Welcome to Retro Renovation® — your regular dose of mid century and vintage renovation and decorating resources… design inspiration… fun finds… and an archive of stories from an enthusiastic community of people all interested in cherishing their mid century and older homes.
Our focus here, first and foremost, is to help you find the products and sources you need to help remodel, renovate and decorate your house in authentic mid century style. We feature some sources for pre-war and post-modern homes as well. We’re here to help you get the job done — doing the research so you don’t have to.
Note: After 15 years — 3,000 stories! — this site has entered a new stage. Today, my focus is working to keep existing resource stories up to date so the site remains a solid reference. And, I want to continue to improve the site as an historical reference around things like steel kitchen cabinets, a longtime passion. To make time, I don’t blog as much, and comments are closed.
How can you make the most of the blog and its archive of 3,000+ stories about resources & inspiration:
- Dive into all our categories (in the navigation along the top of the page) and you will see, we have lots of research into all the products you might need to remodel and decorate. Along the way, we have lotsa other fun, too — always showing great gratitude and respect for the houses — and their owners — who came before us.
- And, important for anyone taking on an older home:
Renovating, remodeling and living in our midcentury and vintage homes can be gratifying, but please always remember, there can be safety and environmental hazards in the surfaces, layers, materials and products in our homes. Anything old, even New Old Stock, that you buy also may have issues. We all care very much about managing safety and environmental issues properly, so when moving into a home … when undertaking cleaning, repair, remodeling or restoration projects … or when adding old materials (salvaged, used, new old stock, etc.)… be sure to get with your own properly licensed professionals to determine what you are dealing with/working with so that you can make informed decisions how to handle, become familiar with and use recommended best practices, and also learn about the proper disposal of debris, etc. Read more: See our Be Safe / Renovate Safe page … the EPA hosts a website on lead paint in the home and a website on asbestos in the home, etc. Consult professionals regarding these materials, and also about the proper disposal of debris, etc.
<– I’m Pam Kueber. That’s me with my crazy wallpaper office … that’s my kitchen above — and this my blog, oh I luv it so. Doing all the research to find products to backdate my 1951 colonial-ranch house in Lenox, Mass., is what got me into this online escapade. In the course of my endless hunt to find products and design ideas sympathetic to my house’s undeniable mid-century bones, I got…. obsessed… I learned a lot… and I figured, why not share all my finds with other folks undertaking the same journey. And now – you have arrived!
This blog has lots about *modest, mid-century, middle-class* homes — ranches, Capes, Colonials, split-levels, contemporaries, bungalows. I also write about sleek *mid-century modern homes*… I love them all, but admit that I tend to worry more about the modest homes (themselves full of charm) being at more serious risk of being gutted, with regrets to follow later. Interestingly, both mid-century modern and mid-century modest homes shared many of the same technological features and design cues (like pink bathrooms) inside. For further info see my Mid-Century Modest Manifesto and my micro-site SaveThePinkBathrooms.com.
What’s covered here? Well: The design aesthetic of retro interiors, exteriors, culture, people, steel kitchen cabinets, colors, pink kitchens, pink bathrooms, hudee rings, pecky cypress, illustrations with people playing accordians, wallpaper, pinch pleat curtains, mint-in-box items — and readers’ fabulous jewel box houses, too. Get ready to be sucked into the retro vortex.
More info:
Above: As featured in the New York Times — yup, read all about our escapades in this 2,200-word feature story that appeared on p.1 of the Home & Garden section on Aug. 18, 2011.
Fast forward 10 years and another New York Times story called me “…the godmother of midcentury kitchens and baths, steering a new generation of homeowners to the four-inch square tiles that dominated homes for decades.” teehee
Oh, and here’s me showing off one of my office remodel. My friend Denise and I pasted about 200 squares of vintage wallpaper on the four walls, creating a crazy patchwork quilt (note: there is method in this madness) of 18 different designs of wallpaper. We celebrated by getting all Love American Style Gothic with the photo.
Hey, see me talkin’ about Mid Century Modest in this etsy.com video:
Press Coverage
2018 … I kinda stopped keeping track
2017
- Wall Street Journal: Big story on time capsule houses. I am the “subject matter expert.”
- Washington Post: Hey, we got a shout out!
2015-2016…
- HGTV.com: In Defense of Pink Bathrooms — A Q&A with me
- Chronicle TV: Big story on my house and my kitchen and the Retro Renovation Revolution!
- Washington Post: The TV-watching public’s long love affair with tray tables
- The Times of London: Something is happening in smart bathrooms — Designers say pink is back after a long absence.
- WFMJ-TV: Effort to Bring Back 1948 Youngstown steel kitchen cabinets
- Ummm: I got out of the habit of updating press coverage of the blog…. I’ll work on it again at some point… maybe.
2014
- New York Times: “When Blogging Becomes a Slog” (but not for me — I am the wise old owl)
- Huffington Post: The 10 Best Renovation Websites for Living out your Dream Home Fantasies.
- Der Standard newspaper profiled the blog. It was in German, so I’m not sure what it said. But I asked on Facebook, and a reader told me it said that, “You are now as loved as David Hasselhof in Germany.”
2013
- Fixing to Die: Retro Renovation® and a reader remodel featured on the blog inspired the setting and story line for Elaine Viets’ “restoration comedy” murder mystery, Fixing to Die. The book debuted #9 on the Barnes & Noble paperback list.
- Yankee Magazine: Six-page story in Sept./Oct. issue — 1.7 million readers! — about the blog and my house. “Fifties and Fabulous.”
- Globe and Mail: Loud and proud 1970s chalet
- Columbus Post-Dispatch: Back to the bones: Restoring ’50s homes
- California Home + Design: Celebrating Midcentury Modest
2012
- Ft. Lauderdale Magazine: Midcentury Modern Architecture Makes a Comeback
- Minneapolis Star-Tribune: Vintage Vibe
- Hamilton (Ont.) Spectator: Kitchens Cook Down Memory Lane
- msn.com: What we can learn from 1970s homess
- The Daily Mail (London) online: Give your Home the Mad Men Look! How one blogger inspires retro renovating tips.
- Blog Aids in Renovation of ‘Mid-Century Modest’ Homes. Nationally syndicated story appeared in newspapers including:
- Akron Beacon Journal
- Seattle Times
- Miami Herald
- Detroit Free Press (twice!)
- Palm Springs Desert Sun
- San Antonio Express
- Baltimore Sun
- Kansas City Star
- Toledo Blade
- Eau Claire Leader-Telegram
- Ogden (UT) Standard-Examiner
- canada.com
- …and more.
Summer 2011
- New York Times 2,200-word profile about Retro Renovation and its readers: Restoring the Retro House
- St. Louis Post-Dispatch — Preserve the Pink (bathroom)
- msn.com — New Respect for the Ranch House
- Portland (Oregon) Monthly Magazine Online — Sofa Shopping
- The Oregonian/Oregon Live — The Retro Queen
Feb 2011
Jan 2011
- Minneapolis Star-Tribune: Bathrooms Still In the Pink
- Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel: Name that Home Fad
December 2010
October 2010
- AP interviews Pam for story, Used Building Materials a Hit Among Home Owners, that runs in news outlets nationwide.
August 2010
- Arizona Daily Star: That 50s Tile with Style
- Home is a Four-Letter Word: Penny Pinching with the Stars
- Home is a Four-Letter Word: Lovin’ the 50s
April 2010
March 2010
February 2010
- Etsy.com video profile.
January 2010
- Knoxville News – Maribeth’s 1970s retro renovation
- Finalist and 4th place winner in Apartment Therapy’s annual contest to name the best home design blog of 2009
June 2009
April 2009
March 2009
- Eugene, Oregon Register-Guard on retro revival and home show talks
- Our tour of the St. Louis 1995 time capsule home covered by the St. Louis Post-Dispatch
- Desert Living Magazine
Dec. 3, 2008
- Pam talks with the National Kitchen & Bath Association about retro kitchen design popularity
Sept. 29, 2008
March 2008
- Pam’s kitchen on Apartment Therapy
Winter 2008
Fall 2007
November 8, 2007 — News Release, PRWeb
Thanks and Credits: Many thanks to the many folks who have helped, and continue to help, make this blog possible. Including:
- The rockin’ readers who help feed the blog day in and day out with their tips and projects!
- All the advertisers who make doing this work fulltime possible.
- Margaret Roach, for all your support. AwayToGarden.com, Margaret Roach Media.
- Brad and all the Webdev and Maintainn team, for keeping the online bogeybots at bay. WebDevStudios.
- Erica Berger, for making me look good. Erica Berger Photography.
- Kit Latham, for helping me get into the dot.com world. KitLatham.com.
- Suzy Massey, for design support. PhoenixMassey Studio.
- WordPress, for a great blogging platform that has made it possible for so many new voices to find their communities. wordpress.com
Jacque says
Hi Pam, I am on the Mid Modern Century FB page and someone there just posted a picture of your kitchen (only in reverse) no credit given. Not sure if that is a big deal of not? Kind of irked me for you though!
Here is the link that it was posted from: https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=10202053120928615&set=gm.862162800508078&type=1&theater
Thanks,
Jacque
pam kueber says
Thank you. I asked him to take it down.
Paul Houston says
Hi Pam,
I listed my 1950’s GE kitchen (in aqua – just like yours) on Craigslist and Apartment Therapy. Numerous people have recommended that I should list it on your site. I’m not sure what the protocol is for this – please advise if that’s something you can help me with. Thanks so much, I love your site!
Paul
Stoughton, MA
http://classifieds.apartmenttherapy.com/posts/115734-1950s-ge-kitchen-metal-cabinets-wall-oven-elec?rf=inbox-67429
pam kueber says
here is our forum where you can post it: https://retrorenovation.com/forums/
dorothy says
from your website could not fiqure how to order the toilet that is new but in the vintage color. Wanted to order the round blue. Please let me know how to order it.
pam kueber says
dorothy, we do not sell anything here. You need to go to our Bathroom Help / Toilets category, see our stories about new, pastel-colored toilets, and contact those companies. Good luck.
Denise Bennett says
I am interesed in a charming red corner knook seat and table that I saw on your site. The seat had a retro kitty on the top of the back seat. I would like to know the price of this piece.
Thank you,
Ms. Bennett
Bronx, NY
Kate says
Hi Ms. Bennett,
We do not sell anything here. I’m not sure which corner booth seat you are referring to, but it likely belongs to a reader who shared the photo with us, otherwise, there would be a link in the story where you saw the photo that tells you where materials in the story can be purchased.
Primrose Road says
Wanted to share maybe the greatest line ever to come out of a real estate agent’s mouth. Friend was looking for a house and we walked into one that was SO retro we were literally left speechless. Nothing had changed since it was built and the original owners (recently deceased) had their slippers neatly by the side of the bed — all 50’s linens. As we stood there, the agent offered up the following: “And as you can see, it’s completely unmolested”
Matt says
Hi pam, great site! I recently purchased a 1948 Brick bungalow style house. The previous owner was 91 years old and until a few years ago her sister lived next door in a 100% identical house. Hopefully I can make some tasteful updates and still play due respect to the days gone by.
pam kueber says
Woah! Wonderful! Welcome!
Bonnie says
How do I go about purchasing your products? I am interesting in purchasing a Kitchen sink.
pam kueber says
Bonnie, we do not sell anything here. You need to read the stories and look for the links (in bold blue — those are “hotlink”) that take you to the website of the company profiled.
Lucine says
Pam,
I love your website. We own a 1950’s executive style ranch home and it’s all original kitchens & bathrooms. I did a “”makeover in my kitchen using the same blue as your kitchen. LOVE IT…
Going to work on my main bathroom next… Love your blog and ideas.
Thank you for your inspiration.
Lucine
pam kueber says
Thank you for your comment, Lucine, Kate and I really appreciate your vote of confidence. I’ll email you – we’d love to see photos of your kitchen!
Rosemary says
Two thoughts: There are Radko Shiny Brite ornaments at Home Goods, a part of the TJ Maxx empire, or at least in Albuquerque. They are pretty lovely and fairly priced.
Second, my post office said the Rudolph stamps would not be available until today (not yesterday and not on 11/4.) Has anyone else told you about issues with these stamps? I am going to try again today for them. Rudolph is my favorite Christmas tale but I am not sure I really need $100 worht of stamps….
Anyway, great site. Go to it every day. Rosemary
Colleen says
I have a blue bathtub that the people we bought from painted white. There are small spots where the white paint is coming off. Can you tell me how to get all the white paint off without ruining the blue tub underneath it? We also have a septic system so were need to be mindful of what we rinse down the drain. Hope you can help. Thanks
pam kueber says
Colleen, on issues like this, you need to consult with a professional….