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
Ronda says
I think it’s amazing that you’re able to enjoy and preserve your grandparents’ house. I think they would have loved the idea of you having it and appreciating it the way you do. 🙂
Sandy says
A dream I have had for 35 years! My grandparents house still stands in a small town in Wisconsin, but has been bought by investors and used to house college students! I so wish I could buy it back, I would have to find a bit of the furniture, but some great grandchildren have some of the original pieces….you truly are blessed to own a piece of your childhood!
Marlene says
I just found this web site, so glad I did. I love your Retro Home, and agree with everyone else about the fire place. I love the fact that you have not remodeled the bathrooms!! They are great. My only suggestion would be the chandelier in the dining room. I would replace that, it really does not reflect that time period, it is more colonial than retro sixties. There are some great lights you can find on the web, not that expensive. Great original wood floors, you have done a wonderful job
SusieQ says
Bravo! I’ve found a kindred spirit. Two years ago we sold our home and moved into my childhood home built in 1948.I’ve been slowly renovating as funds and time allow.
I will never regret selling our ” dream” home as this house evolves into memories that hopefully generations to come will appreciate.
I’m amazed at the things I wanted to get rid of originally that add so much to the character of the place now. There’s no way I’ll part with my green bathroom fixtures. Stick with classic design and it will be timeless. Happy home renovating!
ken hedrick says
Amy, another question! With all those wood floors, what was the vacuum cleaner your grandmother moved in with? Im betting it was a GE? Looks like she was totally modern in every way of thinking!
I am a collector and restorer of modern industrial designed items that can be used even today, especially vacuums. I enjoy making peoples lives easier thru understanding the right tools to use in homemaking, and that includes using a vacuum that was designed to do the job then as well as now. If you would like to see what was available to your grandmother when she built the house, reach out and i will direct you to our national vacuum cleaner website. Whatever she had, it looks like you do a beautiful job of keeping it up. I particularly loved the part about polishing the floors. We did it every spring and had a “skate” day in our sock!!! Great memories.
Rick G says
Oh you lucky, lucky gal !!1 What a perfect house this is …. congrats !!!
ken hedrick says
I love your home for so many reasons. They say, “you can never go back again” but it looks as if you found a way! We live in a Mid Mod in Northcrest just north of Atlanta and share a lot of your joys and woes. But in the end, its all worth it. The added bonus is the sense of community we have here as well as in blogs and chat rooms that have united all of us and our love of quality things and ways of living.
Enjoy your home!
Risë Kwake says
Yeah, Pam, 10 years!!!! And Amy, really love your home! First thank you Dad for his service to our country, especially during a time when as a nation we were questioning this war and all wars. Second, your home…I love knotty pine and the gorgeous green accents of the kitchen: the countertops, backsplash, and floors (and all your jadeite accessories)! Of course the stove and frig are sublime! The light fixtures are SO perfect for the home and that mural is exquisite and worth saving! My only thought is that the main bathroom, while period and functional, is worth retro-fitting with more period color! You’ve got the pink powder room, what about a blue, turquoise, yellow or ming green bathroom? Many of Pam’s readers have remade their bathrooms into beautiful 1950s/1960s showpieces, is that something you would consider? Other than that…you are a lucky gal to live in this very special time capsule home that once belonged to your loved ones!! Yeah!!
Amy says
Thank you, Risë! And several comments have mentioned painting the walls of the main bathroom so that is definitely giving me food for thought. It’s right next to my pale yellow bedroom so perhaps, like you suggested, I go all in on the yellow or green. Although I love green so much and have used it all over the house I was initially afraid of going overboard with it. But now I’m rethinking that with all your good advice/comments!
Amy H says
Well you know, there’s “going overboard with green”, but then there is also “green is the color that anchors the design throughout my home”. Some people seem to feel like they’ve got to come up with a completely new design and color scheme for every single room in their house, but this can become very chaotic even if each room individually looks wonderful.
It’s a great idea to have a color(s) that are common threads throughout – maybe showing up in larger or smaller doses in different spaces, but providing continuity to the home as a whole. If green is your favorite, then I say embrace it!
TG says
With older things, less is more! So glad to see that circumstances led to the preservation of this awesome home – great job!! (I have a similar chandelier over my kitchen table that I’m trying to learn to love.)
Elaine Cantrell says
I love the whole house, but I especially love that wallpaper mural. If it were me, I’d leave the fireplace alone.