Pam’s Kitchen
Escape from NY: I found this set of 1963 Geneva aquamarine kitchen cabinets at a cooking school once run by nuns in New York City. We removed the cabinets and brought them back to my house in Lenox, Mass. The contractor and DH thought I was nuts -- but it turned out great.
Welcome to Retro Renovation — your daily dose of mid century renovation resources… design inspiration… fun finds… and a growing community of people all interested in cherishing their postwar 40s, 50s 60s and 70s homes.
We have fun here. Photo credit: Erica Berger
I’m Pam Kueber. This is my kitchen — and my blog. Doing all the research to renovate 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 do we gab about 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:
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.
Hey, see me talkin’ about it all on this cool etsy.com video:
And here I am on TV at the Southern Spring Home & Garden Show in Charlotte:
If you need ideas — or just love the era — be sure to check in for daily updates on new products to recreate that retro style…design tips…vintage finds…history…and more. To email me, click here.
Meanwhile, if you want to read more about my kitchen saga:
- I find my cabinets – at a cooking school formerly run by nuns in NYC
- The kitchen reno starts — lots of pics of the old kitchen here
- The kitchen comes together #1
- The kitchen comes together #2
- I sell my leftover cabinets to a man from Milwaukee
- Bo Sullivan of Rejuvenation identifies my light
Important for anyone undertaking a renovation: We all care very much about managing environmental and safety issues properly, so when undertaking your restoration project, be sure to familiarize yourself with and use recommended best practices. For example, the EPA hosts a website on lead paint in the home and a website on asbestos in the home. Consult professionals regarding these materials, and also about the proper disposal of debris, etc.
Press Coverage
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
- Chicago Tribune: Retro-Design Blogger Shows Her True Colors
Jan 2011
- Minneapolis Star-Tribune: Bathrooms Still In the Pink
- Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel: Name that Home Fad
December 2010
- New York Times: Bathrooms In the Pink Again – (Top-10 Most Emailed stories for three days running).
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
- Marilyn Bethany writes about Pam and “Mid-Century Modest” on Rural Intelligence blog
March 2010
- On TV at the Southern Spring Home & Garden Show in Charlotte, NC.
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
- New York Times – time capsule homes
April 2009
- Press release on updates to the blog.
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
- On blog talk radio with Mitzi and Walt.
March 2008
- Pam’s kitchen on Apartment Therapy
Winter 2008
- Old House Interiors magazine: This is the story that launched the entire blog!
Fall 2007
- Pam’s kitchen in Cranbrook Academy video about Eero Saarinen
November 8, 2007 — News Release, PRWeb
- More Homeowners Choosing ‘Retro Renovations’ — New Website Caters Exclusively to Increasing Number of Mid-century Remodels
Thanks and Credits: Many thanks to the many folks who have helped, and continue to help, make this blog possible. Including:
- Margaret Roach, for all your support. AwayToGarden.com, Margaret Roach Media.
- Suzy Massey, for design support. PhoenixMassey Studio.
- Brad and all the Webdev 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.
- The rockin’ readers who help feed the Forum. RetroRenovation.com/forum
- WordPress, for a great blogging platform that has made it possible for so many new voices to find their communities. wordpress.com
for its contents. This is a safe-cache copy of the original web site.
Comments
Hi Pam. I am looking to do my kitchen diner style and I have many ideas but not quite sure how to pull them off. I have a lot of coca cola stuff but i am not necssarily married to the coke theme. I really like the colors of your kitchen in the photo. i like colors that pop. you did an awesome job. If you can please help!!!
hi pamela and welcome. check the navigation — Kitchens category. TONS of resources there!!!
Where do you find people who can work on these systems?
not to savvy at this but i am wondering where are the shops and are they online that i can find this great light fixtures
ebay. please know, though, that the old pulldown lights are apparently not to code. consult with a professional before installing them in your home….
Pam, what’s not to code about them? I’ve got one up in my dining room, but since the wiring is from the 20′s I’m not worried too much…
I have been told that thos pull-up/pull-down spools are no longer to code…. Consult with a pro….
Hi Pam,
We have a 1950′s Beauty Queen kitchen in on e of our rentals !
Original formica counters! How should I clean and shine them up?
Thanks! Liz
Clean up which, Liz — the cabinets or the countertops? Note, there are posts on both…
Hi there. Being a contractor in the residential (Houston,TX) remodeling business I run across many pink and other pastel color bathrooms and kitchens. My clients want them out but mostly because they are nearly impossible to decorate. My method in remodeling is to salvage as much as I can for resale or donation whatever the case may be. I have a contract signed on a 1962 pink bathroom with pink tub, lavatory, and toilet. All the holders are pink as well. I am going to attempt to remove the lavatory with the tile countertop intact as well as the backsplash. The tiles from this era are incredibly brittle and razor sharp so it will be a challenge. The tub is cast iron so it is staying but will be refinished in white. So that someone who is looking to retromod their house, how can I best let someone know of these items for sale? I have pictures.
I really enjoy looking over your site. Thanks!!
Hi George. Here on this blog we challenge the notion that “they are nearly impossible to decorate.” See my other little blog: Save The Pink Bathrooms. As far as selling: Craigslist is the best way to go; the market is local for anything really heavy. Thanks for salvaging.
Thanks for quick response. I have already sent your site over to my most recent client for ideas.
Hello, I have a powder pink, 1961Frigidare electric stove!! I “rescued” it from a friends apartment & works GREAT , burners(4) & oven!! It is apartment size 20″ wide!! The only negative is 2 tiny chips on enamel on front left corner, otherwise, GREAT!! It was hard wired into original place. My husband is a electrician & is installing a certified stove cord & plug.
I had to buy it, plus the new cord. If anyone is interested, I would like to get $200.00 for it. A friend said it would be great in a “Airstream” trailer or cabin!! If there is any interest, I will post pictures!!
Hi Courtney — no buying/selling here on the main blog, but you can post this on our Forum: retrorenovation.com/forum/ Good luck.
So Sorry!! New person, will do, thank you!! LOVE LOVE this site!!
Pam,
This is the best website ever! I have always loved the 1950′s-60′s. I always thought it would be cool to restore a 1950′s house back to its original glory. I honestly did not think it was possible! But with all the accurate and authentic examles you have on this website, I know that it is quite possible and maybe not as difficult as I once thought. Through your website I also found out that my house had a 1950s kitchen. Now Im trying to get my parents to agree to restore it instead of change it. We even had a pull down light. Your website will also get people involved. Im only 18 and I plan to have a lifetime of saving retro houses.
Welcome, Cole. Yay on you for starting so young!!!!
I am in love and heartbroken; in love with this website and heart broken that I found it after we renovoted our kitchen and only bathroom. Both looked like the images from this blog.
What’s done is done! How can I redeem myself? How do I retro new renovations? Please forgive me.
We left our pink bathroom (even the mounted soapdish) and relocated to our story and a half cottage five years ago (amoungst a sea of McMansions). We are the second owner. I love this little 1944, 1700 sq ft house.
Pam,
Your site is fab and very timely for me, as we are wrapping up our love affair with our first home (a sweet 1950 cottage in what used to be the suburbs of Dallas) and embarking on another ( a 1963 built home just a few blocks from our first house).
Unfortunately, neither home survived the 1980s intact, but we have done and will do our best to restore them to their original charm and glory (complete with matching the sea-foam tile in the kitchen in our first cottage).
Thanks for all the inspiration!
yay, Meridith, and welcome! be sure to take lots of before and after photos — there’s nothing we love more than reader stories!
Pam,
So, can we get the Formica in “linen” in white & green ? Even something with specs would be fine and vintage.
Thanks for the Blog…I was looking for retro formica….
I have 95 SF of beautiful Original ribbed aqua green 6 x 6 Pomona ceramic tile-never-been-used. I’d like to sell it-buyer takes all 95 SF. I have images to post.
Is this something I can add to your bathroom forum?
I’ve had them posted on Craigs list-Seattle/Tacoma for a few weeks under materials and antiques.
Thank you!
Laura
Yes, Laura – you can post them on the Forum – retrorenovation.com/forum – these sound beautiful!