imagine using it in my kitchen, although it does have a big blue coffee pot warming by the campfire! This paper would be great in a child’s room, or maybe in the den of someone who lives in cattle country.

There are several reasons I love this wallpaper — the scenes really seem to tell a story, and not just serve as a design. There’s a lot to stir up the imagination — cowboys, cattle, horses, a campfire scene complete with a fellow playing a harmonica. And the colors are gorgeous — just look at those cacti!

Makes me want to dust off the Louis L’Amour novels!

I found some other more conventional papers with coffee pots, but none that really wowed me like this paper does. We call our place the Coffee Pot Ranch, because we drink a lot of coffee, but, I don’t know if I want to be quite so literal about it by using cowboy wallpaper!

From Jason, it’s flamingos after dark –

This is my favorite wallpaper from Rosie’s. It’s so kitschy! I love flamingos and tropical places. I love the colors, although I have a feeling it would really darken the room too much. But I may just have to find a reason to “need” some. It would look great in a bathroom with pink and black tile. – Jason

Thank you, Jason, and write more often!


And from Portland Amy:

I thought this would take hours but I quickly found the exact same wallpaper that covered my Grandmother’s master bathroom. I would spend hours in that huge bathroom perched on her red velvet vanity stool surrounded by this flocked goodness. Some days I was a movie star, others I was a princess. If only I had an extra 350 bucks lying around.

Yup, Amy Sue. That about sums it up for all of us. Thanks, everyone, for playing!

Vintage wallpaper festival continues – with another source, courtesy Femme1

50s vintage wallpaper

At some point this year, there will be a quiz, so please pay attention. Now what was my sole New Year’s resolution? To rid all retro renovators of any latent fear of wallpaper, and embrace this most wonderful of decorative gifts, of course!

In the continuing hunt to help Sebastian, Femme1 also found this site, hannahstreasures.com. 500 different papers, endless fun. I personally have a super mushy soft spot for ‘novelty prints’, so let’s look at some of those today!

Considering that this vintage wallpaper is $100 a roll, best be on the lookout locally and snap up any finds. If you have the greenstuff, though, why not recycle it into right into this:

50s vintage wallpaper

50s vintage wallpaper

50s vintage wallpaper

vintage 50s wallpaper

vintage 50s wallpaper

vintage 50s wallpaper

50s vintage wallpaper

vintage 50s wallpaper

Vintage wallpaper for Sebastian — Femme1 sends us a great website

vintage wallpaper for a 50s 60s home

seb-4.jpgIn searching for more wallpaper choices for Sebastian and his yellow and black 1955 bathroom, Femme1 has found an incredible stash on a website in Sweden. In the 1950-1965 section, there are 180 different styles alone, including many in multiple roles!

vintage wallpaper for a 50s 60s home

Hi again, Pam!

I was looking around for wallpaper for the post about Sebastien’s bathroom (what a great floor, by the way). I came upon this site, which is Swedish, but they have an English button on the front page, so you can read the info. This is vintage wallpaper and is very pricey, but there is some amazing stuff there. I’m temped to buy some, even though I don’t have a wallpapering project!

There may be some here that would work for his yellow and black bathroom.

The site is: Interior1900.com

vintage wallpaper for a 50s bathroom

Thanks, Femme1. Even though you called me a girly-girl yesterday – presumably because of my cutesy poo wallpaper reco to Sebastian. In any case, since you followed up your slander with action leading to this great information, I will overlook it. This time. :)

retro wallpaper for a 50s 60s home

If you have a lot of Euro’s stashed away, here is your opportunity. As Femme1 mentions, these are expensive — $100 a roll. Even if you don’t have the cash, this site is oh-so-fun to look at…and a great lesson that, if you see vintage wallpaper at an estate sale or Re-Store, you should snap it up.

retro wallpaper for a 50s 60s home

Yes — retro doors, too

1945-birch-door193.jpg

1945-luan-door176.jpg“Yes, you will find that the right door can add an extra touch of beauty to any home.”

This 1945 advertisement spotlights a very under-appreciated design feature — the interior, flat panel birch plywood door. The ad points out that these doors are easy to stain to match your paneling… or they can be easily painted “to lend quiet harmony or exciting contrast.” They are dust-free — just wipe with a damp cloth! They open and close so easily. And inexpensive, and durable.

These doors are still widely available today, we replaced a bathroom door that had been chewed up with one from the Brosco catalog, which I believe is widely available at lumber stores.

I have these doors throughout the “modern” bedroom and basement sections of my house (colonial panel doors in public areas including kitchen). And you know what? This little piece of marketing history made me actually notice and embrace them.

A great piece of illustration, don’t you think. I love the snippets of wallpaper shown in the foyer and stairway… and of course, the Mrs.