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Remodel & decorate in Mid Century Style

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Home / What to Collect / happiness

Daily Readers, this one’s for you: Win a custom Love the House You’re In Collage

pam kueber - Updated: May 6, 2021

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

collage of a blue mid century house

Update: Random number picked; winner has been sent an email; comments closed. Thanks, everyone, for playing. Remember — new contest every month! Kara was the winner of our January contest to win a Love The House You’re In Collage — and that’s her mid-century cutie, above — as immortalized by collage artist extraordinaire Mel Kolstad. To win our February contest, all you have to do is:

Leave a Comment answering the question, “What year was your house built?” If you want to leave a tidbit on its style, that would be cool, too. Please read all the rules here before entering, they all apply.

This month’s contest rewards DAILY readers — I’ll pick a winner late Friday night. Yay on all of you who check in daily!

Mel explains this collage:

“I just love Kara’s house!  She was very thorough – she included “before” photos as well and you can see how beautiful her house is now!  I used real wood veneer for the fence and wood grain paper for the door.  The tree was done using tiny punched circles and the sky is actually handmade paper.  I did the house in a paper I found that was the PERFECT color!”

Thanks, Mel! Read more about her work on her cool blog, Ephemeraology.

CATEGORIES:
happiness What to Collect

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Reader Interactions

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179 comments

Comments

  1. Rachel says

    February 17, 2011 at 3:38 pm

    As a paper junkie, I love these collages. So cool that you included real wood veneer and wood grain paper in this piece. Awesome!

    Our “new” house was built in 1961 and is a gorgeous ranch. I’ve wanted to live in a ranch for ages, and finally the dream has come true. Hurrah! 🙂

  2. DeAnn says

    February 17, 2011 at 3:22 pm

    I bought my very first home in July. My wee rambler was buit in 1956 and has been well cared for. This place is loaded with charm as it has its original light fixtures as well as a Nutone atomic clock in the kitchen. It’s a lovely place to live!

  3. blaise28 says

    February 17, 2011 at 3:06 pm

    Our house was built in 1928. We are currently in the middle of a kitchen project and I have found this website very useful and inspiring!

    • pam kueber says

      February 17, 2011 at 4:53 pm

      nom nom you made me hungry for deviled eggs! when i learned how to do it — it was with a fork, too!

  4. Sara in WA says

    February 17, 2011 at 2:55 pm

    Built in 1924. Don’t think it had a bathroom at that time. Utility room with bathroom was added later. There was a bedroom off the kitchen that was later used as a radio room for short wave radio use. It was opened up and is now my sitting area off the kitchen. It was not the original house on the property. And it won’t be the last! 🙂 if I have my way.

  5. Laura says

    February 17, 2011 at 2:47 pm

    I love this collage! I feel as if I can hear those leaves rustling in the wind and the way they are sparkling… perhaps it just rained?

    We have a 1960 house that was originally designed as a ranch but, according to our neighbors, the original owners started tweaking the design mid way through the construction and now it’s just uniquely itself. We live close to a university and the house has had many many owners and student renters. Two owners before us, the house was apparently used as a “Mafia Massage Parlor.” I’m not sure how true this tale is, but we have had strangers walk into the house demanding a massage from Natasha!

  6. Jennifer says

    February 17, 2011 at 2:39 pm

    We just bought a house built in 1973. A bit late for mcm but it has the look and feel of mid-century. It came with many walls of beautiful pinch pleats!

  7. Betsy Ward says

    February 17, 2011 at 2:32 pm

    My home was built in 1957. I would call it a back-split. The front looks like a ranch with an angled roofline. No doubt a mid-century built home although the previous owners tried hard to make it tradional. They also tried with the inside but thank goodness left the pink and grey bathroom.

  8. Matt says

    February 17, 2011 at 2:14 pm

    Our house was built in 1959. One of the first in our neighborhood and the only one of it’s style on our street–every other house on our street is more traditional ranch design. Ours is mid century mod. When we met neighbors on one street over at their garage sale they said “Oh, you bought that really 60’s looking house.” Best compliment I could have gotten!

    Over the years half of the house was “remodeled” but half still retains all of its original features (including our 2 bathrooms–aqua tile in one, pink in the other). We’re working to bring back the entire house to its original beauty!

  9. AnneMarie Olson says

    February 17, 2011 at 2:05 pm

    We just bought a 1951 home in San Rafael, CA. It is a 3/1 with an original kitchen and restored bath. We’re just getting to know each other 🙂

  10. Annie B. says

    February 17, 2011 at 2:01 pm

    Oh, Mel! Another masterwork. You have the greatest ideas and such talent for collage. You’re my collage paragon.

    Congrats in advance to the next winner of one of Mel’s treasures. I’ll always treasure her collage art rendition of the House I’m in and Love.

    • Mel says

      February 17, 2011 at 3:27 pm

      Annie! You just made my day – thank you for your very wonderful comments! 😀

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