Mary put a lot of love into the complete renovation of her kitchen 10 years ago — those vintage-looking cabinets are all built from scratch — but now love of another kind has her putting it on the market for sale: “That kitchen made me so happy,” she said, “but I gave it up for love. I guess a good man trumps a cool kitchen.” Congratulations, Mary! The kitchen got the glamour treatment for the listing photos, so let’s take a look — and Mary tells us about her planning process and the products she used. Thanks for permissions from realtor Paul Carper and realtor Bart Stockton, who took the photos, both of Carper Miller Real Estate Group.
Mary’s kitchen After:Mary writes:
I love your site and I thought you might like to see pictures of my 1950s house. I renovated the original small 1950 kitchen about 10 years ago. I wanted to keep the 50s look, but open it up and add more storage. I had a blast researching home magazines of that era. The final product was bright and fun and I love it. The original bathroom is also in tact. It’s not pink, but it’s still the style of many houses of that time. I found some great wallpaper to watch the style of the bathroom.
I recently put the house on the market and I’m realizing it’s rare to find others who appreciate the style and retro fun of the house. The realtor described it as make everyday throwback Thursday. Haha. So far the feedback I’m getting from potential buyers is not so great. Most people don’t like the original bathrooms of that era and the retro kitchen is not their style either. It makes me sad that I can’t find anyone that will dig the style, but if it doesn’t sell in a few months I may need to sell it to someone who will gut it to an ordinary trendy style that will go out of date in 10 years or less (e.g. Travertine tile. don’t get me started….)
Mary’s list of retro kitchen resources:
- Cabinets were custom made. It would’ve looked weird to try and retrofit the old cabinets with new ones so they gutted the entire kitchen with custom cabinets based on the elevations. Someone commented that my custom cabinets look like something prefab from the 50s.
- Hardware came from Home Depot. As I mentioned before, some of the old classic hardware is still available at big hardware/home stores for not a lot of money.
- Countertops — As I was researching the color palette for the kitchen I also thought about the counter color. It was hard to find unusual colors at a typical showroom, so I found some great samples at my friend’s interior designer office. They have access to way more choices that your typical design showroom. Once I settled on an orange and yellow color palette I went with solid mango colored laminate. [ Editor’s note: See all our countertop research here, including our list of 10 companies that make laminate. ]
- Metal countertop edging — I cannot remember where I got the metal trim. I guess my contractor found that. [ Retro Renovation’s research on sources to get metal countertop trim. ]
- The double sink, typical for that era was special ordered from Home Depot. You’re not going to find that stuff in the showroom, but if you know the look you’re going for it’s most likely still around. Faucet was also special ordered from a catalog at Home Depot. [ Editor’s note: Surely that’s a hudee-ringed Kohler Delafield. ]
- The stove belonged to my grandmother. I still have the receipt from when she purchased it in 1953! It has since been restored and re-chromed to look brand new. That was not cheap, but I consider it a family heirloom that deserves to be taken care of. I was lucky enough to find someone locally who does that sort of thing. If you live in the LA area, Antique Stove Heaven is a good resource.
- The Vent-a-hood is actually new. I didn’t want to try to find something retro for that so I just went with a simple white.
- The floor is blue and black Armstrong vinyl tile. [ Readers: Remember to always check the Commercial section of websites — that’s where we often find what we want. ] I got the inspiration for the color and pattern from the book Inspiring Interior 1950s from Armstrong (affiliate link). [ Pam’s original “bible”.]
- For the walls, I wanted something bright colorful, which isn’t necessarily a 50s thing so I went through lots of color and design books, like this: Color Idea Book. No need to buy the book. Check it out from the library for free! Also, paint stores have lots of color combinations for ideas.
- Under-cabinet lighting — One of my favorite parts of the kitchen is the under cabinet lighting. They’re the simple hockey puck lights from Home Depot, but when you dim the halogen lights, the orange glow of the walls and counters is wonderful! It’s like a sunset.
- Dinette — In the breakfast room, the dinette set came from a local antique store and the chairs are from Target. Several years ago, they were selling dinette chairs that I think were created by the same manufacturer as dinette sets in the 50s.
- Pendant light is the KNAPPA from Ikea.
- Art — I found a book — All-American Ads of the 50s by Jim Heimann (affiliate link) — that features a bunch of 1950s advertisements and framed them in a grid.
I live in Dallas. It’s in a part of town with some older homes, some of which are have the retro flare. My realtor appreciates the style of the house and reassures me there are people who like this sort of thing. I just need to be patient. The market is slow right now though, so it will just take time. He agrees with me that he would rather sell it to someone who will appreciate it and not gut it completely.
It was a lot of fun researching and planning. The renovation was a PITA. It took 2+ months, but worth it. That kitchen made me so happy, but I gave it up for love. I guess a good man trumps a cool kitchen. The good thing is, we bought a great midcentury modern house that has a kitchen that needs some work. I already have ideas on how to renovate it to make it look great while keeping the style of the house. Can’t wait to do the same thing — update cabinets/storage and appliances while keeping the style of the architecture. This one has the groovy (but confining) pass throughs.
Only TWO MONTHS to renovation? That actually sounds fast to us 🙂 Wonderful job, Mary — and we can’t wait to see what you come up with at your new midcentury modern house! Thank you for sharing your home, and your story. We will keep our fingers crossed that a stylin’ buyer who appreciates period style walks through your door soon!
Link Love:
- See the listing for Mary’s colorful retro 1950s home in Dallas, Texas
- Thanks to realtor Paul Carper and to realtor Bart Stockton for the great photos, both of Carper Miller Real Estate Group
JC says
Mary,
I love!! the kitchen and the bathroom. Bravo on a great job on your design and execution. Super fun, thanks for sharing.
My two cents — pat yourself on the back for your labor of love and remember the fun you had doing it and hopefully enjoying it while you lived there. Remember that energy as you rev up for the next adventure.
Then, take a deep breath and move on to doing what you need to do to sell the house at the highest price. You don’t have to change your key fun choices to make it look inviting to a wide range of people.
I agree with the points made by a few other readers to change the paint colors outside of these rooms and make it easier for a buyer to fall in love and picture his/her stuff in this house. Of course, buyers should know that they can change the paint, but most buyers do not have that imagination, that’s just life. You don’t have to become best friends with the buyers, you just need to sell.
I would liven up that listing a bit.
I would add some whimsy / fun that a potential buyer will see from the moment they drive up. The buyer that will pay the top dollar for that fun kitchen will also want to feel “this is a happy house!” I’d get a nice wreath on the front door, some happy looking flowers/plants by that front door, etc. You can spray paint inexpensive pots easily. Use Costco for easy plants (white pointsettias?) I’d definitely fix the patio cracks and see if you can camouflage the bare spots in the yard.
I’d keep the accessories and wall art simple. Potential buyers should be able to envision how they will make this their dream home.
Best of luck selling and best of luck on your new place.
JC
Candi says
I LOVE your kitchen! I hate to think of anyone gutting that beautiful house! Good luck to you.
Jackie says
What a fabulous transformation! One couldn’t help but to have a cheerful day after having breakfast in that kitchen. We recently sold two homes that were renovated in retro style. We had unique red counter tops in the kitchen of one home and a yellow, orange and green color scheme in the second home. It was about 9 out of 10 people who saw both homes that totally hated our design choices. Color is a frightening thing to folks these days! It did take a while, but eventually we found buyers and did not have to come down far off our list price. It’s true, retro decor is a niche and will not have wide appeal like granite counters and hard wood floors, but if it makes you happy, go for it!
Jamie says
During our next house search next year I plan to ask the realtor for homes that specifically have NOT been “updated”, not ones that have not been cared for but something that hasn’t been “modernized”. While I love blue & yellow the color scheme might be a bit bright for some buyers, I would consider a more mellow wall color to help a new family see themselves living in that beautiful kitchen.
Joe Felice says
This kitchen is very cheerful, and makes me happy. I am not a fan of white cabinets, but the rest of the color make up for them. And I spotted some turquoise down the hall.
Christina says
Mary, you did a fantastic job on the kitchen! It frustrates me to no end when I see wonderful vintage fall to the cookie cutter…
Holly Rittinger says
Love the colours, love the style, love the layout. Wish I lived in Texas! Don’t give up, there are lots of us out there who are “retro mamas”. We can’t get enough of it! My kitchen was renovated last spring (I call it “40’s Inspired” because it’s not strictly ’40’s). Wish I’d seen your colour choices first!
Sharon Reeve says
Don’t sell, maybe RENT your house. Your kitchen is gorgeous! Please don’t sell to anyone who doesn’t understand or appreciate your work.
Gary Grizzle says
I think your kitchen looks great. Love the orange. As far as prospective buyers, here is no accounting for taste.
mary says
Thanks for all your feedback retro renovation readers! I really appreciate it. I realized that in my frantic state of moving out 2 months ago, I decluttered too much. With the help of a friend who has a bunch of cool retro furnishings and accessories, we’ll spend some time staging the house with period pieces that will play up the 50s style without being too distracting.
Todd Mcbride says
great job on the kitchen! I sometimes lament how many house decisions are driven by resale. Life is too short for beige. Good Luck!