Retro Renovation

Remodel & decorate in Mid Century Style

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Welcome to Retro Renovation®!

Pam Kueber

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.

pam kueber at wilson house pink bathroom
Photo by Keith Talley / Talley Photography

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 And, I want to continue to improve the site as an historical reference around things like steel kitchen cabinets, a longtime passion.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:

Be-Safe-graphic2.3

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.

retro-renovation-kitchen
Photo by Kit Latham
retro renovation kitchen copyright
Photo by Kit Latham
We have fun here. Photo credit: Erica Berger

<– 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:
Restoring the Retro House in the New York Times Aug. 18 2011Above: 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

retro dresses
Kate worked for the blog for four years, so you will see her name on many stories. Here we are at the big Kitchen and Bath Show in Las Vegas in 2016 introducing our new line of Retro Renovation(TM) by Wilsonart boomerang laminates!
Photo by Erica Berger.

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:

If you need ideas — or just love the era — be sure to check in for updates on new products to recreate that retro style…design tips…vintage finds…history…and more.

Press Coverage

2018 … I kinda stopped keeping track

2017

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

Feb 2011

Jan 2011

December 2010

October 2010

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

Reader Interactions

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520 comments

Comments

  1. Lynette Peavey says

    I have a pink and gray-green 1957 bathroom with pink fixtures. No shower just the pink tub. I want to add a shower but can’t find the tile to match the gray/green pattern. It is a matte, not a gloss and has a definite etched random all over very fine pattern. Almost serpentinish. Do you know what this is or what it was called back in the day? The trim is pink matte and I think I found that to trim the walls for the shower, the problem now is the 4×4 tiles in the gray/green!

  2. kelsey says

    I have a some old 1950’s white metal kitchen cabinets that I am looking to sell. Do you buy and sell? Or reccomend the place to?
    Thanks
    Kelsey

  3. Courtney Hess says

    Hi! I’m currently trying to save my vintage 50s pink bathroom and I need a little help. The bathtub has beautiful plastic tiles but a previous owner sprayed some kind of coating on top of the tile (maybe a waterproofing agent?) and the coating has yellowed with age. In some places the coating is loose and falling off on it’s own and I’m able to remove it with a soapy rag but in other places it is stubbornly attached to the tile. Any ideas on how to remove the coating without damaging the tiles? I know anything abrasive will scratch the plastic tiles but I’m hoping there’s some sort of home remedy or solvent that might help.

    • Pam Kueber says

      Hi Courtney, I don’t know the answer to this. However, plastic tiles come up frequently on eBay — finding replacements might not be too difficult… Good luck!

  4. Christy Carter says

    I recently renovated my small kitchen to gain more usable space. I took down a 42 inch nutone stove hood and exhaust fan. Where would be a good place to sell this retro piece. I approximate it is from late 60’s early 70’s maybe. It was working when I disconnected it.

  6. Madison Taylor says

    Hey Pam and Kate! Love the site! I was hoping you could help me out. We are renovating our bathroom and are trying to match some tile with a light blue American Standard Decledge sink. Do you have any suggestions? We got a sample of Daltile spa but it seems a bit too light. We can’t really afford B&W who’s prices tend to be pretty high. Thanks! And I’ll be sure to send you guys some pics when we’re done!

  7. Michael / Mare REASONS says

    LOVE this site and so glad I found you as i live in a tiny 800 sq ft home built in 1951, i love antiques and feel at home in the old charm of the era. I am hoping you can direct me to resource’s to keep it up. With everyone on the granite band wagon I am so glad to NOT be one of those women. Do you have a sign up for articles etc/

  8. Phillip says

    I truly enjoy your site. I have Youngstown steel cabinets in my bungalow home and enjoy how the catches still work as intended even after being in service for over 60 years. I recently had a pipe burst in my kitchen and, yes, the cabinets survived that. However, as I put the rest of the kitchen back together, I’m considering the open air concept that is popular today. Do you have any recommends on doing so and compensating for the loss of wall hanger cabinet space? Thanks for any and all advice on proceeding.

  9. Michael Kelly says

    In regards to your post on the GE wall-mounted refrigerator from a while back, we had one in the house where I spent my teenage years, ’60 to ’70. My dad cut a hole in the wall between the kitchen and the garage to install it. I have no idea why this recollection floated up from my memory banks.