Welcoming 2016, here’s the story that now has become our Retro Renovation new year’s tradition… kind of summing up the bumpy journey so many of us share, or can expect to, when we decide to undertake a period-inspired renovation including preserving what we have and/or using hard-to-find and salvage material. Yup: Taking this less-traveled route means you are in for an adventure. You may find yourself walking the very fine line between genius and insanity. You will need tenacity, patience, a good spirit, and faith that you are on a righteous path. The Retro Decorating Gods will be with you, throwing flower petals — and burying barbed wire, just to test your mettle — they love to make mischief, too.
My The Hard Way essay, originally published in Dec. 2007, less than two months after I started the blog:
We know about taking the road less traveled. To me, doing things the hard way has the same allure. The hunt for the perfect estate sale light fixture, the set of vintage cabinets that are just right, the document wallpaper that pulls things all together.
Honestly, the reason this blog even exists is that after completing big projects, I had so much info in my mental hard drive about the hard-to-find resources available to renovate, remodel and decorate a mid century home — all obsessively and endlessly researched — that it seemed a shame to simply be done with it when my projects were completed.
But the dangers of the hard way came into focus this week, when I pulled Palm Springs Stephan into the vortex.
A week ago Friday night I spotted the brand new, mint-in-box, never installed set of circa 1958 bathroom fixtures in this exact photo, on a forum. They’d just been posted. Hot! I happened to be emailing a bit with Stephan, and knew he was working on a bathroom renovation.
Long story short, he was very excited about the prospect of pink fixtures and spent hours back-and-forth with the seller in Cheyenne, Wyoming, trying to certify the exact color, before he sent a certified check. Hours with a tile store to coordinate tile. Planned to switch the plumbing. Worked out shipping. At one point, he thought it was a done deal.
Ultimately, though, the color didn’t pan out for him, and it was back to plan A.
The moral of the story is — I guess — to know thyself. If you really truly want very special retro finds to complete your renovation vision, it’s gonna be a roller coaster. Requiring patience, tenacity, and a belief that once you put your vibes out there, the Retro Decorating Gods will send you what you need. If you think that sounds fun — so then, will be doing it The Hard Way.
P.S. Anyone within driving distance of Cheyenne, Wyoming, interested in a set of brand new, mint in box, never been installed Crane bathroom fixtures? Tub, toilet with really cool seat, sink with chrome legs/towel bar, lav faucet, tub faucet. $1000. Email Gary, who seems very nice and appreciative of them, at: [item sold]. He can give you the whole story, which begins in North Dakota.
Oh yeah. They’re not really pink. They’re beige. Or taupe. Or a sandy pinky beigey taupe. Something like that. Buckle up.
This post was originally published Dec. 9, 2007, then repeated on Jan. 4, 2008, and every year since 2010 as our first story of every year.
Maria says
Did you see Pantone announced the color of the year and this year is two colors? Serenity and Rose Quartz…or baby blue and pink for the rest of us. Could this mean we may see them show up in tile and fixtures?!!
https://www.pantone.com/color-of-the-year-2016
oceana says
We settled into our ’54 ranch house JUST in time for the holidays. Found your blog earlier this summer when we began our search for an un-remodeled vintage home. It has been an exciting journey enjoying your posts and the comments of others – imagining our new home… to finally being here and ready to roll up our sleeves.
Each home has it’s own unique character and I just can’t get enough of reading and seeing them. Some of our traits are a vibrant red-orange formica in kitchen, though cabinetry is 70’s dark wood with scalloped edging over the sink at least… original knotted pine kitchen cabinetry with bright yellow formica still in garage (mounted for use as cabinetry), blue-green bathroom with incredible hexagon tile with carved detailing, and a very cool architectural feature where the stoop steps meet the awning with rectangle cut outs, made of wood.
Appreciate the support of “vision” as it can be easy to feel like one is being too particular at times.
We will need to search for the right pieces to really bring out character in the rest of the home, and are looking forward to digging deep into all of the resources here and participating more.
Cheers : )
pam kueber says
Welcome, Oceana! It’s a wonderful journey, if you are up for seeing/living it that way!
Paul says
We are going to remodel the basement bathroom in our 1916 Craftsman Bungalow in Omaha soon. We are using white Crane Drexel fixtures (got the sink, searching for the toilet) with sky blue wall tiles with painted liner tiles. I’m 16, and I plan to be an architect one day, and I’m getting a head start on it by designing the bathroom. When it’s done, I’ll send pictures. We hope it will be finished in time to be in the 2017 The Hard Way contest!
pam kueber says
Wow, way to go, Paul! Be sure to send pics and enter!!
Paul says
I will do that as soon as the project is done! And the Drexel sink was a great deal. We went to a salvage yard that day, and found about a dozen Drexel sinks in all colors, but they cost $50 each, so we didn’t buy one. Afterwards, we went to New Life Thrift, which is owned by my uncle. And unbelievably, there was a Crane Drexel sink there! It cost only $8.97! It is sitting in the basement, waiting for the new faucet parts from Deabath.
palimpsest says
Many of the the vintage pinks are not really a blossom pink like the Gerber pink Kate used. Many of them had distinct beige or peachy undertones.
There was a story in This Old House magazine (I think) about a guy who took a sledgehammer to his pink bathroom one night in an alcohol-fueled “I’ve been putting this off” demolition, only to wake up and see that the broken up fixtures he had piled outside were actually a pleasant and somewhat masculine beige, and it was the bright pink wall paint that made the fixtures seem so pink.
Karin says
Thank you Pam and Kate for all the great stories this year. I have had a lot of fun (and frustration as well) on my own “hard way” journeys. It has been quite an education.
I am currently putting together a set of Youngstown kitchen cabinets and counterttops in a 1970s condo. (I know!) I didn’t think they were sold here in Canada. However, as the interest in retro kitchens filtered up here, to my great delight, steel kitchens began to turn up on local sellers’ websites. Here’s my story. I just missed out on a spectacular set of cabs outside of my city, pristine and complete with the counters. I actually wept, because I had waited too long to decide. This turned out to be a blessing in disguise because I found a seller in my home town. This time I pounced. I found out I would need to mix and match with another
set of Youngstowns in order to get the kitchen to fit. I feel very confident it will work out because the stories on your your site have given me the help I needed to proceed. Finding somebody to paint the cabs was quite challenging, but since I had the site’s tips, I went with an auto body painter. They turned out well! I finally found the much coveted aqua boomarang laminate. The existing sink in the set may have to be replaced, but again, I am using your stories. Also, I am still researching kitchen light fixtures, floor tile and backsplash options. They will all be courtesy of your site. I love to cook, and if I am spending so much time in my kitchen it may as well be a place that makes me smile.
Stay tuned, and all the best in 2016!
Geronimom says
Wow! There certainly is a lot of hard work & sweat equity put into those projects – so hard to decide which is most deserving of the award. Reading all the stories of doing it the “hard way” really gives me even more appreciation on how blessed we were to have found our pretty much fully intact 1961 time capsule granny ranch – right down to the pink bathroom (which was proudly featured in a design dilemma here awhile back – “Lilly Pulitzer pink bathroom…”). The only thing we’ve retro-fitted so far is the modern white “throne” which had been installed at some point previously. Imagine my delight when I recently discovered a perfect 1961 pink American Standard toilet on my local craigslist – for practically nothing. It now proudly holds court center stage in that bathroom and looks as though it’s always been there! Now… all we have left to do is decide if we replace the brand new modern kitchen appliances (which the sellers apparently installed to help sell the house) with vintage turquoise ones I found at our local Restore.. But those minor projects pale in comparison to all of the “Hard Way” challenges I’ve read here!
Ali says
We are in the middle of redoing our half bath so I can say, yes, I have at times wished that we could just take an easier route and be done with it. However, I will say that thanks to this site and the internet in general, it’s so much easier than it could be. There are manufacturers making retro inspired products now and while it’s not as easy as just going into Home Depot and picking from whatever is on the shelf, it’s possible to get a great looking bathroom with a little more work. I try to remind myself that most things worth doing take effort and that I should feel very fortunate to have the resources to be able to carefully renovate this house to last for another 50 years. Then I second guess myself, whine and complain about how hard it is. Heh.
Now if the Retro Gods would drop a new Kohler cerulean blue sink and a peachblow sink into my lap for the full baths…
palimpsest says
They don’t have any Cerulean blue, or Peachblow but they have some Heron Blue (Ceruleans replacement) and Kohler Wild Rose in some limited overstock sinks at this site
http://www.ffstock.com/
Paul - CT says
To Ali, just a reminder, you can paint a bathroom sink any color your heart desires if you buy a Corstone sink and find an agreeable body shop!
Carolyn says
Speaking of the “Easy to Install” way…Yahoo article today has a “kitchen trend” of pink and blue, farmhouse sinks, and rose gold appliances (coppertone’s distant cousin).
What I’ve seen in your blog in this first year I’ve been reading is, most people try to find as much original elements as possible ($, local availability, etc.) but sometimes have to resort to what’s available new. And thank goodness, Kate and Pam (and readers, too!), when you share off-beat resources such as floor tile used in businesses and schools. It doesn’t help that too many people buy older homes and “update” them from the big box with perfectly usable stuff goes in the landfill.
It’s a balancing act, for sure.
Ramona says
Those are glorious retro bathroom fixtures! Someone is going to snap them up.
Doing things the hard way can be so rewarding, especially when you have to see it and use it every day.
Elizabeth says
Happy New Year, Pam, Kate, and RR readers! Great essay. I am a new reader of about 4+ months. We are currently looking for an un-updated home. I found you guys at the time we were under contract with a time capsule. Though it was not what we were looking for, I fell in love with the knotty pine, bright orange Formica countertop, the green, aqua, and yellow bathroom…..it was all wonderful. Owner decided not to sell (if I lived somewhere for 60+ years I would have cold feet too).
Oh well, things happen for a reason…..so another house that we are loving in the same neighborhood (owners have priced it WAY too high at this point – we are waiting for price drop – they’ve declined our first offer), has many original touches. You all would die of glee over the herringbone cork-looking tile in the basement and the Formica Light Aqua Spindrift desk in the upstairs bedroom, etc. But they have updated the upstairs bathroom (it is “nice” by some standards, but I find it hideous). I always wondered what color it was, but I found out over the weekend that it was originally pink and blue. I never loved pink and blue, but as soon as read that, I was kind of smitten and just knew wanted it to make it back the original at some point. But first, we need to actually own the house. ;0)
Thanks so much for everything and giving folks like me a like-minded place. I continue to be so happy to focus on a home with personality as opposed to Greige nation. I have finally got my husband on board with Formica and COLOR and everything in between. Thank you again and best wishes for the New Year.
pam kueber says
Welcome, Elizabeth! Do you know we have an entire category about pink bathrooms, which includes stories on how to recreate one? Several readers — and Kate! — have done just that. Get ready to buy some B&W pink tile! https://retrorenovation.com/category/bathroom-categories/pink-pink-bathrooms/
Our most famous and beloved pink and blue bathroom — Nora’s: https://retrorenovation.com/search-results/?q=nora%20pink%20bathroom
Lynn says
Elizabeth, I am going to go through what you are now in a few months when we start looking. It seems people think they have to granite and stainless everything for their house to sell, so they remove the wonderful original stuff to do that. We are hoping to catch a house before that happens but it’s difficult. I’m in the Indianapolis area. Just curious where you were looking. I think it’s the same most places. My poor neighbor once recently described Griege (her whole house) as “tasteful”. Good luck!