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 And, I want to continue to improve the site as an historical reference around things like steel kitchen cabinets, a longtime passion.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
Russ and Paula says
Oh ya sorry about any spelling errors my bad…… you all know what I mean
Paula
pam kueber says
I LOVE IT!
Russ and Paula says
Hi Pam,
I was browsing you site and happen to see our vintage NuTone items that are listed on ebay. Seller: kepler56101
Just wanted to thank you and give you some background on how we came across all the vintage hidden treasures we have uncovered.
So here goes once there was A man named Phil, In our small MN town Phil
was a hero. You see Phil and his workers built a large portion of the housing
in town (affordable housing) we even have streets in our little town named after his family members like (Winnie and Verona Ave’s) anyway, Phils also had a couple of warehouses of bulding materials for sale to the public. The only problem was Phil had a bit of hoarding problem and to even see what was for sale was nearly impossible, (This was one man’s 60 plus years treasures).
Sadly Phil passed away last year and his family chose to sell the buisness.
Thats when one of our other town’s great business man Tom bought out everything the land warehouses and everything in them. Tom didn’t want to keep
Phils business going he needed the space for his own business. so everything was opened up cleared out a bit (so we could really see) what was there. Some things had not seen the light of day in 50 plus years. Well there it all was “TREASURE” not regular treasure, VINTAGE NEW UNOPENED treasure.
so we picked and picked and got the whole family invoved and picked some more treasure that is, Vintage gold there was Progress lighting, Nutone, Weiser, to name a few. Vintage doors, knobs, Escutcheons, 50’s Plasic tiles (by the way we bought every vintage tile in the place) I just love my new found hobby but now our houses. garages, sheds are full and we can’t live like this so Ebay it is with a huge part of our treasure we want to share it with others. The funny thing is My house isn’t even Mid century Modern by any means it was built in 1863 (A big country style 2 1/2 story. it was updated and a basement added in the 80’s. and I was born in 1972 so I am not sure why I love the style so much it really grows on you HaHa. So after all this remember Tom the man who bought the whole thing? His buisness is a Sanitation Garbage removal company, so what ever was left, you guessed it. Has since been desposed of……………………. we saved what we could between us and my sister we will have much to offer people looking for that Vinage look. I just wanted to tell this hidden treasure story RIP Phil…. Paula and Russ Kepler
sparklemonger says
Love this story, except the waste management aspect. Sad to think of all that great stuff gone to waste. RIP Phil. He would have been so happy you saved some of it.
marg richards says
we have a pink and ruby ceramic tile bathroom. everything is pink, shower, tub, toilet, sink , toothbrush holder, cup holder, some strange holder and all is original, except for the toilet lid of which i purchased through vintage supplier. i could never justify “undoing” such a work of art. presently i am looking for vinatage wallpaper to complete the look. any suggestions or outlets?
pam kueber says
marg, sounds fabulous. check my Category: Retro Accents/Wallpaper for lots of wallpaper stories and suppliers. Good luck!
Russ and Paula says
is that strange holder by chance an ash tray holder, just wondering back in the day they had ash trays in every room……. Thanks Paula
Terry says
Just an update on the discontinued Formica Aqua Boomerang. I ordered a 4′ x 8′ sheet yesterday from Formica through Home Depot. If you want some there are about 70 sheets left in assorted sizes. I am going to use it to recover the outdoor sink in my workshop which was original with my house; a 1958 Palm Springs style home in Corpus Christi, Texas.
Cheers,
Terry
Puzzy says
Pam- Sorry to keep bothering you. I will be ordering more books today and was wondering if you get a small cut if I access them through the site like you do with Ebay? One of them you have under your Pamazon recommended books. Also, I’m still struggling with my countertop decision but I did find some that I think might be good cracked ice type in the Wilsonart HD line and then Formica has two that remind me of the Textolite. They are the Greytone and Beigetone (#101 & 102). Perviously you have not responded to my plea for you opinion but I really would value it. I feel that we are almost ready to order the Pionite in Gateway to the Future but I want the SS trim and I’m not sure how often the SS was trimmed on the more matte countertops. The ones I remember seeing with the SS trim when showing and listing homes seem to be the more glossy laminate. Do you have an opinion on this and are you familiar with the above mentioned laminates and if so do you think they are period appropriate for 1955? The Wilsonart HD that I would be interested in are the Luna Winter or Luna Night. Again, thank you for all your hard work and research. I know your time is valuable.
pam kueber says
honestly, puzzy, i am very overloaded, as this is not my fulltime job … put all your samples in a sunny place … stare at them for a while … go for a walk … sleep on it … you’re gonna have to sort out what is right for you … oh, and torture the DH endlessly, too. Yes, disclosure: If you click to Amazon from my Pamazon page and buy a book (or anything) I get a small commission, as I belong to their affiliate program. Good luck!
Puzzy says
Thank you, I will order through the site. As for the laminate, Formica doesn’t have samples of the Beigetone or Greytone so I was hoping that maybe you were familiar with them. To me they really look like the Textolite but it is so hard to tell from the website. Do you have any thoughts on the more matte laminate with the SS edging? I guess that is the only thing holding me back from ordering the Pionite. The Gateway color is so fantastic! That’s it, sorry again for all the questions.
sparklemonger says
Puzzy,
If they don’t have a sample of the two colors you are torn between, what is their minimum order? It might be a good idea to get a little bit bigger piece of each to help you decide rather than committing to your whole order sight -unseen. Besides, then if you do go with one of them, you’ll just have to order that much less. It might be worth the investment, rather than getting the wrong thing for yourself that you’ll have to live with for the next decade or longer.
Gordon says
I need a part for one of my Johnstown metal kitchen cabinet doors.
There is a square metal piece about 3/4 inch on each side with two prongs that fits into a hole on the inside of the door and into which a metal peg on the body of the cabinet inserts when to door is closed and holds the door closed.
This pronged part is missing from my cabinet door. Anyone know where I can get one?
pam kueber says
Gordon, no easy solutions. You are gonna have to improvise… Good luck.
David says
Gordon,
I’d try a good hardware store – it sounds like what you are talking about will be available there (I can’t think of the name, unfortunately).
Alicia says
Hey Pam,
I was thinking maybe you could help me. I recently purchased a drexel counterpoint table with the #8000-4 7/56 stamped underneath. I searched high and low to find out more about this table and the 4 matching chairs stamped 8001-5. I have found the same exact table on ebay but so far no word from the seller as to more info. I even emailed drexel with no reply. Can you help?
pam kueber says
Hi Alicia, sorry, but I am not any kind of expert on this. I suggest you CALL Drexel. I did this a few years ago to get info on another line — and they were very helpful. Good luck!
Puzzy says
Pam,
I was searching for some old advertising or decorating books and came across a real treasure that I wanted to share. This is probably redundant; I am sure you have it referenced somewhere on this fantastic site but I haven’t come across it. It is the Better Homes & Gardens Decorating Book published in 1956. It is 432 pages with 300 full color illustrations. I found it on Amazon. There were 7 used copies…6 now. It arrived today and I am giddy with every page turn!
pam kueber says
yup, very popular.
Puzzy says
Did you have to have your VCT floor rolled with the 100LB roller that the installation guide references?
pam kueber says
Puzzy, this is not a DIY site, you need to consult with the manufacturer/retailer on this issue….
Puzzy says
Wasn’t planning on doing it myself. My contractor and I were going over the game plan and I asked him about it. I have noticed that many of the readers have put these floors in and were inquiring if they needed waxed and stripped, etc. There has also been mention about the direction in which the tiles were laid. I was just curious if anyone noticed during the install if their tiles were rolled as recommended on the Azrock website or if that was just for commercial installs and not necessary in a residential kitchen. I will contact the manufacturer.
pam kueber says
during the install of my azrock, i think they did indeed use a roller. another tip: the subfloor underneath needs to be super smooth with no bumps, or else the bumps may kind of pucker up the tile. we had to have the installer come in and do some rework because they went right over some little bumps in the subfloor without preparing it properly.
Puzzy says
Hello! My family and I just moved into a wonderful 1955 Colonial. It is pretty much a time capsule although the kitchen is not original. While searching your fantastic site for kitchen un-do ideas I came across a Sherwin-Williams ad from 1969 with the paint scheme (and technique) of our kitchen cabinets so I assume the update was done around 69-70. Anyway, I have become a retro-renovation addict as I sort through looking for kitchen ideas. I could really use the readers and your input. I would love to share some photos if you are interested. Thank you for your time and effort providing this priceless resource! Oh, I have noticed that there are several readers in the Pittsburgh area. Diana from Diana’s Kitchen, you are in my neighborhood! Great to know some of our beautiful houses will stay true to their original style!
Julie