Retro Renovation

Remodel & decorate in Mid Century Style

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Rebecca and Keith’s 1961 split level house

pam kueber - Updated: May 31, 2021

Retro Renovation stopped publishing in 2021; these stories remain for historical information, as potential continued resources, and for archival purposes.

rebecca-and-keithMEET REBECCA AND KEITH, new owners of a 1961 tri-level home.  Rebecca has been totally sucked into the mid-mod vortex… and has a great eye. It is just so fun for me to see all the young couples feathering their nests. That was me, too :). Rebecca has a few questions… and shares photos of the fabulous features of this gem of a home — including an asymmetric fireplace with a “Feastmaster.”

rebecca-and-keiths-split-level
Rebecca writes:

Hi Pam,
I LOOOOOOOVE your site. Thanks for all your hard work!  I have been bookmarking MANY pages on your site for all the redecorating I plan to do. … I just bought a 1961 tri-level.  It has a brick wall with a fireplace and a “seat” that runs the length of it, if that makes sense.  It was the reason I decided to look at the house! I would LOVE your help with what to do with it.  Did they put pillows on it? Also, was cork floor ever used in a kitchen in the 50’s or 60’s?  I am thinking no.

mid-century-fireplace
I respond: THAAAAAANK you, Rebecca. That is so sweet. Question #1 re the fireplace; Hmmm. I am going to have to scour my materials this week, and look for examples of circa-1961 asymmetric fireplaces like yours to see how they were decorated. My initial response is: No, that ledge is not intended to be a seat. It doesn’t make sense – as the mantel is kind of too close for comfort… like, you’d bump your head and also, it seems kinda narrow for seating although no doubt they had smaller tushes that we do today. One thing am I pretty sure of is that the first thing I’d look for is a mid-century style fireplace poker set to go to the right of the fireplace. Even if you don’t need it, well, it would look cool. Then: Tchotchkes or art on the mantle, and hmmmm, what else on the seat? That is a good question we now have on our plate. Readers…what do you think? How were these things decorated?
Question #2, regarding cork in kitchens. Yes, I think this was done, albeit less frequently, so go for it. The key with cork — is that it can be porous. But, today, I think that there are many cork styles that are very well sealed through the magic of modern chemistry. So, when you go shopping for your cork flooring, be sure to check to see how it’s specified. Does the manufacturer say it can be used with kitchens… that it’s watertight enough? If so, you’re in business. Note – Maribeth installed a cork floor in her renovated kitchen, I am pretty sure.
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ikea-globe-light
I ask Rebecca to tell us more about her Retro Renovation story.
We moved from the East Coast (I moved back) to live and buy a home in the Midwest.  First I decided against the areas of town that the homes were from the 30’s because the yards are small and all are too close together.  I really didn’t want a 70’s colonial, which also seem to be everywhere here.  I decided that I wanted a split-level or tri-level, because I generally love things that look “dated” andor are from the 60’s.  Once I figured out that that was what I wanted, I was determined.  I wanted a real neighborhood of streets, not a subdivision.  My realtor sent me the link to this house along with many others.  THE aspect that made me want to see it was the brick wall with fireplace.  We liked the neighborhood because it has a lot of homes from the 60’s, and it’s very nice but modest.  The house we saw right before was a 1969 colonial, which my fiancee liked, and I remember feeling like an argument would occur when I had to tell him that I just couldn’t do it.  I didn’t have to deal with that because we loved this house immediately.
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front-door-glass
Right when we got to the door we loved the windows on the sides of the front door with diamond shapes and wavy glass.  And when I saw that there is an attached, screened-in, three-season porch I actually said ” this is enough to buy it!”  The four rooms on the upper level are hardwood, and the lower level is better-than-usual-looking pergot.  The only major work that NEEDED to be done before moving in was the awful green carpeting on the main level.  (atrocious!)  Other plusses include big bay windows looking out to a nice and private back yard, a pink-tiled guest bathroom, and shiny new Dishmaster!
dutch-coffee-maker=and-dishmaster
Me: Woah, an in-situ Dishmaster! And tell me about that coffee maker thingy. Coffee is my life, even before this blog. That coffee thingy looks cool. Also, what did the realtor think about your response to the house … the fact that you “generally love things that look ‘dated'”? Rebecca says:

She thought I was funny.  I hated the 50’s ranch because they added a new bathroom that looked like a restaurant’s bathroom.  She thought I was funny that I LOVED the dishmaster.  It’s the “Imperial Four” edition.  I also think my Dutch coffee maker looks incredibly cool and retro on accident.  It makes amazing coffee… Terroir Coffee Company

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I ask Rebecca to tell me more about the house, and how it’s coming together:
My style is basically all things retro, but not too kitschey, and I love Scandinavian/Danish Modern…. We still need to PAINT!  I hate white desperately.  Keith is going to make something to have printed on canvas, with my helpful opinions, for above the teak record stand.
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mid-century-living-room
So much of this room is craigslist, btw.
mid-century-family-room
I want this area, which is the lower level/media room, to feel good for cocktails near the fire.  🙂  I have a Room & Board couch down there, and an orange Ikea rug, and Ikea coffee table. I love that wall!  Honestly, we were practically sold when we saw just that.
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feastmaster
BTW, the fireplace has a “Feastmaster” on the right side, of course written in fabulous typeface.  Do you know what that is?  It’s a grill on which to make steaks!  So 60’s – love it.  We were thinking of this Ikea lamp for it because we love it.  What do you think?  But, we didn’t actually buy it, yet. Oh, And I would love to do something to the walls.  My dream is wood paneling-the nice beautiful hardwood kind.  My god if I could have it be teak, I think I’d die.
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red-typhoon-bread-box
The kitchen isn’t retro, except for my tupperware, Martha Stewart clock, and Typhoon scale. Typhoon makes these adorable items!  I LOOOVE my bread box so much.
 
built-in-bookshelf-before-and-after
Keith’s lifelong dream…a built-in bookshelf.
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living-room-with-green-carpet
[The living room’s green carpet…before.]
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pink-bathroom
I love the plate around the bathroom shower faucet!!!
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The tile in shower is different than the floor. The milk glass vase is from a thrift store (I collect them ) but the soap dispenser, toothbrush holder and box are all Martha Stewart from last year.  I love the formica on the countertop.

Phew. Those were a lot of photos, Rebecca, so I am pooped. I’ll be comin’ at you again tomorrow with some ideas and suggestions. This has been a fun one. A Feastmaster! And after cookin’ those steaks, clean up with the Dishmaster! Awesome. .

Back tomorrow with ideas for you! Many thanks for sharing all these great images, and your story.

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47 comments

Comments

  1. atomicbowler-dave says

    I also forgot to mention the outlet…
    Seems like the box stores are big on black, white and ivory but not so big on brown anymore. If you have difficulty finding brown outlets, try an industrial/commercial electric supply house. Incidentally, there are actually high-quality outlets still made in an obscure country called USA under the Hubbel brand name, if it matters.
    I know Pam isn’t running a DIY show here, but I would like to offer a few words on getting the look one wants out of teak.
    Teak outlet and switch plates, and raw teak in general…may be lighter in color than you really want, depending. If you want that classy dane-mod vibe in spades, sand out your new part to 400 grit, wipe it clean with t-shirt material and paint thinner (Observe all safety warnings on das can!), and then treat it with Danish Tung Oil or Sea-Fin Teak Oil (both available at most paint stores under Daly’s and/or Watco brand names). Couple coats, wiping excess before it can dry, then a final coat that will be WET-Sanded at 400 grit (SeaFin Can has all the instructions for this thoughtfully supplied). Finish with a coat of paste wax (such as Johnson Paste Wax or TreWax) and you will have a lovely satin finish part that is a bit darker and much much richer than what came out of the poly-bag or off the project lumber one might use.
    This is an old-school, easy, low-volatile finish that is very safe and easy to apply. There used to be (long ago) a HUGE volume pleasure boat firm in Bellingham called Uniflite. They gave all of their offcut teak and teak veneer plywood to the school district for woodshop classes…an awful lot of projects were made quite fancy with free materials, and this was the finishing method my woodshop teacher taught us all. Still works great.
    Dave

  3. Rebecca Prichard says

    Thanks, everyone! BTW, the ledge is small enough that it’s actually impossible to hit your head on when standing up. The seat is about 18″.

    Jane, I did see your floor and was seriously considering it until I read about how it chipped, or dented. Right?

    Annie, a clock-nice idea! There is one at Design Within Reach that I almost wept when I saw it.

    Dave, great idea about the teak outlet plate!

    • pam kueber says

      Hmmm, the seat is 18″ deep? Okay. Cushions might be an idea. I still think that having that ledge overhead is bad-ish for seating feng shui, but you should be able to tell….

  4. Annie B. says

    What a fabulous house! Love the Danish mod look and that incredible fireplace. The fireplace brick is absolutely perfect as is. I do so love a split level; quintessential mid century modest.

    Is there enough room over the mantel / fireplace for a sunburst clock??
    Hope you’ll use orange everywhere.

  5. atomicbowler-dave says

    I forgot to mention! About those switch and outlet plates? Swich and outlet plates of many configurations are readily available in TEAK and not too horribly expensive. Check out local marine outlets, or look for them with Defender Marine (defender.com) or West Marine (westmarine.com). Should look really fine against that brick!

  6. atomicbowler-dave says

    The sweet little MCModest house that I once lived in had an asymetrical fireplace/fireplace wall in the upstairs living room.
    Our brickwork stopped at the mantle ledge and took off into white wall, and there was about 18″ of brick and hearth ledge to the “near” side of the fireplace before the whole thing ended. The rest of the wall before the hallway “T” was a built in bookcase.
    The lady of the house put the set of fire tools to the left (short) side, and we would stack our kindling and round limb-wood ‘starter’ logs to the right. She made an arrangement of seashells on the mantle ledge with a few smallish framed photos from her days as a commercial fisherman propped up amongst, and hung a couple of nice pieces of framed artwork on the white wall above. Not what I personally would have done, but it really did look pretty good.
    We also had a little seat cushion out on the very end next to a blank spot left for footwear. Great place to sit briefly and change shoes as it was within feet of the door.
    If there is a cat in the house he, she, or it will always enjoy a little basket-bed placed on the hearth (a safe distance from the fireplace opening, of course).
    Congrats to these two on a really sweet new-old home, and kudos for knowing what to do with it (and what NOT to do)!
    Dave

  7. lippylibrarian says

    I have been to Rebecca and Keith’s house quite a few times and I must say, it is even cooler in person. (Although I have yet to experience the fruits of the Feastmaster- we should get on that, you guys!) They are a delightful couple with impeccable taste and everytime I come over there is some fabulous new detail to admire. (Of course, Pam, I always think about Retrorenovation whenever I walk into their pink bathroom.)

  8. gavin hastings says

    I’m gonna lay low for a bit-which is killing me because I didn’t even get to suggest a Tommi Parziner for Stiffel lamp (with a shade taller than me) to balance out that wall. Thanks for the compliment.

  9. Cindy says

    Gavin are you an interior designer? I love the detail of your suggestions. Hmm, maybe a new feature available on RR?

  10. BungalowBILL says

    I could see a nice big metal wall sculpture like a Curtis Jere on the brick fireplace wall, or a long vertical Harris Strong or mosaic tile panel. I’d line the ledge with mid century German and Italian floor vases, although normal people might just have 2 or 3. Great house, thanks for sharing!