Thanks to Betsy for sending along this wonderful 1962 time capsule house, she writes:
Check out this beautiful plaid kitchen! But oh, the fireplace….
I love this kitchen not only because it is bold and uses my favorite color, orange, but also because it shows how you can combine wallpaper patterns effectively. Yes: You can mix plaids and flowers; the key, I think, is getting the “scale” and of course, the colors, right. This kitchen also does a fantastic job of using wallpaper to tie together the harvest gold appliances and the orange countertops. And even the kitchen cabinets have a yellow cast. I wish we could see the floor.
I spoke to the listing agent Bill Livingston by phone this morning. In addition to giving me permission to feature a few photos from the listing, he was super appreciative of efforts today to recognize and preserve the quality of midcentury houses. He said he’s been in the business 42 years, and in the Harrisburg, Pennsylvania area where he does business, he’s seeing the desire to maintain well-made original features of vintage houses “coming back around.” That’s great news!
This house, which is for sale for $150,000 in a suburb about 25 miles north of Harrisburg, is a one-owner home. It was built by a builder, for himself, Bill said, so you can imagine it’s well built. It’s also quite the groove palace — with a two-way fireplace, cool built-ins and… a kitchen of my dreams.
Thanks, Betsy, for the tip, and Bill, for being an appreciative agent.
See more photos of the house here on Bill’s website. (link now gone)
lynda says
To me the appliances seem to be yellow with a harvest gold highlight. I don’t remember ever seeing that before. I would bet they are original to the house. The appliances are not the same harvest gold color of the 70’s. I love looking at this, but I think it would a bit too much to live in!
mimi says
They may have faded. I have seen a harvest refrigerator that faded to beige.
Pyrexmaniac says
Drooooool…….
Eartha Kitsch says
I loooooooove that house! I wish that realtors wouldn’t put “needs updating” on listings like these though. It helps keep that myth going that everything period should be updated.
kelly Brickey says
I wouldn’t change a thing. This is about as close to perfect as it gets!
Deb says
Unfortunately the description on the realtor’s site says “in need of updating.” Hopefully the buyers have more sense. The orange/gold combo isn’t really my taste, but I certainly appreciate it. I love the pink bathroom (needs a different vanity, of course) and turquoise walls.
Lee in Florida says
There are 3 references to updating in the description.
pam kueber says
Honestly, Bill really seemed to “get it.” I think he is just have to reflect the marketplace in his listing… He seemed really interested in our RR site — maybe he can use our force to help sell the house on its original charms.
Jamie D says
I like how he says that “someone with vision” could make the house a masterpiece, though.
By reading that listing and seeing that it’s being sold “as-is”, I would assume the references to needing updating might be on a more functional level rather than cosmetic. Like it might need a new water heater or furnace. Or the appliances might not work well, even if they do look cool.
Jocelyn W. says
Oh, that kitchen. I wouldn’t change a thing – just move in my orange, yellow, and green Fiestaware and be done. In fact, I’ve been trying to figure out how to undo the cherry-and-forest green kitchen remodel by my house’s previous owners into something quite like that. And my gold vintage sofa and blue chairs would be perfect in that turquoise living room, too. Sigh.
Patrick Coffey says
Very interesting combination of early 60’s and early 70’s decor. You can tell in the kitchen that cabinets are original to the house but that the kitchen appliances wallpaper etc were updated sometime after 1968 which was when GE introduced the color Harvest (GE never called it harvest gold).
Mod Betty / RetroRoadmap.com says
Very cool! I have also let friends of mine who live in the Harrisburg area know about this house, how neat would it be if someone I knew actually got it? I asked them for the tension lamp in photo 8 😉
in the early 1970s when my mother redid the bedroom that I shared with my sister, it was very much like this kitchen, with yellow, orange and lime green being the predominant colors (and they’re still my faves) – one wall was wallpapered with stripes, there was a wallpaper border across the top of two other walls that had those groovy looking cartoon mushrooms on them (and my mother hand cut the green bottom of the border so it looked like grass) and the other walls had a combination of paint and wallpaper. It was quite the mod scene especially for our staid Colonial house.
Hope someone truly appreciates this home!
Jon Hunt says
I wouldn’t update a THING! I think it’s *already* the nicest home on that block.
Charlotte says
Agreed!
Annie B. says
Bright on!