These days I am being very particular about the time capsule houses that I show on the blog. Pretty much, I want to see near-perfection. Really stunning. Really special. Oh my — do we have it ever, in this 1960 time capsule midcentury modern house for sale in Scarsdale, New York. Listing agent is Iris Kalt of Prudential Centennial Realty, and she has graciously given me permission to feature the photos of the house. Mega thanks, also, to reader Jennifer, who found this house and sent me the tip. xoxo Jennifer, keep ’em coming!
What a win-win, if we can find a grateful buyer of this house while archiving the photos of these exceptional, preserved interiors. Oh, please, new buyer: Don’t change a thing! Click on through for 14 more photos — this is one of the most beautiful time capsule homes I have ever seen –>
Scarsdale is one of the loveliest and most desirable neighborhoods in Westchester County, New York — super close to Gotham, you’re in the city via train in like 20 minutes. The house has four bedrooms, three bathrooms, and 12′ ceilings. It sits on just under one-half acre, on a cul-de-sac — sounds like a beautiful setting. It is listed for $849,000.
I’m calling this house “Midcentury Modern meets French Provincial” for obvious reasons. Remember, design history buffs, French Provincial interiors were very popular in midcentury America. I would even venture: They were more popular than midcentury modern interiors.
Floor to ceiling pinch pleats — I am dead and gone to heaven. This was how pinch pleat sheers were DONE, people! Not only gorgeous to look at, but the light filtering through the sheers is all sparkly and sublime. Note, over time, sheers like this will fade and wither due to sun rot. You will have to replace. Even so, resolved: Pinch pleat sheers for my living room /dining room in 2012.
The dark wood against the white… the ornate French pieces within the mid mod architecture… notice the oriental rug on terrazzo floors… it all WORKS. This house is very “graphic.”
The foyer. Look at how the architect has created a sort of skylight effect (without an actual skylight) by bringing the ceiling down, but creating a beam-lined opening to the windows above. Genius.
Repeating this photo so I can say: The shades and valence — matched to the chairs, ottoman and even organ bench. The devil — the angels — are singing in the detail.
I need to ask Iris what is on these walls. Cork? Notice the lamps. Notice the window shades, the edging in particular. And more terrazzo. This house belongs in The Museum of Perfection.
This bedroom is equally stunning. All matchy matchy with the bedspreads, drapery and upholstery. I would love to see that desk closer up. And the enormous, room-sized rugs — oh my.
I really hope that whoever buys this house asks for everything, and keeps it just the way it is.
Lesson in 1960 bathroom: Those look like 1″ square tiles, floor-to-ceiling in… bone on the walls and tub, white on the floor. Audrey always told me that, “Bone and white makes for a lovely bathroom.” Yes, it does! Carrera marble countertop. The tub is tiled, sunken. The mirror extends the length of the vanity, with a medicine cabinet at the left only. It also looks like there are some glass shelves on the wall at the left. I wonder if the lamp was really used, or if that is staging. Noneless, luv.
This looks to be a GE Wonder Kitchen: Wonder Kitchens had the sink and stovetop set into one long piece of stainless steel countertop — as at left. 52PostnBeam, can you confirm? That’s for sure a Delta 200 wall-mount faucet; you can still buy one today, but read the comments. Notice how the decorator (I’m presuming a decorator was involved) was able to layer pretty complex patterns together — in the wallpaper and the curtains — very successfully. Again… the more I study these images, the more I see these interiors, combined with the architecture of the home, are graphic genius.
The patio is equally beautiful.
And if you are building a house, consider adding this detail: An outdoor fireplace built at the back of your indoor fireplace.
What an amazing treasure of a house. This is one of my favorite time capsules of all time.
If you want to buy it, you better jump on it. If you do, invite me down — I’l close! The listing is here. Or give Iris a call today.
Get our retrolicious free newsletter.
Looking closer, do the curtains in the kitchen and study match the wallpaper in the kitchen?
JP, could be. But I don’t see the strongish white zigzag in the kitchen curtains that I see in the wallpaper. And I don’t think the study shades are the same. But: I bet they may all well be from the same series – coordinates.
oh lordy, those pictures take me back to my early days in the hotel business. The matching wallpaper and upholsterly look (and sometimes the wallpaper continued onto to the ceiling!) was just fading, in favor of the brass and beige era.
And those poofy drapes with the big valance and sheers and the French Provincial…… Wow, a time capsule is right.
I like the house, and I love the kitchen and bath, but I would have to redecorate.
Love it! We had the exterior fireplace like that when I was a kid, but we NEVER used it, which is sad.
yes that is a GE modular kitchen (to my knowledge it was never called the Wonder Kitchen by GE) which does indeed sport a custom paint job (the original Canary Yellow was…well the color of a Canary not the lemon yellow you see here) and this kitchen sports a replacement Hobart/Kitchenaid Dishwasher and is sans the optional under the counter washer dryer combo.
My dream home does exist, after all.
I am 56 years old (born 1955) and grew up in a 1961 Ranch style house (and I did live in Westchester County for awhile – GREAT price for that location!). This interior is ABSOLUTELY the way the homes were decorated then. In fact, this could have been one of friends homes! ALL of us had either white FP (with gold trim,of course) or white Colonial bedroom furniture. Thinking back, it was almost as if we had the same bedrooms. No wallpaper, most had light Pink painted walls (my Mom had to be different, mine was Baby Blue – but by 1964 I had my Pink walls!). Also, she let me put up those very popular black Beatle Portrait posters (she had them FRAMED!). The kitchen wallpaper was a later update, with the matching curtains, probably around 1970 or so. When our parents moved in, paint and paneled walls were the rule (and EVERYONE that had a finished basement or “Rec Room” had it paneled). The wallpaper started in the late 1960s and the CORK on the Den wall – probably put up in the early – mid 1970s. Don’t forget, “Babyboomer” parents were more frugal, (children during the Depression) they would have moved in with their “old” furniture from the apt (bought when they were just married). The “old” mid 1950s furniture most likely would have been FP (like my Parents) or Colonial. Slate “Patio” we had one! This is a PERFECT example of a house that a “Babyboomer” grew up in. Believe me I remember! Check out “Madmen” on AMC – this is how it really was, “Sally” is my age. BTW – I could just imagine reading Eloise in that twin bedroom – on the bed with the plastic cover, of course!
French Provincial furniture inside modern suburban houses was actually very popular during the 1950s. In fact, a nod is given to it in the 1955 movie The Tender Trap (starring Frank Sinatra) in a scene where Celeste Holm tells David Wayne “I’m like every other girl…I want the house with French Provincial furniture too”. And if you want to see the most fabulous apartment (movie set) it’s the one in this movie where Sinatra’s character lives and swings. It’s supposed to be on Sutton Place as you can see the 59th Street Bridge from his windows. This entire movie has long been my video bible of perfect 1950s style.
Love it!
LOVE! The yellow cabinets in the kitchen. Do you think they are enamel? What category or key words would one search on ebay to find retro cabinets? Is there is particular maker that is more desirable than others?
Yay for Pinch Pleats! I fully intend to replace the crap treatments in my living room with floor to ceiling pinch pleats when I can find and trust the right company to do so. Oh, these pictures may have lit the fire under my behind……
That is a beauty! Thank you for posting it!
Re: the wall and curtains in the kitchen–I think the fabric for the curtains is the same as the wall paper.
OMG, that patio is exactly what my parents did at our ’63 ranch! It’s the first time I’ve EVER seen another one like it!
Dad stained our front porch with a some sort of kit you could buy in those days, and made a back porch from poured concrete EXACTLY like the back porch of this house. Over time, ours didn’t lay as well, and it required taking up, but WOW, why don’t they do this today?
Oh wow! I’ve not been reading retrorenovation as often and totally missed this one. Totally Uh-May-Zeeeng! I would move into it exactly as is, with all furnishings! What a lovely house and perfect decoration! I love all the huge, room-size rugs… and those LAMPS! Lamps are so important. This is one house where lamps are really done right! I would leave that little lamp on the bathroom vanity on with a low wattage lightbulb just for low light and some ambiance! Wish I had eight hundred thousand bucks last December!
http://www.realtor.com/realestateandhomes-detail/18-Split-Tree-Rd_Scarsdale_NY_10583_M42081-87450?mlslid=3121945
I am going to cry.
I am crying.
Wow. This has ruined my day. Well thank goodness you archived it for our own little “museum of perfection.”
I know. CAN YOU BELIEVE IT.
I am hoping–blind optimism–that it has not been torn down. I have been looking for estate sales since the original post and have not seen one. The listing has drawings and not photos. And, Zillow does not have a sales price–just the removal of the listing. Any way to confirm what the property looks like? Perhaps the lister is just phishing???…I know–blind optimism….
My favorites are the. 2 bedrooms with their luxurious bedding – one in fleshy pink (very “period” to that time) – and the other in cream colors. Classy & serene! I also love the bathroom vanity with those center-placed round pulls – luv it!
Love this house! And the curtains! One question–are those TWO layers of sheers in the living room?
Wow, certainly looks like it!!
I think I’m going to do that in my living room 🙂 Though I could use the insulating properties of a lined curtain.
We just restored our 1957 GE Wonder Kitchen lighted over the counter cabinet, that was part of the original construction. We actually were fortunate enough to purchase the home with the original kitchen intact, it just needed some TLC. Aqua and lemon yellow, yay!