Kitchen Help Category Archives

Category: Kitchen Help Category

Need kitchen design, remodeling and decorating ideas? We are continuously researching products and decor suitable for a midcentury, vintage or retro style kitchen makeover. Our kitchen stories are archived below. If you are looking for certain resources in particular, you can make your search easier by heading straight the sub-category pages in ORANGE navigation above.

Very importantly: Always remember to Be Safe / Renovate Safe!

Blue countertops — with polka dots — dial up the happy in Bridget’s new kitchen

Polka dot patterns are a favorite for retro dresses — so, how about for the blue countertop of a retro kitchen remodel? Bridget shows us..

1970s flooring — two flashback-style sheet vinyl flooring designs

Is the diversity of flooring choices starting to improve? It seems to me that these days, I’m seeing more than just flat gray stone after..

Metal counter edges — 6 places to buy them + more tips

Where to find metal counter edges for retro kitchens — countertop edging in steel, aluminum and even faux laminate edging? I have made a new,..

1953 Sears steel kitchen cabinets — painted pink — take center stage in Monica’s 900 s.f. cabin kitchen remodel

We love pink kitchens, and we love stories of readers who take a big gulp and dive into their design projects “the hard way” —..

Berger Steel Cabinets for Kitchens — a catalog from 1949

One of my goals for 2019 is to work diligently at filling out The Retro Renovation® Encyclopedia of Vintage Steel Kitchen Cabinets. I have about 85..

Make a resolution to: Be Safe and Renovate Safe!

Lead — in lots of places Asbestos — in lots of places Electrical and Other Fire Safety Glass Safety Window Treatment Cord Safety Latches Radon..

Wonderful brick flooring in Paula’s 1953 house + oh happy kitchen, too

When I did that story asking whether Marie should keep the real clay brick flooring in her kitchen, reader Paula chimed in and said she..

Kitchen and bathroom sinks in 30 colors — made new

UPDATE: This company seems to be no longer operational. The links to its website are broken…. I will leave this story up for historical purposes...

Sarah uses Armstrong Royelle Rock Hill Stone flooring as a placeholder in her midcentury modern house

There were lots of reader comments on my recent story about Armstrong Royelle Rock Hill Stone vinyl sheet flooring — including from Sarah. She and..

Brick flooring in vinyl — retro, timeless

A while back we had a good conversation about the glazed brick flooring — real bricks — in Marie’s kitchen. Updating my flooring research, I..

1970s style kitchen flooring: Kahlo by IVC

Oh happy day, another patterned vinyl sheet kitchen flooring — with real color — new to the market: Kahlo from IVC. Again, I’d need to..

Vintage linen tea towels — from Parisian Prints, Kay Dee, Martex, Tammis Keefe, Vera Neumann

Early in my estate-sale-hunting life, I discovered vintage linen tea towels. It seemed that every home I entered had a stash of vintage linen tea..

Awesome flooring for a 1960s or 1970s house: Armstrong Royelle Rock Hill Stone 12′ vinyl sheet

When I wrote about a 1970s-look flooring possibility yesterday, reader Tarquin piped up with the fabulous option: Armstrong’s Royelle Rock Hill Stone 12′ vinyl sheet..

Sheet flooring for a 1970s house — Tapestry from Mannington

Do you want patterned vinyl or linoleum flooring? I get a fair number of questions from readers asking where to find it — and the..

Regency steel kitchen cabinets — 12-page catalog from the 1950s

Regency steel kitchen cabinets — or were they Regency Quality Kitchens? — or just Quality Kitchens? — likely are a rare vintage brand. These were..

American-Standard steel kitchen cabinets — 16-page catalog from 1953

American-Standard– well-known among vintage home enthusiasts for its gorgeous early- and mid-20th Century sink and bathtub designs — also made its own line of steel..

Classic midcentury wood kitchen cabinets from 1948 — 20 pages of Nu-Style by Bilt-Well

Wood kitchen cabinets were surely more popular than steel kitchen cabinets after World War II. Homemakers were very familiar with the comfort of wood, and..

Addams Family meets Dick Van Dyke: Nanette, Brian and their three dogs’ long journey to their 1952 house

“This house was so loved, you can feel it when you walk in. And I’m so happy that we get to carry on its legacy...

Nutone true vintage exhaust fan covers — New Old Stock stash discovered

Need or want a true vintage metal exhaust fan cover? They don’t make ’em anymore, but sometimes they come up on ebay — like in..

Boomerang countertop laminate — GLOSSY finish — eight colorways

Many readers say they greatly prefer retro design countertop laminates with a glossy top coat — just like in the olden days. But these can..

Cracked ice countertop laminate — high gloss — four colors — and where to get it now

Cracked ice laminate, made new, in four retro colors, has been available all these years. But, it has not always been easy to find. Now,..