For my first story of the second decade of Retro Renovation: A love story. Amy bought her grandparents’ time capsule “city” house, a place full of happy memories. Now she is making the house her own — preserving all the basics and slowly mixing the old with the new.
Amy writes:
Hi there – Love your sites! I wanted to share a bit about the house I live in and see if it’s of interest to your readers (and get any of their tips for my continued decor experiments).
My grandparents built a modest brick house in 1959, where they lived for the next few decades. It was their move to the “city” (actually a small town north of Atlanta) from the farm about 15 miles away.
I bought the 3BR/2BA house from the family after my grandparents’ deaths in the early 2000s because I had always loved the style + had many fond memories there.
While my grandmother redecorated a bit every few decades, most of the house remained as it was from 1959. And when I bought it, I kept it mainly as it was, too — partly out of financial necessity at the time and partly out of love of things vintage.
I still have most of the original living room furniture from 1959 as well (they built things to last!)
First, pink bathroom! This is all the original tile, fixtures, shelves, toilet and sink in the bathroom off what was then my aunt’s bedroom. It’s now my guest bathroom (and guests always get a kick out of it!). Growing up, I loved the lavender curtains on the shower and windows and purple towels. When I moved in, I got rid of those, but decided the pink was unique and embraced it.
Next, the kitchen, which is one of my favorite rooms. No all-white open kitchen here — a kitchen to me needs COLOR. Original cabinets built by local builders, original Formica countertops, original vinyl floor, original fixtures — just about everything including the phone nook, which I now use as a charging station for devices. The stove is also original and everything still works including the little oven light to check on things without opening the oven door. My grandma made some excellent food there!
The old diner table and chairs are NOT original to the house — my grandparents had something similar but replaced with a small wooden table in the late 1960s. I found this whole set for $80 at a junk shop in 2001 or so, a few years before they became popular — and expensive!
The refrigerator also has a story. This was my grandparents’ fridge (a Westinghouse from 1941, I believe) that is even older than the house! They had this at their farm house, moved with it (I think) to this house, and then when my parents were married in 1969, they took it. After my parents established a household, they used the old fridge as a “second” fridge in the laundry room for extra milk, food, etc. When I bought this house, I got rid of the 1970s avocado green fridge (if only I knew they would come back in style!) and asked my parents for the 1941 fridge for the house. I only needed to buy them a budget new fridge for them to use as their “second.” It was a bargain! My new old fridge only needed a coat of appliance paint as it had gotten a little scratched up over the years. But it has been IN CONSTANT USE SINCE 1941!
Next, the dining room and living room, which is one long room (including an entry way). The sofa, 2 matching chairs, coffee table and end tables are original to the house. My grandmother had the sofa and chairs recovered about every 15-20 years. I wanted to return it to a retro feel but without it looking too staid or too trendy. The dark green polka dot fabric and the wavy stripes I thought hit the right balance (from Hable Construction fabric).
Side note: Over the sofa, I hung framed quilt pieces from my great-grandmother. Funny how something so old looks modern!
My dad carved the wooden bowl/sculpture on the coffee table. The console is original and still works great, with a big sound today’s devices can’t touch. The red oak floors in the living room once had gold carpet added on them in the late 1970s, but I tore that up and polished up the floors to their original beauty. The rest of the house has wood floors as well that have never been covered, and that are still waxed the old-fashioned way, with decades of “patina” on them that can never be replicated. They also make excellent run-and-slide fun when you’re in socks!
The curtains are from the past few years but in the same material and style as my grandmother always had, just different colors. I love green, while she had originally a pale beige and then a 1970s tannish color. The gas fireplace replaced the regular fireplace sometime in the 1980s — I still haven’t figured out what to do with it. I’d like to remove it and return to a wood-burning fireplace, but open to any of your readers’ thoughts.
In the dining room, I have grown to love the overhead light (when I first moved in, I just didn’t like it and longed for the “sputnik” lights) and the mural, which I was originally so-so on.
The mural was added sometime in the early 1970s. It used to be a blank wall and while my Dad was serving in Vietnam, my grandparents had a huge map of the country pinned to the wall where they would listen to the news and track locations mentioned and where my dad was.
I’ve included some other photos of the bedroom (nothing too vintage-y in there except light fixtures, floors, closets and cedar chest). It was originally painted pink with pink curtains and then wallpapered later with pink stripes/roses.
And the main bathroom next to it. The bath still has all of its original fixtures, tile, toilet and sink as well. It was originally painted a light pink and then wallpapered with a pink background and dark pink flocked flowered wallpaper in the 1960s. Can you sense a pattern here? My grandma loved pink! I looked on the wallpaper with fondness, but it was something I just couldn’t see me living with on a daily basis. Plus, the wallpaper was getting so old, the flocking was rubbing off. Note – the inside of the bathroom closet and the bedroom closet are still in their original shades of pink. The other bedroom (my study/storage room) was my dad and uncle’s. It’s still light blue with the original blue curtains.
There are a couple of inconvenient things about an older house, but overall, I find that older design holds up better and is more efficient for daily life. When I first moved in, I didn’t have tons of money to completely renovate or redecorate, and now I think that was a blessing in disguise. I learned to appreciate some things over time and for the things I did want to change or invest in, I had time to think about what I truly wanted so that hopefully some of this will last another 60 years. One question I’m curious to get your readers’ takes: What’s their advice on balancing the old with the new?
Anyway, that is most of it. My house is not perfectly staged, but I hope you or your readers might find it interesting, warts and all. I know I love perusing your readers’ photos — the more real and lived in, the better. Thanks for the wonderful site, the continued inspiration and the whole reason I’m on Pinterest.
Thanks!
Well, first off, Amy, it doesn’t seem that you need any decorating advice from anyone — you are doing a terrific job! Indeed: I love the framed quilt pieces, and that dining room table, oh my. The refrigerator story! The sofa that’s still there — and I think you did a great job with the upholstery! All your family photos!
All that said, the big messages are: Thank you so much (1) for sharing your story and (2) for being a wonderful example of how taking care of what we have pays off. Not just financially/economically, but also emotional. That is: Seems to me that after providing shelter, a house’s big opportunity is to make us feel: Loved. Your house is brimming with it. Thank you. xoxoxo
Diana says
I love the mural in Amy’s home, and have tried to find similar wallpaper accent pieces on eBay and at auction houses, with no luck so far. Does anyone know which companies made them?
Pam Kueber says
Thibaut used to still make them but they had a big liquidation a few years ago and all our readers snapped up the last inventory. You can watch ebay, but these are hard to find.
Diana says
Thanks very much, Pam — I’ll keep an eye out for Thibaut!
Diana says
Amy’s grandparents would no doubt be delighted with the wonderful job she has done! And they would probably be “tickled” that their fridge that served for generations is still going strong. That fact speaks volumes about the quality of American mid-century products.
Amy can also be proud that she has retained this house that has so much significance for her family.
My own goal, since my teenage years, is to get back the midcentury home that my father designed and built for my mother before she died. When Daddy was sick and getting on in years, his brother-in-law tricked him into essentially giving our family home to him.
Ann says
How beautiful! That is an a mazing house with the best memories.
Happy New Year !!!
Nancy says
I have been thinking about that fridge since I first read this post, and marveling that it’s been working for 3/4 of a century. I’d love to see the inside. Could you post a picture of it?
Amanda says
Amy, you have such a beautiful home! As a Georgia native, I’m interested to know what city this is in?
Helen Payne or says
Amy, you are so lucky to own your grandparents home. I am so envious of you!
Mary Elizabeth says
Amy, your house is very like my 1959 ranch, and I love what you have saved and what you have improved. My kitchen is the same knotty pine, but the laminate counters were white with glitter that had been scrubbed away and was constantly flaking. So we covered them with a green Wilsonart laminate very similar to what is in your house. (Like you, I love green.) Your approach to decorating changes is very like the generation of your grandparents–a little here a little there, but nothing sweeping and radical. Enjoy your gradual improvements, knowing your grandmother is up there nodding her head in approval and is no doubt happy you are enjoying what she put in place.
Nita says
Loved this story. What a beautiful job you did! Recently I was looking for a mural like the one you are pictured next to. It seemed everyone in the 60’s had that in their dining room. Could not locate a site, though. Again, beautiful job maintaining so much of the original look and feel of the home. Your choices were great!
Pam Kueber says
The murals were made by companies like Thibaut. A few years ago they discontinued the series, and our readers were able to scoop up great bargains from the online place that sold them off. See: https://retrorenovation.com/2014/08/08/11-vintage-style-wallpaper-murals-designs/
I don’t know of anyone making them any more. Occasionally they may come up on ebay.
Scott says
Amy thanks for sharing your story, your memories, and this wonderful house with us! The family photos overlaid on the house as it is today are really a wonderful treat. It’s all just beyond perfect.
And very relatable too, my Gran’s style has been a huge influence on my design aesthetic too, with countless key pieces being purchased for no other reason than “Gran had one” and how good that makes me feel.
Elisabeth says
I like you you mentioned you wanted the sputnick style overhead light and have grown to love the one that was already there. That lighting suites the space. Yours looks like a very sweet home!