Mid Century Culture Archives - Retro Renovation

Retro Renovation

Remodeling, decor and home improvement for mid century and vintage homes

June 25, 1962 grand opening of McDuff Appliances, Tallahassee, Florida...

Meet Sisters on the Fly...

Tropical decorating inspiration from 12 vintage Florida postcards...

Hazel Dell Brown kitchen, 1941, with built-in space for a nap...

Vintage revolving concealed toilet paper holder — with ash tray inside!...

When new houses could legally have only one bathroom...

Geneva Steel Kitchen Cabinets — at the big Trade Show, 1954...

Anne, Carol, Judi, Emily and Pat: Who are these Formica trade show mystery women...

Westinghouse Appliance Center — New Old Stock...

Retro Las Vegas, here I come: A Celebration of Vegas Cool, April 27-29...

Mattel reintroduces Barbie’s 1962 Dream House® including a Barbie to go w...

Rejuvenaire Electronic Odor Control for the Home — vintage woddity...

Kohler Habitat Masterbath Environmental Enclosure: $20,000 bathroom luxury c. 19...

7,000 square feet of PARTY time fun in this 1979 Michigan time capsule house...

1968 genius interior decoration inside this lovely Houston time capsule (ish) ho...

Is it a range or a dishwasher? Yes, it’s both: the 1954 Universal range + ...

Better Homes and Gardens’ 1961 Decorating Book — 432 pages — r...

Schwinn Grey Ghost bike — limited edition reproduction...

59 Midcentury and Modern Historic Houses to visit across the U.S....

7 reasons why Time Capsule houses fascinate us...

1992 is now “vintage”...

Open thread: Top interior design trends of the 2010’s...

Vintage Masketeers optical sign eyeglasses wall hanging — great graphic ap...

Talking time capsule houses with the Wall Street Journal...

Identifying the 1950s Ranch House Interior as a Cultural Resource by Laura Kvikl...

Nevada Home and History Weekend — April 28-30...

Classic Cape Cod houses — design analysis by Royal Barry Wills, revisited...

Anne Taintor, entrepreneur and artist, revisited...

Versa-Tile by Universal Rundle — vitreous china counter top and sink combi...

My vintage lighted display clock from a Geneva kitchen cabinets store...

Five different brands of “relaxation units” — places next to t...

Schwinn’s 1968 Lemon Peeler Sting-Ray bike — limited reproduction no...

Paul MacAlister and his famous Plan-A-Room vintage room planning kit...

What I bought at the big Pittsfield estate sale...

Open thread: Do you suffer retro project “monomania” too?...

Tour de force 1970s interior design in this 1976 time capsule house in Salem, Or...

Spectacular 1959 time capsule Kaufman Estate in Kitchener, Ontario, designed by ...

Crane 1937 Neuvogue sink by Henry Dreyfuss: The holy grail of pedestal sinks...

Hot ticket: The Mai Kai’s 60th anniversary celebration on Dec. 28 includin...

Susan’s vintage wood doors with a sliding six-pane window...

Bassett Colorama bedroom set — featuring 4 interchangeable laminate insert...

Family Hospitality Relaxation Unit — our third design of Relaxation Unit...

Satin Glide Relaxation Unit — a second brand, joining Hall-Mack...

Gina scores big time at the Rochester estate sale of 4,000+ dresses...

Vladimir Kagan’s Annecy Collection — his final work — dares yo...

Mai-Kai: History & Mystery of the Iconic Tiki Restaurant — the book i...

Breaking news: Details on the 4,000 vintage — including mostly new old sto...

The Smith house on Pinocchio Street in Dallas — drop-dead gorgeous, no lie...

time capsule houses

100+ amazing Time Capsule houses — now in the Retro Renovation archive!...

The most adorable vintage kitchen cabinet we’ve ever seen...

Vintage NOS American Standard chrome shower head woddity...

Deceptively modest outside — High-end disco fever inside! Awesome 1970 tim...

Olsonite glitter toilet seat...

vintage wallpaper retro

That magical modern moment when “too much wallpaper” was … imp...

A 1974 double A-frame time capsule house: Twice the fun!...

Inside Las Vegas casino legend Jackie Gaughan’s penthouse apartment at the...

A house flip story that we love: Ginger restores a St. Louis time capsule to mov...

The house that gobsmacked the Vintage Las Vegas historic home tour...

Shopping the fun and fabulous Retro Vegas vintage store...

Groovy Getaway in Gatlinburg, Tennessee...

Cincinnati radio legend Ruth Lyons’ lovely Early American home with a cabo...

Here we come, Vintage Vegas Home Tour — hear Pam speak, May 8...

First Partio Cart of the season: Spotted April 12 in Seattle...

Vladimir Kagan, 1927-2016...

A miniature-mini ranch house shelf for the 1955 Betsy McCall DIY Dollhouse...

midcentury modern homes

Starlight Village — a brand new, midcentury modern styled neighborhood in ...

Vintage Hall-Mack Extendo-bar towel bar woddity spotted at the NOS hardware stor...

Vintage Flow-Matic single handle bathroom faucet woddity...

Palm Springs retro house

Adee do, indeed: The 1969 interiors in Palm Springs’ “Stephan’...

Two rare vintage Universal Rundle bathroom faucets (plus a sink)...

Rare & wonderful 1962 Lawndale-Cole kitchen faucet — one of the first...

Tamara’s embossed ceiling from the 1960s — have you seen this before...

1970s palm springs house

The time capsule house that turned Modernism Week upside down — 47 photos...

midcentury kitchen

58 years in the same 1958 kitchen: Judy’s mom Doreen’s kitchen, Calg...

What we wore to KBIS — hint: Pam’s gone Mad for ModCloth...

Can you guess what this cabinet holds?...

Suburbs and the American Dream — The Minnesota History Center puts “...

Silver to Steel: The Modern Designs of Peter Muller-Munk...

Hail, Pittsburgh: Come party with Pam (and her pots) on Friday night, Nov. 20...

Warm and woodsy 1968 Keck & Keck time capsule house in Michigan...

Open thread: Happy 8th Birthday Retro Renovation!...

These are a few of our favorite things…...

The 1964 GE Americana refrigerator-freezer...

Beauti-Vue woven wood and yarn sunburst clocks — vintage catalog and image...

Dishmaster Princess — in Sunshine Yellow!...

Open thread: Should we use the terms “feminine” and “masculine...

Beautiful Ventrola kitchen exhaust fan — NOS woddity...

Void...

The 14 beautiful homes of The Astronaut Wives Club — Production Designer M...

1977 decorator house

This 1977 time capsule house may spark a new love affair with 1970s interior des...

10 vintage Armstrong advertising room designs by Louisa Kostich Cowan...

Favorite stories so far in 2015...

A flamboyance of flamingos all across the world: In honor of Don Featherstone...

Susan’s Betsy McCall Dollhouse — a treasured toy for three generatio...

Restoring and decorating my 1940s vintage dollhouse: My action plan...

Corning Museum of Glass celebrates 100 years of Pyrex — we sneak peek 60 t...

eichler kitchen

1959 Matt and Lyda Kahn time capsule house — an historic Eichler house for...

Lam-O-Tile — here’s a ‘new” vintage wall tile for our wo...

Vintage dollhouse experts: I need your advice — 3 questions...

Kent Coffey Perspecta style kitchen and bathroom cabinets in this stunning 1972 ...

Vintage Acrylite acrylic panels in fun colors and patterns...

midcentury dollhouse

Dollhouse warming party: Kate’s 1955 Betsy McCall DIY Dollhouse tour ̵...

Adorable vintage dollhouse accessories from reader Janet and my Mom...

Pyrex 100th anniversary — thank you, Bessie Littleton!...

Message in a bottle: Cindy finds a 1976 time capsule in her bathroom wall...

GE refrigerator bar cart made in Italy — il cugino of the Partio Cart?...

My 1955 Betsy McCall dollhouse completely furnished — for $107.73...

Midcentury masterpiece 1955 time capsule “tile house” in Minneapolis...

First GE Partio Cart of the season — our Retro Renovation official sign of...

Plato made me do it: A 1952 bathroom vanity with an inlaid laminate Greek design...

Better Homes & Gardens ‘1958 Idea House of the Year’ by Omer Mi...

Our 100th woddity — vintage Carrier Climate Center...

The Mullinaires sing the praises of Youngstown kitchen cabinets, 1953...

Full-room vintage wallpaper murals by The Schmitz-Horning Co....

Charming 1930 Tudor Revival time capsule house — with upholstered dining r...

Dorothy Draper, drafty houses, pink bathrooms — and coffee: Friday link lo...

Ding dong, dollhouse! A working doorbell — and tiny hi fi to hide the soun...

A vintage pink bathroom for the dollhouse — including World of Tile mini m...

The art of Sister Mary Corita Kent — at the Warhol now… then Pasaden...

The Dish Quik dishwasher — our 5th soap+water dishwashing wand...

My sexy ’60s saucepans pots are now in a museum!...

ice water faucet in bathroom

A vintage bathroom “ice water” tap — a chilling mystery!...

Kate goes krazy for wallpaper as she begins decorating her 1955-pattern dollhous...

Seven steps — and 70 hours (!) — for Kate to build a dollhouse from ...

Kate builds a 1955 Betsy McCall Do-It-Yourself Dollhouse...

Inside Big Eyes — the outrageous true story of Margaret Keane, top-selling...

World of Tile — last days...

Vintage-Westinghouse-Center-drawer-refrigerator

Let’s help the Carnegie Museum of Art find this 1960 Westinghouse center d...

1973 tiki time capsule house — let’s P.A.R.T.Y!...

What’s inside this time capsule house? A 2,300-pipe pipe organ — a m...

1954 Texas time capsule house — interior design perfection — 26 phot...

Maria Kipp — textile engineer and designer — mid-century modern desi...

1927 drugstore soda fountain — Adams and Bright in Hamburg, Pennsylvania...

Route 66: The Road and the Romance — 33 photos — at The Autry throug...

Rent a fabulous Australian time capsule-esque house — 14 photos...

Vintage Gibson ‘In Crowd’ mod centerpiece...

Stunning mid-century modern Toronto time capsule house by architect Gardiner Cow...

Dear John Hollywood Parisian poodle vintage toilet seat...

The Pan Am Experience is ready for takeoff...

midcentury-kitchen

1960 Berkeley time capsule house — built by architect David K. Burton for ...

Rare woddity: 1958 Gerrity Princess kitchen faucet “dishwasher”...

Tulsa time capsule with incredible Asian-meets-Frank Lloyd Wright decor...

Woddity watch: Hall-Mack “Conceal-a-Roll” — once owned by Manh...

Mel Brown Furniture

Mel and Mimi Brown – the Furniture King and Queen of midcentury Los Angeles �...

1965 Palm Springs A. Quincy Jones time capsule condo...

mod betty retro roadmap

Shankweiler’s Drive-In Theater — the oldest operating drive-in movie...

1949 time capsule house filled with original charm...

Like a Rock: The Hellbaum House in Berkeley is built into and around enormous bo...

Rare miniature Ling-Temco automatic dishwasher — New Old Stock in original...

1956 time capsule ranch house, impeccably decorated in French Provincial style...

Tiki Pop: America Imagines its Polynesian Paradise — opening today in Pari...

The Mai-Kai — America’s #1 tiki bar temple — Fort Lauderdale, ...

Vintage 1966-style Winnebago ‘Brave’ motor home — production b...

11 retro design archetypes — which style are you?...

GE Partio Cart — original 1960 photo and a never-used unit in Seattle...

Vintage-Westinghouse-stove-DD-74

New Old Stock Westinghouse DD 74 range — discovered after 60 years in a ba...

midcentury-staircase

Dramatic 1959 split level time capsule house in same family for 55 years —...

Miller-house-sunken-couch-500x720

52 Balthazar Korab photos of The Miller House — an exceptional legacy...

Glitter wall tile panels...

flower-power-wallpapered-bathroom

1980 time capsule house — impeccable & fabulous in Shorewood, Minn. &...

Cabana Bay Beach Resort now open — retro theme family vacation at Universa...

6 colorful 1950 vintage bathrooms — The Comer House in Gallatin, Tenn....

Wodd wodder woddest: 1966 aqua porcelain kitchen sink with egg-shaped bowls and ...

Stunning 1955 midcentury modern house in Fort Worth — built by the Brandt ...

Two sexy, red, round, sunken 1970s bath tubs — double your pleasure, doubl...

Martin house estate sale — loaded with art and artifacts — this week...

1956 Dallas time capsule house with Jack ‘n Jill bathroom — just 1,5...

Midcentury vs. mid-century vs. mid century...

mid-century-house-exterior

Classy 1958 mid-century modern time capsule ranch house in Houston — 18 ph...

1958 Portland time capsule house with lots of memories — including a Steve...

retro-renovation-way-to-live2

12 reasons to own (and love) a mid-century home...

Luxurious, Asian-decor 1962 time capsule house — 24 photos — Dallas,...

midcentury-retro-60s-kitchen

Magical 1954 Los Angeles time capsule house — built by Albert P. and Glori...

Royal Barry Wills archive is donated to Historic New England...

Warm and beautiful 1962 mid-century modern brick ranch time capsule house —...

round-house-exterior

1965 round house with 360 degree wrap around screen porch...

1946 Merillat kitchen on display at 2014 Kitchen and Bath Industry Show (KBIS)...

Rare vintage Sears Kenmore range with pivoting doors...

The house that A. Brandt Ranch Oak built: Gorgeous 1967 mid-century time capsule...

1954 Texas time capsule house — original cork floors, gorgeous brick work ...

1952 time capsule house with luscious, original terracotta floors and attached g...

Jennifer-Lawrence-American-Hustle

American Hustle: 1970s interior design full of artifice, ambition — and a ...

Impeccable 1972 time capsule house in San Antonio — 33 photos...

The top-10 time capsule houses of 2013...

1955 mid-century modern house time capsule — just 1,300 s.f., but packed w...

mic century modern house 1961

Stunning, spectacular 1961 mid-century modern time capsule house in Minnesota &#...

1960 Australia time capsule house...

Vacation like it’s 1959: The new Cabana Bay Beach Resort recaptures the sp...

Ruth Paine House Museum: Where Lee Harvey Oswald spent his last night before Pre...

vintage-red-and-white-kitchen

Same owners for 70+ years, this 1940 Seattle time capsule house has the most ama...

“Tom Thumb” American Dream House — a 720 s.f. design in a 1940...

1,200 s.f. midcentury modern farm house time capsule — 1958 original condi...

Architect Gilbert Spindel’s round houses — escaping “the monot...

Sweetheart 1955 mid century modest time capsule in Minneapolis...

Stending Non Stop sofa from Chicago Palmolive Playboy Building...

The pink bathroom at the Wilson House, Temple, Texas...

Partio Cart hot for the takin’...

vintage-flamingoes

New Old Stock early production Don Featherstone flamingos...

Yankee Magazine spotlights Retro Renovation...

pinch pleat drapes

Forever plaid: A 1978 Pennsylvania time capsule house...

Midcentury modern time capsule house in Portland, Oregon...

Wilmington, NC mid century modern time capsule — 16 photos...

Rare vintage Youngstown Kitchens metal hutch...

1962 time capsule house with bold and colorful decorator interiors — Mendo...

Vintage flower power NOS toilet seats tee hee...

Tour a time capsule house: 1975 groove pad, Fort Scott, Kansas...

Shaggin’ Chalet in Gatlinburg, Tennessee — “a vintage retreat ...

Sunnylands Estate and Gardens — Rancho Mirage, Calif....

Monel — rare and wonderful vintage kitchen sink and counter top material...

NOS 1964 Thermador Electric Griddle ‘n Grill...

The story of Lustron house #549 — including 38-page booklet chronicling it...

Lustron house #549 — reconstructed inside the Ohio Historical Society R...

Visit a mid-century modern house museum!...

Philip Johnson Glass House — 1949 mid-century modern masterpiece...

Gordon House — one of Frank Lloyd Wright’s last Usonian houses...

Visit the Dymaxion House — Buckminster Fuller’s only remaining proto...

mid century house museums

Epic research: 59 mid century and modern historic house museums in the U.S....

1958 Victor mid century mobile home with time capsule interior...

NOS Caloric Caddie kitchen wrap dispenser — color designed by Beatrice Wes...

Small shower receptor bathtubs...

Rare 1920s bathroom sink from American Standard...

1974 time capsule groove pad in Norfolk, Virginia...

Vintage Modern Maid built-in toaster...

Admiral-Tele-bar-photo

Greg and Tammy retrofit their vintage Admiral Tele-Bar to hold a 24″ flat ...

mid-century-living-room-with-freestanding-fireplace

That 70s Ski Chalet — groovalicious time capsule house — 22 photos...

1960 countertop-height Hotpoint oven with hideaway fold-down electric range...

vintage-pink-and-aqua-tiled-bathroom

1950 time capsule house with 7 vintage bathrooms — Grosse Point Park, Mich...

Maija Isola: Legendary Marimekko designer — with 28 vintage patterns still...

Hanging fish bowl — in spectacular mid century modern by Case Study house ...

That ’70s party: Necklace-style drinking glasses...

Sophisticated flower power decor in this Palm Desert 1967 time capsule house...

Time capsule house with spectular 1970s Mediterranean decor — 43 photos...

1960 interior design gem — Time capsule house, Laramie, Wyoming — 27...

1956 split level house — time capsule with fabulous chinoserie decor ̵...

Antique fan that’s also a foot stool — vintage Vornado hassock fan...

Lady Bird Johnson postage stamps from 1966 and 1969...

1940s-pink-ceramic-tile-bathroom

Five vintage pastel bathrooms in this lovely 1942 capsule house — Portland...

1967 Vintage Nutone Fire/Intruder Alarm system — New Old Stock woddity...

Bernard Maybeck’s family home — Enchanting 1932 time capsule storybo...

Amazing 1960s “Storybook Ranch” time capsule house — 42 photos...

Top stories for January...

1956 time capsule ranch house — original owner mid century modern Glenbroo...

1957 Minnesota time capsule house — Shoji screens, chinoiserie lighting an...

Cliff May ranch houses and their important architectural legacy...

8 Cliff May inspired ranch house plans from Houseplans.com...

Factory built houses: 28 pages of Lincoln Homes from 1955...

An interview with Vladimir Kagan – Classic Kagan furniture designs being handc...

Woddity watch: Rare vintage medicine cabinet, pink pyramid Eljer kitchen sink an...

Rare 1962 Marx metal dollhouse — with a fallout bomb shelter...

Midcentury Modern at the Movies: Inside the Hitchcock house set design — 3...

32 photos — 1960 time capsule mid century modern ranch house — Camp ...

“Banjo top” sink — Rare vintage bathroom sink with integrated ...

More top stories in 2012 — time capsules, paint collections, vintage furni...

David’s estate sale booty — vintage Donfeld sketches — feature...

Springfield Defense Housing 1942

Springfield Housing Project – Royal Barry Wills, Jan 28, 1942...

Krazee Hubs — flower power hubcaps for a Volkwagen Beetle, 1968-1972...

Terms of Use Update plus note Privacy Policy and Disclosures...

vintage christmas cards

Roaring 20s vintage Christmas card stockpile — Michael makes a big find...

vintage kitchen sink

14 rare vintage kitchen sinks spotted in 6 years of blogging...

Flat Evergleam “Peacock” aluminum Christmas trees — a vintage ...

Woddity watch: Vintage porcelain worktable with sink...

Mid century modern Portland time capsule house — beautiful details —...

retro-groovy-toaster-woddity

Toaster that toasts “Peace” and “Love”...

Vintage round step stool, New Old Stock, by Senior...

Easylux storage from 1968 — can we find out more about this woddity?...

mrs wiegel in her electric kitchen

Granny ranch — defined...

NOS-pink-Jacuzzi

1964 pink Jacuzzi — New Old Stock, still in the box...

elkay sink with integral light

Vintage Elkay Stainless Steel Kitchen Console with built in fluorescent light...

Rare poppy red stove and refrigerator — original colors from Frigidaire ci...

Regarding Warhol: 60 Artists, 50 Years — new at the Metropolitan Museum of...

1938 time capsule Tudor — 17 photos — original owners lived here at ...

Josef Albers Homage to the Square studies – at The Morgan through Oct. 14...

jennifer greenburg revisin history something funny happened in the kitchen

Jennifer Greenburg’s time travel photos, “Revising History” &#...

16 best cookbooks and recipe cards from readers’ vintage collections...

Andy Warhol Campbell soup cans at Target: Kool. Kate’s engagement story: P...

A Bauer Pottery classic: 8 Chicken of the Sea tuna bakers — NOS — wh...

1950 mid century modern house in Dallas — original condition time capsule ...

campbell soup refrigerator panel and dress 1968

Strange 1968 Westinghouse film for refrigerator with decorator panels...

double bowl steel bathroom sink

Cast iron sink — Rare double-bowl bathroom sink, with hudee...

1960 Houston time capsule house — Foil wallpaper galore, you know I luv it...

The 10 Most Endangered Features of Midcentury Homes: 2012 report...

One round-trip ticket in a time machine — Where would you go, back in time...

Soap ‘Tainers — colorful, vintage, NOS soap dishes that hide your so...

1956 time capsule house with original curved sofa, wallpaper mural, and more ...

a bar made from a trailmobile bus

A vintage bar made from a Trailmobile trailer — this is original, not a to...

How to sell a midcentury house full of original features — we hear from th...

Vera Neumann — Biography and Comprehensive Online Guide...

Vintage Newport Chesterfield sectional sofa with hideaway spaghetti lamps...

midcentury modern house in houston the sputnik house in glenbrook

1957 Sputnik house — midcentury modern time capsule house in Houston’...

Vintage Kroehler “Do It Yourself Decorating Aid” — spin the wh...

1965 with beauty parlor in the basement

1965 time capsule house with basement beauty parlor, Reading, Penn....

The first colors for bathroom fixtures — Kohler introduces sink, tub and t...

Rare 1964 vintage bathroom sinks and faucets from Truman Newberry house...

Decorative shelf brackets — from the days when “basics” worked...

a kitchen table that transforms into a poker table - the Playdine

The 1950s Daystrom Playdine: A kitchen table that transforms into a poker table...

vintage magic queen kitchen faucet

Vintage Magic Queen kitchen faucet — a major new kitchen history discovery...

built in fold down bathroom scale

Built in bathroom scale that folds down — among the three most collectible...

Swankienda, indeed: 1957 time capsule house in historic Houston, first time on t...

tub master folding shower door

10 NOS Tub-Master accordian-door shower doors — for a vintage travel trail...

pam kueber's new old stock sunbeam automatic control panel

Brini Maxwell shows us her vintage Sunbeam Automatic Control Panel...

Vintage treasure hunting at Eco Building Bargains, Springfield, Mass....

Erica Wilson needlework — from her private collection <3...

hang it all vintage barbecue

‘Hang It All’ vertical, flippable, portable barbecue grill – s...

star trek light

Vintage Star Trek light — only 500 made — plus more West Palm Beach ...

child's polio braces

Child’s polio braces … and how they relate to spotless midcentury ki...

Mamie pink 4″x6″ bathroom tiles, Monument Mountain High School, Grea...

Gorgeous gray and turquoise 1956 dream kitchen and four bathrooms — 10 pho...

Erica Wilson and Julia Child — Next door neighbors at PBS, superstars worl...

Fashion in the 60s — Plaid combined with flowers, in the kitchen, too!...

Park architecture: The Everglades National Park and Mission 66 ‘Parkitectu...

Kit-Cat Clock turns 80 — a classic collectible still Made in the USA...

Tupperware & Brownie Wise: Amazing documentary about women and plastics and...

Saving the famous 1960 all-Formica Kitchen from the Corbett House — Hot ti...

74 midcentury modern houses in Salt Lake City – driving tour with Mony Ty...

Lug-A-Ture — 1950s bedroom dresser that converts to four suitcases...

Lagardo Tackett stash containers — the complete set of eight...

Are you a “vintage hoarder”? 12 ways to deal when your “blessi...

Eva Zeisel, photo courtesy Daniel Wickemeyer

Eva Zeisel: A comprehensive online guide...

Great 1955 time capsule house in Tulsa, Oklahoma...

Emily Morrow and retro carpet swatches

Wall-to-wall carpeting history from the 1950s to today — an exclusive inte...

Westinghouse Appliance Center & Hall-Mack revolving toothbrush holder ̵...

Midcentury kitchen history in 4 minutes, with soundtrack: We Didn’t Start ...

Royal Barry Wills: Biography and Comprehensive Online Guide...

Dean Gustavson 1957 midcentury modern house — with private observatory and...

Aztec radiant wall heater, Nutone hideaway record player, 10 flower power lunchb...

Homarina - a vacation house set right over the water

18 midcentury modern vacation homes — including a “Homarina” a...

retro plastic window shades

Unusual plastic window shades in 1961 midcentury modern bathroom...

Merry Mamie (Eisenhower) Christmas 2011...

On PBS Monday night: Charles & Ray Eames: The Architect and the Painter...

Sunbeam Appliance Center

NOS Sunbeam kitchen appliance Automatic Control Panel + 4 other designs I’...

Hoover Christmas commercials from 1959-62 — “Hoover happiness lasts ...

Erica Wilson: Biography and Comprehensive Online Guide...

Most popular Christmas songs on the radio — Rockin’ Around the Chris...

midcentury modern house in decay

Midcentury modern dollhouse: Decay as Art, dead body included...

Midcentury modern meets French Provincial in this PERFECT 1960 time capsule hous...

LaGardo Tackett 1958 egg shaped condom canister "Think"

LaGardo Tackett — 1958 ‘egghead’ condom holder is just one wit...

At Home, by Bill Bryson — Excellent holiday reading...

albert ledner ashtray house

“Ashtray house” designed by Albert Ledner...

bowling alley in 1962 michigan house

Basement bowling alley in 1962 Michigan time capsule house for sale — heav...

Top-10 interior design trends for 2011? Let’s make a list...

gladding mcbean tile at the leo carrillo ranch

Gladding McBean tiles — sentimental artifacts of Romantic Revival design...

pink bathroom at leo carillo ranch

1930s pink bathrooms — Leo Carrillo Ranch, Carlsbad, Calif....

100 years of dance and style in 100 seconds...

Homeland Security Threat Level posters from the U.S. Government Printing Office...

Postmodernism and how it influenced 1970s and 1980s interior design — I lo...

1970s interior design

Renovating 1970s houses: The next big thing...

“California Design, 1930–1965: ‘Living in a Modern Way'” exh...

Fiesta kitchen sink by American Standard, introduced in 1966 or earlier...

time capsule victorian kitchen

Time capsule Victorian kitchen – hidden in a basement since World War II...

Richard Hamilton Just what is it that makes today's homes so different, so appealing?, 1956

Pop art and how it started: Richard Hamilton, 1956: Just what is it that makes t...

General-Electric-Partio-Cart-Brochure

GE Partio Cart — yes, “partio”, not “patio”...

William Pahlmann original interiors in a time capsule 1962 house for sale in Mon...

20 years of mid century kitchen history — in 24 favorite images...

Taking the road less traveled — makes for Lots Better Stories...

We’re in the New York Times today!...

beatrice west designer

Mid century designer Beatrice West — and NOS Caloric pink kitchen applianc...

kitchen holder in knotty pine kitchen

Mystery kitchen holder thingie — what is it?...

Is it a room divider? Is it a pole lamp? Is it a display shelf? Yes!...

1960s-swag-light-kit-grape-clusters

Hannah’s 1960s grape cluster swag light kit & a peek inside her mid c...

1954 american standard sink with strange porcelain drainboard design

7 odd & inventive home features from 1954 — like an island type drain...

In the wondrous basement warehouse of World of Tile...

world of tile vintage NOS tile

World of Tile: The single most important discovery on Retro Renovation yet ̵...

1940s House — the BBC retro-reality series...

worlds largest donut well in real life anyway

Our Osgood’s Donut Dip Across the Border Adventure...

1959 time capsule house in New Zealand — never lived in!...

Analyzing details on a perfect, mid century Dutch Colonial — Royal Barry W...

1964 Styrofoam dome house built by Robert Schwartz, a student of Buckminster Ful...

Vintage Sauna by American...

1963 electro sink center

1963 Electro-Sink Center: The most wonderful kitchen faucet ever?!...

alexander girard interiors at the miller house

Video tour of The Miller House in Columbus, Indiana...

cathy callahan cathy of california

Vintage Craft Workshop: An interview with Cathy Callahan — Cathy of Califo...

adrian pearsall 1964 house

Cindy, Jed and Jim Pearsall: On growing up in Adrian Pearsall’s 1964 maste...

When Harry Met Sally and the topic was wagon wheel coffee tables...

wagon wheel light with antlers

Wagon wheel light with antlers: The “original” put-a-bulb-in-it...

adrian pearsall 1962 house

Adrian Pearsall’s 1964 house for sale...

MOMA’s kitchen exhibit: Live tour with curators Juliet Kinchin & Aida...

Strange 1962 bathroom sink...

Vintage range with electric burners on two levels: Woddity...

kitchn handy rotating shelf holders

Vintage kitchen cabinet swing-out shelf storage contraption: What is it?...

A vintage kitchen sink with one square bowl and one round bowl...

1963 vintage kitchen

1963 time capsule house: “Keep It or Change It?” quiz...

1970s vintage lighting and more in this 1974 time capsule home...

vintage ge patio cart

Vintage 1950s GE Patio Cart: Combination barbeque, range and oven...

Video: The Wilson House — shrine to mid century laminate...

streamline 1940s dinette

1948 Streamline Moderne time capsule house, Portland, Oregon...

Youngstown Servi-Center: Super rare metal kitchen cabinet?...

jennifer greenburg's book the rockabillies

Retro Renovation Best of 2010: 10 stories on history, culture and time capsule h...

dental sink in a vintage bathroom

“Dental sinks” in mid-century bathrooms...

dovecote in a storybook ranch house

Dovecotes in storybook ranch houses...

The history of laminate countertops...

hillwood-mansion-1950s-kitchen

Hillwood’s fabulous mid century kitchen now open to the public...

how to create a mid century kitchen

How to design a mid century kitchen — instructions straight from 1949...

happy owner of a pink kitchen and pink bathroom

We hear from Nora following her pink kitchen and pink bathroom fame...

vintage masketeers ducks

Vintage Masketeers birds – and the WWII spy story of their owner...

nora and her pink kitchen and pink and blue bathroom

Nora’s time capsule house...

1945-kitchen-at-the-carl-sandburg-house

Carl Sandburg Home National Historic Site: Historic mid century homes to visit...

marimekko unikko wallpaper by maija isola 1964

Marimekko Unikko by Maija Isola, 1964...

Brutalist design furniture...

Sonny & Cher – I Got You Babe – 1965...

Russel Wright’s Manitoga & Dragon Rock: Historic midcentury homes to visi...

37 photos from Joe and Nikkis retro California honeymoon...

1970s ballroom in Michelle’s Minnesota time capsule house...

Quinnipiac Terrace, New Haven, Connecticut, 1942...

Graceland: Mid century homes open to the public...

60s Ceratile samples...

Gropius House: Historic mid century homes to visit...

The Frelinghuysen Morris House & Studio: Historic mid century homes to visi...

Vintage Youngstown metal kitchen cabinets – a picture perfect 1950s kitche...

Hillwood Estate: Historic Homes with Mid-Century Flair...

The Louis Armstrong House Museum: Historic Mid Century Homes To Visit...

The 1950 House at the Shelburne Museum: Historic Mid Century Homes to Visit...

Retro Renovation Reader Roundup...

A Hidden-Treasures Time Capsule Home...

Royal Barry’s Wills home, 1920, Melrose, Mass....

EVERYONE tells Guy & Rosanna to update their 1960s time capsule– but ...

Steve McQueen (and his houses) in 1963...

1940s decorating style...

Home shows then & now: A look back at the first Carolina show in 1961...

1962 GE time capsule kitchen – for sale...

Pink was not always the color for girls...

Why mid-century houses had small closets: The Century in Shoes...

Jennifer Greenburg: The rockabilly design aesthetic...

Eye-popping 1974 time capsule house in Nashville...

An outhouse named Sally...

Jennifer Greenburg’s “The Rockabillies”...

Kaarin and Bob and the story of their Seeburg juke box...

1950s Christmas video...

The history of Christmas lights...

The Sixties turn 50...

Victorian meets mid-century modern time capsule for sale in Adams, Mass....

Vintage Chambers stoves & oven in the time capsule house...

Julia Baum captures the “vibrant display of personality” in cookie-c...

14 time capsule wallpapers & floors...

The Royal Barry Wills Cape Home...

love the house you're in collage

Introducing: “Mid-Century Modest” and the Mid-Century Modest Manifes...

Beautyware Cleanser Cabinet...

Preservation Briefs free from the National Park Service...

That 70s house: A Palm Springs time capsule...

1949 pink flamingo decorative tile wall panel from Mosaic Tile Company...

Your home is not complete without a Sanitary Unit...

Mamie Eisenhower and “Mamie pink”: More insight from Gettysburg...

A 1957 Time Capsule Kitchen...

The White House family kitchen: Jackie Kennedy had Geneva metal cabinets!...

Modern Kitchen “Wife-Savers”...

The Donna Reed Show kitchen...

The Gropius Kitchen...

A simpler but equally celebrated 1938 kitchen...

Mid-Century Kitchen Design...

Julia Child’s kitchen...

Home Sweet Kitchen: All this Week...

America’s Kitchens: Fascinating AND Entertaining...

America’s Kitchens...

Early American design – why was it popular in the mid-20th-century?...

Hollywood Regency time capsule ranch house in Burbank, Calif....

18 rare vintage Hall-Mack bathroom accessories...

Rachel and her 1964 Comet Caliente time capsule car...

“America’s Kitchens” exhibit in Concord, New Hampshire —...

“America’s Kitchens” – I bought the book, too...

13 scenes from an estate sale time capsule...

46 years of Aladdin Home catalogs...

Happy Birthday, Hula Hoop! A retro renovation re-run...

1964 time capsule gray bathroom...

The history of the milkman: Who killed him?...

Westinghouse Appliance Center...

Retro Roadtrips: The Varsity Drive-In in Atlanta...

Open thread: Your favorite Retro Roadtrips?...

A 1964 blue bathroom with built-in Hall-Mack, NuTone, Textolite & more...

1964 split level time capsule – great midcentury mailbox and kitchen...

Tappan push-button plumbing – 1963...

Meet Alison King of Modern Phoenix...

The world’s largest toilet salvage yard...

planter-top-toilet-Eljer

A “planter top” toilet tank lid from Eljer...

More wacky and wonderful bedrooms from the Madonna Inn...

Readers Shelly and Lisa visit the 1955 St. Louis time capsule home: “Retro...

A Ling-Temco dishwasher at Peggy’s aunt’s house...

Plan a retro vacation to the amazing Madonna Inn...

1955 time capsule ranch bungalow in St. Louis – frozen in time...

“Ranch homes” – their history and distinguishing characteristi...

Decorating ideas from a retro 60s avocado and orange time capsule basement...

Pink crane mosaic from Mosaic Tile Company...

A 1950 American Dream House...

A 1950 American Dream home...

The whimsical midcentury modern fireplace at Field Farm...

A 1950 American Dream Home...

1950 American dream houses – we start a new series...

A recessed GE kitchen or bath fixture – clock, plugs, light...

A 1961 recessed Ling-Temco dishwasher meant to torture Speedway Ron...

A 1966 Rat Pack time capsule house in Vintage Las Vegas...

The Museum of Modern Art takes an historical look at prefab homes...

Sleep in a wigwam — Femme1 vacations at Wigwam Village outside Mammoth Cav...

Another delicious vintage system by Sunbeam to organize your appliances...

The Ralph Sr. and Sunny Wilson House in Temple, Texas: The house that that launc...

When in Rome… Palm Springs Stephan details some of the era’s fixatio...

1950s laminate – Wilsonart provides some history...

The Petersens’ great grandmother’s house...

With its googie architecture, 60s decor and rat pack lounge, La Villa Basque is ...

Santa Rosa Sara krashes a neighborhood time capsule and sends us photos...

“Little Boxes” – California’s historic Westlake Village...

Sears’ Harmony House 1940-1968...

Retro bathroom: Space for your TP and smokes, too, in this Hall-Mack fixture...

Mom tunes us in to “Leisurama” now on PBS...

In praise of Royal Barry Wills and his important role in popularizing and prolif...

Storybook ranch houses...

Have a holiday in an old train car...

Estate sales: Exhilarating — and horrifying...

Load up on the Eames stamps available beginning today...

On butterfly roofs, xeroscaping, diamond-pattern concrete block and more: Palm S...

Alice lusts after…a 1950s wall-mount dishwasher...

An Asian Tiki timeline courtesy Courtney and the L.A. Times...

Mamie Eisenhower: Unwitting creator of THE iconic color of the 50s, “Mamie...

Happy birthday to me, happy birthday to me…...

1950s kitchen at the Wisconsin Historical Society...

My kitchen is in a museum video – and on YouTube, too. Thanks, Daniel, for...

50s and 60s living room favorite: Chinese Emperors...

Illustrator Al Parker helped define 1950s domestic ideal...

BE SAFE / RENOVATE SAFE!
Get informed and be aware about the environmental & safety hazards in old homes, materials and products. #1 RULE: Consult with your own properly licensed professionals. More info: See our Be Safe/Renovate page... EPA asbestos website ... EPA lead website ... U.S.F.A. – fire safety, etc.