When I was in Kentucky visiting Mom, I had some time to poke around local stories. I stopped by Corvin’s Floor Coverings in Elizabethtown — it was a surprisingly big store, and they were very nice — and I shutterbugged away. Right quick I spotted this Mannington vinyl sheet flooring. “Tuscan Sun”, 99 cents a square foot, and soooooo 1970s, I wanted to redesign my mom’s 1974 house all around it. However, she is into 1940s design, as you will recall.
In his wonderful book — The Great Funk: Styles of the Shaggy, Sexy, Shameless 1970s
— all about 1970s pop culture, Thomas Hines says (as I recall) that nothing defined 1970s interior design quite so much as the era’s fixation on tile.
As I’ve tried to pay attention to “aspirational” advertising from the period and otherwise kept a watchful eye, I would say: He’s got it right. Tile, tile, and more tile. E.G.: Orange Mediterranean style tile from Emily’s deliciously wonderful time capsule stash for sale in West Virginia.See the family resemblance, then and now?
And if you think about it, “Mediterranean” of course means tile floors. Like, in Granada, Spain, or Greece. Tile underfoot in those warm, sunny climes. In the 1970s, they also made vinyl sheet that looked like tile. ‘Cuz we loved our plastic then, too. I think this Mannington “Tuscan Sun” vinyl sheet flooring would be great in a 1970s style home.
Where to buy it?
Unfortunately, this looks to be officially discontinued now. But, I found it at least one place on the intertubes — here at Owen Carpet. Or, you can head over to Corvin’s, in E’town. 🙂
Jessica Karp says
I was reading your recent post on tesselation and saw this related article at the bottom. It caught my eye because I saw Mannington – I am a web designer and I manage their blog! http://www.blog.manningtonathome.com I’m going to forward this post along to them and see what I can find out about the discontinued tile. 🙂
pam kueber says
Thanks, Jessica. That sure sounds like a fun job!
Jessica Karp says
It really is! I love my job! If all goes as expected, I’ll be closing on this house (http://www.estately.com/map#/listings/info/720-shorter-terrace-n) the 29th of this month and am planning to start a blog on my own mid century journey. I will definitely be linking to retro renovation! I love this site!
pam kueber says
Wow, Jessica — what a great house! Congratulations! Keep me informed of your journey!!!
Jessica Karp says
Thank you so much! Words can’t describe how excited I am!
Katarina says
I have been looking to redo our bedroom in a vintage/retro style and looking for flooring to match our flooring when I was a girl…1955 to 1965, midwestern farmhouse. It looked just like candy striped carpet, but was sheet linoleum or vinyl. I’ve been to nearly every flooring store in our area and asked if they can find a supplier of retro linoleum and they aren’t really interested in doing anything except selling me what they have in stock. I have searched the internet for suppliers or even a photo of this pattern, but have found none. Do you have any suggestions or sources for me?
pam kueber says
Katarina, all my flooring finds are here: https://retrorenovation.com/category/kitchen/flooring/
Jay says
When I bought my 50s ranch, a previous owner did some updates that the people I bought the house from never changed out. The kitchen had an avocado green fridge that was badly rusted and a sheet vinyl floor that resembled tile but it had every 70’s colors – dark green, black, red, yellow, orange, brown and white. The floor company said it was a very good quality and never wore out, it just uglied away. It really made the small kitchen dark and claustrophobic (sp). I’ll take a nice pale neutral floor anyday.
Ann-Marie Meyers (Skylark) says
The pups could walk all over that stuff with muddy feet and no one would know for days. Five stars in my book.
BlueJay says
I think ‘Tuscan Sun’ has been discontinued. I searched the Mannington website for it to see if it came in other 70’s colors, but there are no results on the website for this flooring pattern… 🙁
pam kueber says
Yes, in the story I mention this style has been discontinued. I have actually updated the post to make sure this is clearer. In addition, read it (at the end) to see one place where it apparently still can be purchased… there may be other sources online…
Annimal says
I love it! I’m gonna check out that book, there ain’t no shame in 70s game!! Out with the new, in with the color and funk!!
Lauren says
It’s not unlike the floor we covered up in my kitchen. lol. I hate the look, but everyone has a soft spot for something, I guess. I say- if yer gonna have it- Own it! Make everything pure 70’s. I could appreciate it that way, at least.
Trouble says
Well, the upside is – you don’t have to wipe up the floor after a spill!
Jon Hunt says
That’s awesome — and I have *got* to read that book about the 70s. I grew up during that decade (born in 1970!) and so to my memory, the entire thing was a brightly-colored splash — oranges and greens and reds and whites and blues and browns and shag carpet and bubble letters and disco music! I don’t understand why the entire decade is so frowned upon design-wise — it was the last decade that interiors showed some modernity and originality. In the 80s, we turned to the past and turned wholeheartedly to neutral colors in design — I remember my mom getting our house “eighties-i-fied” by getting rid of the mirrored wallpaper (!) and blue shag carpet (!!) and replacing it all with tasteful whites and greiges. Bummer, man. I read that author’s “Populuxe” book — can’t wait to order this ‘un. And great flooring, too!