Retro Renovation

Remodel & decorate in Mid Century Style

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A 1929 bungalow decorated with beautiful vintage art tile

pam kueber - Updated: May 6, 2020

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

harris strong tile cityscapeBungalow Bill is a regular reader and commenter — and every once in a while I showcase some of the beautiful vintage art tile that he sells on his website, BungalowBill.com. In a recent comment, he mentioned the Harris Strong tile cityscape in his living room.

vintage art potteryBill tells me about his house, confirming first of all that it is indeed a bungalow — hence “Bungalow Bill.” He writes:

It was built in 1929 and is a nondescript shoebox type, similar to a Chicago bungalow. 

vintage art tileOriginally the exterior was half clapboard and half shingle. It was covered in aluminum siding in the 70’s.

mid century modern tile tablesMy parents bought the home in the early 50’s and went on a renovating spree to modernize it.

My father built the radiator covers and cornices, put in the acoustic tile ceiling and luan doors.

fulper vasesHe took out french doors between the living and sunroom and put in the arch.

art potteryAbout the only real bungalow type thing left was the window seat that now houses my fountain collection.

bungalow bedroom with pendelton blanketI inherited the house in the mid 80’s. I was a poor zookeeper that needed furniture. A friend suggested I go to auctions saying I could get better quality at a better price. That’s how it all began…

Thank you for sharing, Bungalow Bill. When it comes to adding art to the walls of a mid-century home, I am a big fan of mixing things up — consider paintings, prints, posters, illustrations or botanicals, a mirror, a sculpture, a textile, carved wood pieces, framed architectural fragments or ephemera, silhouettes — and yes, art tiles.

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24 comments

Comments

  2. capehlke says

    Bill – wow! is that a genuine vintage Hudson’s Bay point blanket on the bed in the last photo?

    • BungalowBILL says

      It is! (even has the label in the corner) I was at an outdoor antique show and this was being used as a wrapping blanket around a piece of primitive furniture in a muddy field. I convinced my friend to buy a piece of furniture from the dealer then I convinced the dealer to give me the blanket for free. It was filthy and took about 5 trips through the washing machine to get it clean. Nothing beats a wool blanket in the winter. I have some lighter weight ones from England that I use in the summer.

  3. Barbara says

    I was watching that auction. Spendy it was. I only wish I had the money to buy the really good stuff!! His place is awesome!