Bedazzled with turquoise trim, pink flamingos — and sporting a vintage Chrysler Imperial in the driveway — the curb appeal of this midcentury modern house on the recent Las Vegas Home & History Tour only began to hint at the vintage delights inside. An avocado kitchen! Two sputnik lights! Rooms full of mid mod furniture! And three — yes, count ’em — three bars! Come on in for a look — I took oodles of photos.
About this house, Nevada Preservation said:
This 1964 ranch home was built in Paradise Palms Unit 15, which was developed by Eastern Enterprises. The tract is dubbed the Fontainebleau Estates, showcasing two models known as the Parisienne and the Marquis, the latter of which is shown today. While the home is no longer original, the current homeowner has renovated the house back to what can be imagined was its original splendor, with period appropriate finishes, fixtures and appliances. Like other homes in the area, the floorplan of the two models are repeated throughout the development, but different elevations of the houses give the streets of Unit 15 a varied look that was common in midcentury tract developments.
The front entry:
Wow! Fantastic curb appeal, what with that roofline … the orange door to complement the turquoise trim … the stone trim … the house numbers, each set in their own triangles (great idea!), and even those lovely little palm trees. I also like how the homeowner used two different shades of gravel for the zeriscaping — and created a little garden for the flamboyance (yes, that’s the word for it!) of flamingos.
The kitchen:
Take your first left once you’re inside the front door, and … squeal with delight at the kitchen.
One of the reasons I loved this house so much was because it seemed clear that the owner was a longtime collector who first and foremost wanted to preserve what could be preserved and not remodel anything if it still had life in it. For example, the floors and backsplash do not appear to be original to the kitchen — I believe someone told me that they came with the house when the current owner bought it. Since they were in good shape, he/she (?) made them work. Avocado and bittersweet orange go quite nicely with terracotta, don’t you think?
Ooooh, I just noticed the arabesque cutout in the base cabinet to the right of the stove.
Suddenly, I neeeeed a little round television like this to hang in my kitchen!
It’s hard to see in the photos but I’m pretty sure this was the laminate on the countertops — Wilsonart’s Go Wavy in “Sprout.”
Clearly, there is some serious avocado appliance collecting going. No detail, too small.
Above: I was told that the homeowner — tired of waiting for a double oven in avocado to come up on craigslist — painted the existing oven themselves. Nicely played! Note: I’m not an expert but would think that if you do this you want to make sure the paint is heat-resistant, specified for such use; consult with a pro!
The dining room:
The kitchen opened up to the dining room. Oh my. TWO sputnik lights! Note the use of curtains to create separation between the dining room and the living room.
The living room:
Heidi Swank, Executive Director of Nevada Preservation, was promoting the National Trust for Preservation’s campaign, “This Place Matters”. The idea — take photos at historic places holding the This Place Matters sign, then post and hashtag them on social media sites.
Above: Kinda hard to see in this photo, but the homeowner also hung little starbursts from the ceiling throughout the room. Fun — and it broke up the expanse nicely.
Bedroom:
The bedroom was beautifully decorated, chock full of vintage.
Can anyone name the furniture line? Nice set!
The bathroom:
The Retro Decorating Gods did not bestow a pink bathroom unto this homeowner — so they painted the cabinets pink, and voila, they are in the club!
The RGDs DID bestow a glitter laminate countertop and hudee-rimmed sink!
Above: I’m thinking that is NOT wallpaper — it’s wrapping paper. Hey, go for it!
The bars:
Above: The first bar was a real cutie, situated in a corner of the step-down living room.
The owner used pieces of Armstrong 12″ flooring to create the bar top.
I need to do a whole uploader just about vintage shadow boxes.
Bar #2 was in an adjacent room — a bedroom, I think, that had been converted into a bar and fun room.
Did I mention “fun”!
There was also a vintage cigarette machine in the room. I wonder what has happened to all of these. There must have been thousands across America.
Bar #3 was under the awning in the backyard patio. To the right, complete with vintage fridge and dinette…
… And to the left, whiskey barrel furniture and a vintage Pepsi machine. See! This house had it goin’ on!
New friends:
More new friends — more new-generation fans o’ the retro, hooray! If I’m remembering correctly, this is Nick and Sean. [Please correct me, fellows, if I am wrong!] Frankie’s Tiki Room (featured on Sean’s tee-shirt) is the go-to tiki bar in Vegas. Alas, I did not make it to Frankie’s, I was so whipped. What was I thinking! I can’t believe I didn’t drag my tired bones to Frankies! Argh!
Nick had brought his vintage Polaroid camera, and we took a pic. What a fun house — and great people!
I love the first shot with the Imperial and that back verandah looks so relaxing
I just love it! Thanks for sharing and keeping the Vintage look alive and well.
I believe bedroom furniture style was called Brasilia
no…. I think that in comments the owner gave the name..
Great job Ralph – Super inspiring !! – thanks for sharing this one Pam
I love the vintage look. My husband laughs at me he said I never left the 50’s – 70’s. LOVE LOVE LOVE
Now that’s what I’m talking about–lots of color! Though the kitchen and bar look more ’70s than ’50s, it is still retro and still beautiful.
Montgomery Wards used to sell furniture. Is there even a ‘Monkey Wards” nowadays?
Here’s what happened to some of the cigarette vending machines:
http://laughingsquid.com/art-o-mat-retired-cigarette-vending-machines-converted-to-sell-art/
Trés cool, yes??
This house is wonderful! I never really “got” 70’s decor, or avacodo green or orange, but now I see it! This is just such a happy house. And it sounds like the neighbors agree.
There was a group in the Aughts who were converting old cigarette machines into Art-O-Matics I think. There was one in Eugene, OR that sold poetry.
Can you tell me the colors of the armstrong tile on the bar top? I love the mix!!
You asked about the furniture line used in the bedroom. I don’t know the specific name, but I’m pretty sure that it was manufactured by Lane.