Nevada Preservation Foundation‘s 2016 Vintage Vegas Home & History Tour was held on Mother’s Day, and as you might expect, a number of mothers chose to go on the afternoon tour as part of their celebrations. Above: I spotted this three-generations trio touring one of the homes on the tour, a sweet little Las Vegas “cottage.” I asked young one if she was into the vintage and she answered with a big “yes,” saying this cottage was her dream house. Yay: Yet another generation of preservationists up and coming! Thanks, Vintage Vegas fans, for being such great sports and letting me take your photos! Did you think it would land right at the top of the homepage?
Oh. The cottage. Let’s take a look at some of my favorite features….
The kitchen of the cottage was a real crowd pleaser. It had a bungalow feel, with yellow-and-jade lineoleum tile flooring, buttercream colored cabinets with green glass pulls, a tiled countertop and walls painted in jade. One of my favorite places to look for glass pulls like this is Crown City Hardware.
Nevada Preservation describes this house:
This early 1940s home is located in the West Huntridge neighborhood. It is one of the first residential neighborhoods build in Las Vegas to address the housing shrtage that arose in America just before WWII. Keynote speaker Pam Kueber would call this home “mid-century modest“, as it may appear small and unassuming by today’s standards. However, featuring an original floorplan with slight modifications to the kitchen layout, the mid-century appeal of this tiny home is, in our opinion, anything but modest.
Remember our story about fingerblock parquet? Well, in my original story I was focused on 9″ squares and 12″ squares. But lookie these tinier squares! Six inches maybe? I saw this small size in a number of the homes we toured — and I like it a lot. A lot. A lot.
So, I went back to the place I found fingerblock flooring that you can still buy today — Czar Floors. And sure enough: You can order it in a total of FIVE different sizes:
- 4-3/4″
- 6″
- 9″
- 12″
- 4-1/2″
I LOVE fingerblock parquet!
A pinky-beige and blue tile bathroom — and a little Cinderalla tub. Cute! I can’t imagine the floor tile is original, but it looks beautiful and the palette works — kinda Desert Modern meets adorable cottage, nice!
That simple little sconce lights over the mirror: That was SO COMMON back in the day!
The homeowner’s comfy cozy spot, with a pole lamp that was a major score, he said!
Jukesgrrl says
If people like the bathroom fixture, Rejuvenation sells two similar fixtures, the Hannah Sconce, which has a porcelain base (white or black, both with a white glass shade) and the Thurman Sconce, which has a chrome base as the one here does.
Kathy says
I bought nearly identical utility/closet light from Home Depot for my bathroom for about $15, available on their website and some of the stores. I like how the turtle shade covers the bulb for a fixture located next to the shower.
Mike says
I’m actually 15 and I’m a huge fan of mid century architecture, I’m actually building mid century homes in minecraft on a server where we build a realistic city, I was the first one to build something else than giant mcmansions on our server. It’s nice to see there are some other young mid century fans out there 🙂
pam kueber says
Very cool!!!!
Johnny 5 Fachy says
Very, very cool!
Elizabeth from Texas says
I remember the owner of this tiny gem said that he loved the fact that he can be in one area of the house and see practically every other area. Very cozy!
Sixteventies says
Happy to see more of my generation (the younger ones) stepping up and enjoying the charming mid-century era homes! I’m 21, and I’m completely charmed by this home! Thanks for the great post!!
Robin, NV says
Pam, I hope you got a chance to visit the Clark County Museum to see their “neighborhood” of vintage homes – all decorated appropriately. They also have a worker’s house from Boulder Dam and a wartime house. I wish I’d thought to mention that before your trip!
Maria says
Pull out cutting boards! Why, oh why, did those ever go away?
Cute place nicely updated. I too love the bathroom floor. Well done!
Rick S says
Pam,
I love the little “Modest” home. It looks like it was thoughtfully updated without losing it’s charm.
The bathroom mosaic tile floor may not be original but could have been picked if it had been available.
I love updates that mimic the style of the period in a current material. It shows thought and understanding were used, instead of just money.
Dan says
I usually don’t gush about these things, but I just love that bathroom floor. And a corner set stove makes so much sense; that space is so difficult to use efficiently, anyway. Why don’t we see this more often, I wonder?
Mary Elizabeth says
Agreed, Dan! It is the most efficient use of a corner I can think of.
Mary Elizabeth says
Unless it’s a corner sink. 🙂
Jukesgrrl says
I’ve had corner sinks and I don’t care for them. I spend a lot more time in front of the sink than the stove and I never liked having to stare into the corner. I have a feeling of being trapped in a way I don’t experience in other configurations. I wouldn’t mind the stove being there so much since I don’t cook often enough to feel like I’m rooted in that spot the way I do at the sink. The house I live in now has the sink behind a breakfast bar that has the family room behind it. I know a lot of vintage purists don’t like the open kitchen concept, but I’ve grown to love it.
And by the way, I’d just like to comment that those three women at the top of the page are gorgeous. The one in the middle is the grandmother?! She looks like she might have been in show business.
Elizabeth G says
When my dad built the kitchen in our house (turned the old kitchen into a dining room) he built a corner sink. It had windows on both sides, so mom (and later my sister and I) had a great view of the backyard while standing at the sink washing dishes.
Carolyn says
Talk about generations: my 17 yr old granddaughter is leaning toward the MCm mostly because of what her generation views as “quirky” style and design features. But they are also sick of enormous wasted space in the houses built to appeal to the broadest possible audience and no specific target buyer. And who has either the time or inclination to clean these behemoths!!!
Before central air houses at least took into consideration prevailing breezes or planted trees for shade – youngsters know their finances will be tight and they’ve been raised on “eco-friendly” – MCm fits right in with those considerations.
Just saw an ad for a home the realtor did describe as MCM with the finger block flooring in DR and K – first thought was “That’s the first thing they’ll rip out!” because it’s so “dated” – !
OY!
Alicia Damron says
Such a cute place! I would love to see what the exterior looked like. Was it a bungalow style like the kitchen?