The most popular designs for laminate countertops in mid century America? Boomerang and glitter certainly must be near the top — but we also believe that linen laminate countertops were top sellers, too. It is easy to see why this pleasing texture would be a hit. The tone-on-tone coloration prevents counter tops from looking like a single slab ‘o color, while the “design” is neutral enough to accommodate ‘most any decor. Probably even hides the crumbs pretty well! For this story, we are able to show you seven different colorways of vintage linen laminate counter tops — taken from our recent story about the stash of vintage Wilsonart laminate samples spotted on etsy.

Update: Since it’s coming up in the Comments, here is my famous “Graveyard of the Atlantic” laminate-name story.

The only photo of vintage linen laminate counter tops on the blog so far is this show (above) from an estate sale time capsule house that Pam visited back in 2009. Could this be Wilsonart red Irish linen laminate?

Pam says that she originally had linen laminate countertops in two of the bathrooms in her house. They were in bad shape, and were replaced with some retro look laminates available at the time.

Vintage linen laminate on the left; new Pionite on the right. Not too bad a “design” match, but colorways diverge…

Several companies today make laminates they call “linen”. Check out the Pionite linen — which sort of approximates the vintage “Fine Linen” above…. Wilsonart has a new linen — but hmmm too sharpened…. And of course: See all our stories about laminates that might suit a retro remodel in our Kitchens / Countertops category here.

Readers — do you have vintage linen laminate counter tops in your kitchen or bath?

The post Linen laminate counter tops, another mid century favorite appeared first on Retro Renovation.

Today’s vintage 1960 catalog is a real treat — especially for those of us who love knotty pine (do you know about our other little website, Knotty is Nice?). And even if you are not sure about the knotty, this 1960 look at “101 Home Ideas Featuring the 10 Fine Woods of the Western Pine Region” might update your view.  For example, I have always considered knotty pine in terms of its Early American heritage…. something that today, we’d play up in a kitschy way. But take a look at the kitchen above: Knotty pine goes all mid century modern — and it looks pretty good! Check out this catalog — 24 pages — to see wood the way that homeowners saw it back in the day.

This Americana kitchen looks like it belongs in a Storybook Ranch house — look at the awesome built in controls for the stove top and the decorative scalloped trim on the counter edges and undersides of the upper cabinets. Dig the window treatments. Dig the wallpaper. Is that a built-in barbecue peeking at us over on the left? Is that a Lamb Chops cookie jar over on the right?

Here’s another view of the same kitchen, taking a look at the eat-in bar area. It combines knotty pine with stone to face the bar. The flooring (vintage Armstrong, wethinks) continues the stone motif throughout the kitchen, while the posts that hold up the interior awning coordinate with the captains chairs at the bar.

Above: A third photo of the same house — you can tell because the window treatments are carried room-to-room. This is a great design idea if your house is small and you want to unite adjacent living spaces; it also saves on agonizing decisions about often-expensive window treatments. We love this cafe curtain treatment, as well — a nice design idea if you want privacy and light at the same time. The curtains themselves are also beautifully designed — a little bit of color, but not so much as to draw too much attention… and the scalloped design where the cafes hook to the rod is a nice, subtle touch.

The kitchen above has a more modern looking pine design — the use of multi leveled counters with what must have been the most cutting edge custom, built-in appliances and lack of ornamentation make this kitchen feel more minimalistic than kitschy.

Does anyone else love the tea kettle pendant light in this kitchen as much as I do? And, laying the copper metal tiles on the diagonal is a lovely idea. Wallpaper: A small-print geometric, on the soffits, just like in Pam’s kitchen. These are nice design touches that adds a bit of fun to this otherwise straight forward utilitarian space.

Could this be? A pink vintage pine bathroom? Yes: The text says, “A gray-glazed pink enamel over clear grade ponderosa pine….” Yum. Terrific storage in this pine bathroom, too.

Here’s a bathroom with loads of personality. Scalloped edges are everywhere. White knobs pop off the wood, over exaggerated hinges line the doors — and those decorative fish tiles set into the backsplash — to die for. I also spy a Hall-Mack revolving toothbrush holder. This bathroom has it all.

More scalloped trim decorate the built-in light fixture and shelves in this mid century bathroom. It is nice to see the pine mixed with pastel and checkerboard in this space — which gives the bathroom a balance between a masculine and feminine feel. Interesting also is how things line up in this bathroom. The curtains meet the edge of the trim on the light, the tile backsplash runs all the way up to the underside of the shelf and mirror. These touches give the room a very intentional and finished feeling.

If it is possible to go overboard with knotty pine in a bathroom — this would be that bath. Knotty pine covers every surface — the walls, the counter top, the knobs, the medicine cabinets — heck, I think if it were possible, they might have used knotty pine sinks and toilets.  Sound yucky? Don’t forget: It wasn’t until after World War II that many homes got indoor toilets. Before that, we had outhouses — wooden thrones. We love outhouse stories. Here’s our favorite: An outhouse named Sally.

Round rooms are always intriguing — but this one takes the cake with its radial pine domed ceiling, high shelf for knick knacks, flamboyant wallpaper, and paneling that follows the curve of the room. All with pretty modern looking furniture!

Surely it is not a normal thing to make a fireplace out of knotty pine — even the inside seems to be pine-lined. Huh?

This adorable vintage laundry room — love that washer/dryer combo — employs pine in the built-in cabinet that must conceal all the “un cute” items that belong in a laundry room.

The basement rec room — or in this case, workshop — is a place where we often see wood paneling in a mid century home. Over on our Knotty is Nice website, Pam wrote a detailed story about 5 reasons we believe that knotty pine was popular in mid century homes. What do you think?

Here an entire basement has been transformed into a fun and usable space with the help of Western Pine. Complete with a built-in bar, shelves and TV space, this is one terrific space.

Speaking of built-in television sets — here is another — this one presumably on the main floor of the house. In the days before flat screen TVs, this must have been an exciting space saver.

The catalog shows several finishes and effects that can be achieved using different pine species and glazes. Yellowstone appears to be the color most people think about when they imagine an knotty pine room. We *think* that Amber Shellac — still available today — is the classic finish.

To see all 24 pages of this fantastic catalog, view the slideshow below.

Thanks to the MBJ Collection via archive.org for making this catalog available via Creative Commons license.

Tips to view slide show: Click on first image… it will enlarge and you can also read my captions… move forward or back via arrows below the photo… you can start or stop at any image:

One of our other little websites — all about lovin’ the knotty pine. Teehee.

The post 101 design ideas to decorate knotty pine — 24 page catalog from 1960 appeared first on Retro Renovation.

If you have a farmhouse kitchen sink — and need a wall mount faucet — check out this design from Strom Plumbing. This is the most handsome wall mount faucet that I have ever seen.

I’ve written about wall mount faucets from Strom before. I like those, sure, but this new design is not so “rounded” as others, there is no embellishment, no frou frou. Instead, this design has a chunky, utilitarian, almost industrial style — better for a mid century kitchen sink, I think. Notice the use of the “hex” shape and hard contoured edges thoughout the design. And of course, it’s always cool to have the soap dish attachment — what a terrific retro detail.

This kitchen faucet has hunka hunka heft, much like the Mississippi bathroom faucet that I love – also made by Strom Plumbing. I used the Mississippi faucet in two of my bathrooms. They were not inexpensive — but they seem to be terrific quality. I always like a kitchen and bathroom faucet with good “hand feel” — lots of “heft” when you touch them. The Mississippi bathroom faucets certainly have delivered. Note, several readers have pointed out that the smaller, 4″ Mississippi is no longer offered. Drats. I need to do more research on 4″ faucets, although we do have a few.

Where to see this Strom wall mount faucet

As you can see, you can get this Strom kitchen faucet as either deck- or wall mounted faucet, on an 8-inch spread. You can see it on page 105 of the Strom Plumbing Sign of the Crab catalog. Note, Strom is a wholesaler — you cannot buy from them. If want to hunt this design online, plug the model number into the Google and go from there.

• See all our research and stories about both kitchen faucets and sinks for a vintage kitchen here.

The post Wall mount faucet for a kitchen sink from Strom Plumbing appeared first on Retro Renovation.

“…Finding replacement parts and coming up with ways
to solve problems was way more exciting to me
than just getting a new kitchen.” — Chris

Wow, here is a wonderful renovation: After purchasing a condo apartment in a building designed by Mies van der Rohe, reader Chris — an architecture graduate —  completed a kitchen remodel worthy of this historic architectural space. When Chris moved in, the kitchen featured nondescript 1980s cabinets. He started his search, and found a vintage General Electric Wonder Kitchen on our Retro Renovation buy/sell Forum. He had the steel cabinets re-enameled, the stove re-wired, and then installed the revived Wonder Kitchen alongside a vintage GE refrigerator he found on craigslist. What an extraordinarily beautiful space. And: Perhaps it could be yours? Yes, Chris is now moving, and the apartment is now for sale. Click on through for more photos, and for Chris’ Retro Renovation story.

Creating a kitchen worthy of Mies van der Rohe

Chris and I had several ‘conversations’ via email, and I edited them together for flow. Chris writes:

Hello Pam,

I just wanted to thank you for your awesome site! I have always loved vintage kitchens, and your site is a fantastic resource. I graduated from architecture school a couple of years ago, and when I bought a unit in a Mies van der Rohe designed building in Chicago, I took out the not-so-great 80s kitchen and found an original steel GE all in one kitchen center on your forum and a vintage GE fridge on craigslist.

The only problem was that the kitchen was located on the east coast and I was in Chicago!  My brother and his wife, who live out there, picked it up and took it to someone he knows in Providence to get it powder coated (I owe them!).  He took all of the hardware and trim off, disassembled the oven, dishwasher, stove and washer/ dryer and dropped it off.  They sandblasted everything and then put “arctic white” coating on it.  It was fairly inexpensive as they do huge runs of stuff there, and they just did this between runs.  When they fired the coating it burned the material in the doors, which I think I remember reading on your forum.  So the doors don’t have the same kind of “thunk” that they once had when closing, but they still work well.

When we got the stuff to Illinois, we reassembled it in the unit (minus most of the old electrical elements).  One of the sliding glass doors was missing but we found an exact match at a glass store in Chicago. The washer/ dryer wasn’t needed so we took the entire front and hinged it on an Ikea cabinet to make more storage space. The dishwasher is not hooked up so we use it to store trash and recycling.One of the biggest challenges was that nobody wanted to re-wire the push button stove! I ended up buying a cheap stove on Amazon, removed the casing and made a panel for the knobs. So now the buttons are just decorative, but it works now! Because of code, we couldn’t use the outlets on the backsplash so we raised the cabinets up a bit and put a stainless steel plugmold strip with outlets.  The appearance is not perfect, but it works well.

I have always loved modernism and especially kitchens.  When I was young I liked looking through magazines from the 1950s and was excited when there were ads for appliances at the time.  When I look at pictures of the Case Study houses and other period houses, the kitchen is usually my favorite part.  I’m not much of a cook but I love the look of vintage kitchens!  I also really liked the challenge of adapting the kitchen to code and to modern needs.  Finding replacement parts and coming up with ways to solve problems was way more exciting to me than just getting a new kitchen.

I’ve only enjoyed it for a short time, and now I am moving, but I am excited to use your site to get ideas for my next place! I hope my story can help inspire someone else in their vintage kitchen project!

Here are a couple of photos.  I also attached the link to the listing in case you know anyone looking for a vintage kitchen with a condo attached!    If it seems like the future buyer is going to rip it out, I will plan to take it with and maybe re-list it on your forum!  www.880nlakeshore6g.com

It is so great to know there are people out there that share my passion for modern kitchens! Thanks again and keep up the great work!

Chris

Wow, Chris, what a spectacular space. When I lived in Michigan, I took a weekend course in “Architecture and Poetry” at the Detroit Institute of Arts. The course included a study of the famous apartment complex that Mies van der Rohe designed in Detroit adjacent to the downtown core. What a fascinating place, what a fascinating man — and you have done him proud.

Yes, readers, GE Wonder Kitchens were another derivative of steel kitchen cabinet sets sold in the 1950s and 1960s. I am not sure of the exact dates for this design — GE experts … Patrick ? — do you have any definitive information? These were marketed as one-piece, space-saving, space-age kitchen units. The cabinet modules were united by a long single piece of stainless steel counter top, which also had a sink and electric range engineered right into it. As you can see from Patrick’s GE Wonder Kitchen, there was also a built-in oven tucked in at one end. I love the height of that oven — so ergonomic, I would think. I believe that the Wonder Kitchen also usually included a three-door refrigerator that was designed to look like a wall cabinet — yes, the refrigerator was up where the wall cabinets go. People’s eyes always pop out of their head when they see these for the first time. Finally, it looks like with the GE Wonder Kitchen you get a lovely array of cabinettes, too. What a delightful design!

Challenges with powder coating  — do your own thorough research — consult with your own professionals

Note that in this story, Chris also mentions one of the challenges to powder coating vintage steel cabinets. I recall hearing before from a reader or two who said their metal cabinet doors warped as a result of the final baking process used in powder coating. This is the first time, I believe, that I have heard of the backing inside the cabinet doors disintegrating during the bake process. Yes, vintage cabinets may have some sort of backing inside the doors — I *think* they were added as sound deadeners… as, Chris mentions, to ensure a nice clunk. To cut to the chase: If you are restoring these cabinets, take note of the risk of using refinishing processes that require high heat… and, we don’t know what’s in that backer material… and, oh yeah, and the original paint may contain lead. Precautionary Pam repeats: Consult with your own properly licensed professionals to assess what’s in the materials and layers of the stuff in your old house so that you can make informed decisions how to handle.

You can repaint without heat: I have never had to refinish metal cabinets. Mine are original finish. But, when Shaun refinished and repainted the steel bases of my Burke tulip table and tulip chairs, he used auto body-quality paint in a dust-controlled spray booth in his shop. He did the stripping in his shop, as well. I think my table base and chair bases turned out beautifully. If I were to refinish steel cabinets, I think I would find someone like Shaun who had the equipment, space and patience to spray the cabinets by hand using paint that did not require baking. I think that personally, I would not want to risk my cabinet doors warping — the cabinets are too precious. I might then try to finish off the top coat with a glossy wax — to get an even richer look mimicking baked-on enamel best I can. All this said, I continue: This is not a DIY site. But, I have featured stories from a number of readers with steel kitchen cabinets and some of them have shared a bit of their experiences. You can read these stories to begin to get a sense of the refinishing options. But then: Do your own research — consult with your own professionals. Make your own decisions.

We see GE Wonder Kitchens for sale fairly often. But as Patrick suggested, the thought of trying to rewire them and get them working again is likely off-putting to most folks. So, I fear, this should be added to the Endangered List.

Nope, we don’t do things the easy way around here. That’s no fun. Nope. Not at all.

The post Mies van der Rohe apartment gets Retro Renovated with a “new” GE Wonder Kitchen appeared first on Retro Renovation.

Ann

Do you love the sleek look of vintage steel kitchen cabinets — but don’t want to undertake the rocky journey to find a set to fit your kitchen, then restore the cabinets, etc.? Well, that was reader Ann’s dilemma. She recently purchased a 1965 condo apartment. The original kitchen was failing. She loved the look of vintage, but did not want her kitchen to be an epic. So, instead of hunting down the vintage, she found a clever and patient cabinet maker who recreated the look of vintage steel to a tee using wood, and then finished them with special high gloss paint. Ann did use a New Old Stock vintage tile — both the floor and backsplash tiles are from World of Tile, of course. And there’s even another twist — Ann used a *famous* historic kitchen featured here as inspiration for her redesign. What a spectacular story — and kitchen. Read on for the complete story, more photos, and all of Ann’s resources.

Ann’s 1965 kitchen “before”

… an all-new vintage style “after”

Ann and I had several email exchanges. I edited her responses, for flow. She writes:

I didn’t have the time/resources to find a vintage steel kitchen, but wanted the look. So I found a custom cabinet maker here in Bucks County PA to create one in wood — Millworks LLC. Boy, did they come through!

Ann’s design inspiration: The Koravos family kitchen — a “time capsule” kitchen salvaged for museum use. Photo courtesy of Historic New England. Used on this site with permission.

My kitchen design is a replica of one I found through you — (the time capsule Koravos kitchen rescued by Preservation Massachusetts for historic purposes [shown above]. Millworks LLC researched every minute detail and with impeccable, high end, old world craftsmanship, delivered precisely what was requested. It occurred to me that a portion of your readership might be interested in doing this as well, especially with the resurgence of mid century architectural plans.

Both the floor and backsplash tile came from World of Tile. I was dazzled by World of Tile, as I know you were too. It’s an amazing place. Can I offer some advice? I will anyway heehee. If you go with vintage tile, do yourself a HUGE favor and glue the sheets to new fiberglass mesh before you begin. The old mesh/paper/whatever-they-used will disintegrate when it hits the wet adhesive and you’ll be crying for the entire installation.  It took us three weeks to lay the kitchen floor. If we had replaced the mesh it would’ve taken but a few days.

It’s taken eight months to get to this point! My boyfriend Ron and I did most of the work ourselves. But it’s finally coming together.

I was born with the retro in my DNA, and in my attic! My dad was a bomber pilot in WWII, and my Mom was a glamour girl. ALL Dad’s war gear and many of Mom’s best dresses, skirts, seamed stockings, hair rats etc were up in our attic. As a teen, I wore them to school. I also combed thrift shops back in the 70s and acquired an impressive collection of bubble dresses, swing jackets, clam diggers, you name it! I loved anything and everything 40s, but 50s mid mod — hated it! It was a slow seduction that began with my sister sharing links to your photos of Time Capsule houses. Within those photos I began seeing styles that went far beyond kitschy diner. I began to collect pieces here and there, and found it went beautifully with my (then) obsession with Middle Eastern/West Indian decor. Finally, when I bought a 1965 Condo last year, my appreciation of mid-mod blossomed into love!

The condo had its original kitchen and bath. I was prepared to love the kitchen, but it had a long, hard, sad life, and was unsalvageable. The kitchen had the much desired gold-flecked laminate counter tops, and I did my very best to save them. ( Alas, black mold infiltrating the substrate defeated me. Badly neglected, cheap-to-begin-with cabinets also needed replacing. The bathroom, however, with its cast iron tub, console sink, and mud-set mosaic tile floor were saved. Yay! Now there’s a retro kitchen to match!

Thanks so much for creating your website. Without it, I would never have found my dream kitchen!!

Ann shares the products she used for her Retro Renovation kitchen remodel:

• Kitchen cabinets: Millwork LLC, Trubauersville, PA. The cabinets faces and doors are solid maple, and the boxes are lumber core veneer plywood, she says.
• Paint for the kitchen cabinets: Benjamin Moore Tropicana Cabana in a special catalyzed paint with a high gloss finish coat.
• Cabinet pulls: Top Knobs M390 Nouveau Pierced Pull Chrome (*affiliate link)
• Counter tops: Pionite, Primary Yellow
• Faucet: Chicago Faucet, same as Pam’s. “I was reading your archives,” Ann said, “saw you had that Chicago Faucet and asked you about it in comments. We absolutely love it. Talk about quality and worth every red cent!”
• Refrigerator, dishwasher and microwave: Frigidaire Gallery from H H Gregg.
• Oven: Brand new Kenmore Pro snagged on ebay for 1/4 the price. A closeout — picked up at a Sears in NJ.
• Stovetop: GE, gently used from Craigslist for 1/3 the price of new.
• Kitchen light: “… My crown jewel — a group effort!,” Ann explains. “I found it on ebay. It’s a Lightolier, and had been salvaged from a movie theater demolition. It was white enameled metal. Ron, my boyfriend, suggested we have Millwork LLC paint it Tropicana Cabana. Then they suggested we add the yellow to the trim parts.”

Ann, there is not much more for me to say than: This is a really ingenious kitchen — you did an amazing job — and yes, when Ron gets his second wind and the back splash is finished, you know we’d love to see the finished kitchen. Thank you so much sharing!

The post Ann recreates the look of vintage steel kitchen cabinets — in wood appeared first on Retro Renovation.

If you love the functionality of the classic farmhouse drainboard sink – but don’t necessarily want vintage or reproduction porcelain – perhaps a drop-in stainless steel drainboard sink is just the ticket. After searching far and wide — I’ve come up with seven places where you can find drop-in stainless steel drainboard sinks today — in a range of sizes, styles and prices sure to fit any kitchen and budget.

Note: We are not experts on manufacturing and materials specifications issues, so we did not try to try to assess these sinks for gauges / construction / durability. There could well be differences model-to-model, so if you are in the market, this is something you should/could research further. We do tend to believe that if your stainless steel drainboard sink is of good quality, it will last virtually forever. Regarding scratches and the like, we do not get in a tizzy when it comes to hard working surfaces like this. We quite like patina, actually.

#1 Elkay:

We already know that Elkay makes stainless steel drainboard sinks — perfect for a mid century kitchen remodel – but they also make several drop in drainboard sinks — 10 different configurations by my count. These sinks are pricey, so make sure to save your pennies if you fall in love with one.

#2 Franke USA:

Franke sinks are made in the USA — always a plus — and this model (the only drainboard stainless steel sink I could find by the company) sells for right around $100 and is available at big box stores like Lowes, Home Depot and Menards.

#3 American Standard:

American Standard also appears to only have one drop in stainless steel drainboard sink — the Culinaire top mount dual level sink & drain board. At just under $1,000 — it is pricey — especially if you were hoping for more sink bowl space.

#4 Fluid:

The Fluid Company has one very modern and streamlined stainless steel double bowl drainboard kitchen sink — available for about $800.

#5 Ikea:

The Ikea Boholmen sink series — available in four configurations ranging from $85 – $202 – is as affordable as it is reversible — since there are no faucet holes, faucets must be placed in counter top or backsplash.

#6 Whittington:

If you are looking for a drop in stainless steel drainboard sink with a single bowl, single faucet hole — look no further than the Infinite stainless steel rectangular drop in prep sink with drainboard from Whittington. At $165 it won’t break the bank, and its compact size won’t hog the counter top either. They also make a round version.

#7 Kindred:

There is also a modern looking stainless steel drop in sink model from Kindred sinks. I couldn’t find any pricing information — but if you are looking for a double bowl model with a sleek design — this sure fits the bill.

#8 Buy vintage:

Pam spotted this vintage sink at her local Re-Store just last week — it was $40.

We guesstimate that this style of sink has been around for decades — especially from Elkay. So if you want to save big bucks, keep your eyes peeled at the Restore Habitat for Humanity and maybe craigslist — you might find one at a small fraction of the retail price today. The photo above is Pam’s. She said that this sink seemed “pretty honkin’ heavy duty.” She could not easily see a label. It was priced at just $40. If you have a ReStore, and you have the time to stalk it, you can find amazing bargains.

Want a complete stainless steel counter top? See our story — 5 ways to do stainless steel counter tops.

And, we have a mega round up page — All about Farmhouse drainboard sinks.

The post 8 places to find drop in stainless steel drainboard sinks appeared first on Retro Renovation.

Thanks to reader Ashly for today’s tip:  A new source for kitchen and bathroom counter top laminate,  Lab Designs. We have not seen these designs in person, but viewed online, they seem promising. After Ashly’s comment, Pam called the company for pricing information. According to the representative, most laminates they have deliver for $1.90-$2.10 per square foot — which calculates to about $64 for a 4 x 8 sheet.

For vertical use only.

For vertical use only.

When you are looking at Lab Design’s collection online, take note whether it is for “vertical installation only” — we interpret that to mean not rated for the constant abuse that horizontal surfaces take.In her comment, Ashly mentioned the Arctic Retro and Ebony Retro designs – but unfortunately — these are both for vertical use only. Luckily there are still many other exciting choices rated for horizontal installation in the abstract collection.

The retro counter top laminates from Lab Designs

Above: Ivory Organica — a fun pattern in nice pastel colors — that would look great in a kitchen or bathroom.

Design study: Notice how Ivory Organica’s pattern is “multi-directional”. Pam learned that term recently from Grace Jeffers. That is, the laminate design does not look like it is running in only one direction. This Lab Design pattern runs both north and south (if you will) equally. Most vintage laminate was “multi directional,” Grace seemed to be saying. Isn’t this nuance interesting?!

Above: Beige Organica — same cool pattern with a more neutral color scheme.

Above: Tangerine Fabrique — great for your flower power kitchen.

Above: Verde Fabrique — pretty close to our Retro Renovation color of the year — Broyhill Premier Chapter One Lime Green — don’t you think?

Above: True Blue Fabrique — a close relative of Bitossi Rimini Blu.

Above: Yellow Fabrique — another great choice for a sunny flower power kitchen.

Above: Red Fabrique — a good option for vintage 50s style kitchen.

Above: Plum Fabrique.

Above: Black Fabrique

Above: Charcoal Fabrique

Above: Whisper Batiste — a nice option for a neutral linen look.

Above: Fog Batiste — another neutral linen look option.

Above: Chili Mesh — not quite linen, but it reads as a fabric-like texture.

Above: Apple Tesseract — not quite a linen, but a nice texture and color.

Above: Nutmeg Tesseract — this would work well in a 70′s style kitchen.

Above: Thyme Tesseract — another good option for a 70s style kitchen remodel.

Though there isn’t a boomerang or sparkle in sight — this collection of abstract laminates would feel at home in many a retro kitchen or bathroom. And hey — they have color — which is a beacon of light in today’s sea of greige granite laminate.

See our extensive research about laminates suitable for a retro or vintage kitchen or bathroom in our Kitchen / Countertops category.  

The post Retro counter top laminates from Lab Designs appeared first on Retro Renovation.

In this morning’s story showing a complete 1953 catalog of GE Textolite laminate, we noted this graphic showing the variety of ways that a homemaker could edge her kitchen counter tops in 1953. It’s nice to have this “authentic” historical record. I count 10 ways to edge a laminate counter top — and point you to stories we have done about where you can find the materials today to recreate these looks:

Edges for round or square edges:

1. Round corner — edged with the same laminate you use for the counter top. 
2. Tee nosing of flat extruded aluminum — To edge a rounded corner with metal trim, you must use a tee-molding.  RetroTrims.com is my favorite go-to place for aluminum tee-moldings, because they are an advertiser here and because they specialize in metal trims. Other sources could include Heffrons.com (also an advertiser), New York Metals, Outwater Plastics, Bars & Booths.
3. Tee nosing fluted and colored aluminum – RetroTrims has some fluted designs, as do the other suppliers noted above. Note: I know of NO vendors of kitchen counter top-sized edging into which you can slide colored strips of vinyl, or what have you. Bars & Booths has one, but it’s quite wide/high — 3″ high. That’s okay for a diner style table, but way too tall for a kitchen counter top.
   
4. Postforming outside bend — Postforming simply means “curved with heat” — the counter top maker needs to do this for you.

Edges for square corners only:

1. Square corner — I think that all they are referring to here is using the laminate itself as an edge.
2. Textolite edge — I don’t understand the difference here vs. above. But from the illustration, it appear Textolite must have had a special crisp edge as part of the laminate manufacture, which itself could be considered a design option. This is kind of ironic — because today, laminate manufacturers are going all out to try and minimize any seams at all and to replicate the look of marble and granite and the like with their postformed edges.
3. Wood edge flush — I don’t have a specific source. I *think* this type of wood edging is pretty common.
4. Stainless steel edge — New York Metals is the only place I know of with stainless steel edging. I used this in my kitchen, and continue to adore it. Here’s my story on the pieces I used.
5. Aluminum edge — RetroTrims.com is my go-to place, because they are an advertiser here and because they specialize in metal trims. Other sources could include Heffrons.com (also an advertiser), New York Metals, Outwater Plastics, Bars & Booths.
6. Aluminum plain or decorated — I do not know of any suppliers with an aluminum edge with a profile this pronounced.

Thanks to the Building Technology Heritage Library and archive.org for making this catalog available via creative commons license.

More tips on counter tops and edging:

• The pieces that I used for my kitchen countertops.
• Photos of my edging, with closeup details.
• My video all about my countertop, including the edging.
• Check out all our Counter Top stories here.

The post 10 ways to do counter top edges — from 1953 appeared first on Retro Renovation.

When reader Ann told me she had used Pionite laminate in Primary Yellow for her 1965 kitchen Retro Renovation, I jumped on over to Pionite to look at the chip. And golly, Ms. Molly, wouldn’t you know it, but sitting right there in the same row of color chips was: Bittersweet. I didn’t know that any laminate maker still produced Bittersweet.

photo courtesy dixie-too on ebay

I think that Bittersweet is a super classic 1960s and 1970s color. I first learned about it, because we collect Stangl pottery, and one of their patterns is “Bittersweet”. It’s a color that endured many years — more than I guess I knew, as here it is again (or still?) today.

I tend to believe that the kitchen counter tops in the Brady Bunch kitchen were exactly this shade of orange. Here’s short clip from CBS that shows Mike Brady struggling to do women’s work, ugh, in the Brady kitchen:

Anyway, this Pionite palette of solid colors is pretty darn nice. There are two pages of color options — with lots of off-whites, which are always classic, and with many true retro colors — French blue, Boxwood, Surfin’ USA, Burgundy, Royal Burgundy — and a nice Primary Red.

Orange is my favorite color. It was the first Retro Renovation Color of the Year, in 2011.

I also loved the Brady Bunch, of course. Looks like you can see lots of, or maybe all of, the episodes here.

Oh. Yes. This blog is about decorating. Want your own Brady Bunch orange countertops? Get them, along with other retro solid colors, here: Pionite solid laminate colors — 2 pages

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complete with original food display containers inside

Sparkling *new* vintage appliances occasionally turn up. Here’s another one from awesome retro-spotter Jason — who pointed us in the direction of this fantastic vintage 1956 Amana Stor-More refrigerator/freezer from Ebay seller docoxco. This sparkling gem has been used as a floor model in different appliance shops for the last 57 years — and still contains the display food from 1956. How’s that for an amazing find? And — it’s on ebay right now, it could be yours.

From the Ebay listing:

This unit has been in an old appliance store as a display model. Never been used. It comes with the display food items, the ice cube trays still wraped in original wrapping and owners manual. It does have some very small chips on the front door and they are pictured. The unit is in very good condition. We did plug it in and monitor it for 24 hours. Its runs like a dream and holds temps properly.

This fridge is currently for sale:

The Fridge was on display at Edwards of Douglas [Wyoming], the owner passed away approximately 20 years ago. I obtained the fridge from (the owner’s) son 15 years ago. The fridge was on display in his store for 20 years or so, then was moved to a storage area and just sat there. When I obtained it from (the owner’s son), I also displayed it for about 10 years. I then moved it to storage in my back room. I did not want the unit damaged by children opening and closing and climbing on the unit. I decided recently that maybe it would just be better where someone could take better care of it and possibly even use it. The unit had never been plugged in, so we plugged it in and monitored for 24 hours, It held perfect temps. We also obtained at the same time, a model 15 Amana freezer. It also is in very good condition. It does have a few nicks and scratches, but for the most part is real good. I also plugged it in and it maintained perfect temps.

Wow — it even has the original owner’s manual. The inside of this fridge is lined with mint green trim, decked out with golden shelving and aqua bins. Also, can look to the left — the vintage Amana freezer looks pretty blingy, too.

It must have been called the “Stor More” model because of how much extra storage they crammed into the door. All the nicely ordered bins are so pretty.

The freezer door has quite a lot of door storage space, too — still packed with vintage display frozen foods. Also note — the freezer is on the bottom — which I am thinking was not common in 1956 (am I right Pam?).

Mega thanks to Ebay seller docoxco for sharing this story, and for giving us permission to show are archive his photos of this fabulous fridge.

The post Vintage refrigerator — 1956 Amana Stor-More — never used! appeared first on Retro Renovation.

Do you think we 2000-somethings “invented” refrigerator drawers concealed in base cabinets? It appears not — because here is GE showcasing refrigerator drawers (update: okay, maybe they are freezer drawers, but big diff) that look like kitchen base cabinets… which they have combined with their Wall Refrigerator-Freezer and Cabinettes in this mother of all midcentury modern refrigerators units called, humbly, the GE Refrigeration Center. 

Love. Although, we don’t quite understand what’s holding it up, as readers have pointed out that the wall refrigerator-freezer weighs hundreds of pounds. I do not have a date for this piece of marketing — but the image is from my collection and is one of my boxes, so I’ll find it someday(ish) and add the year to this documentation. At minimum, it’s 1955. If anyone can identify one of these live in its original habitat, I will give you…a $100 Amazon gift certificate and Retro Renovation Fame, too! To win my leetle competition, though, YOU need to do the legwork to get the photo!

Want to see more of this amazing line of vintage GE kitchen appliances? Also see our story in the GE Wonder Kitchen.

The post Amazing vintage refrigerator from GE that includes both wall and drawer fridges appeared first on Retro Renovation.

Reader Rebecca’s 1963 kitchen is in need of some TLC. She already has come up with a great solution to swap a wall oven with a full size stove — which she documented on her blog, The Vintage Life. But now she’s stuck. Rebecca will use Formica aqua boomerang laminate on the counter tops… she has picked out a mosaic tile back splash… and she’s decided on a wall color. Her final dilemma: What color to paint or refinish the faded chippy wood kitchen cabinets?

Rebecca writes:

We are redoing our 1963 kitchen and have decided on an aqua, orange and white palate.  We are keeping the current cabinets and my dilemma is what color should the cabinets be.  We are considering using the Rust-Oleum Cabinet Transformation product but I am stuck as to what color. Our thinking was that the cabinets needed a “refresh”.  They are leaning a little yellow and yes there is some damage in a few places.  I have attached a couple pics I put together from the Sherman Williams Color Visualizer. [Editor's note - we did not show these photos - but we made our own, below.] They are crude but give a little bit of a vision of what it could be. One picture is with the cabinets in a darker color and one picture is with the cabinets staying as they are.  We thought the painting of the cabinets at least in a darker color really made the other colors pop a little more.  So that is what we were thinking.  It would be easier to leave them alone but I really think we need to do something with them.  We are open to your suggestions.

The counter tops are going to be the Formica aqua boomerang that we bought before they discontinued it.

The back splash is going to be glass mosaic tile from Mosaic Tile Supplies. I used their tile maximizer to create my own blend of white at 70% then aqua and orange at 15% each.  Here is a link to their site.  Colors we chose are Snow white – KA077, Pumpkin – KD101 and Rochester – KB009.  If you haven’t played with it before it is really fun.

We have an aqua oven and I was thinking of putting some of the Formica in the front of the dishwasher like the gal did with her Betty Crocker cookbook cover. We are looking at doing a cork floor in perhaps a lighter cork color. Any painted wall space will be in the Holiday Turquoise from Sherman Williams.

With all this in mind, what is your suggestion on the color of the cabinets?

Thank you for helping me get unstuck!!

5 ideas to repaint or refinish these old wood kitchen cabinets

This first mock up (above) shows what Rebecca’s kitchen would look like with her new counter top, backsplash, flooring and paint choices while keeping the wood cabinets the same color they are now. While I personally like the current look of the natural wood cabinets — I understand her need to paint them — since my kitchen cabinets — which were a similar color and construction — were also heavily chipped and damaged. Using about a gallon of wood putty, several coats of primer and a fresh coating of paint really helped my kitchen feel cleaner and removed the “rough around the edges” feeling. If you want to replicate the look of the natural wood, yes, Rust-Oleum Cabinet Transformations might be great — you can add just enough glaze (maybe further diluted) at the end to bring out the natural grain after the painting.

Rebecca also is considering painting her cabinets a darker wood toned color like the mock up above. While I like the idea of keeping a wood like finish on the cabinets — this darker color in combination with the other choices — makes me think of the 1970s more than the 1960s. This is fine if that is the look that Rebecca is going for, or if she likes this look — but I was under the impression that she is wanting a more late 50s early 60s look.

My initial thought — if the original wood tone cannot be preserved — was to paint all of the cabinets white. This will help the dishwasher be less obvious — though I would not use the laminate panel in this case. The all-over white will also substantially lighten and brighten the space and really let the fabulous aqua boomerang countertops, aqua appliances and mosaic tile backsplash take center stage. Because of the warm cork flooring it and other color on the walls — the space will not feel too sterile.

Pam suggested trying the mock up above — instead of painting all the cabinets white — paint the bottom cabinets aqua.

Or even going as far as to paint all the cabinets aqua (like the above mock up) and making the wall orange to match the tile?

Readers — what do you think that Rebecca should do with her cabinets?

The post 5 ideas to repaint Rebecca’s faded wood kitchen cabinets appeared first on Retro Renovation.

One easy way to make your kitchen look a little more mid century — while also protecting the finish on the cabinets — is to use a polished chrome kitchen knob and back plate combination. (Hey, Rebecca, how about these for your 1963 kitchen remodel, too?) Our first instinct is always to try and find authentic vintage kitchen knobs and back plates. Great finds do pop up on ebay frequently — but usually they are in small lots. That means, for those of us with more than a few cabinets to fit, it may be difficult to track down enough quantity of true vintage knobs or pulls. That’s where reproductions come in handy. I had 31 drawers and doors to outfit — so expensive reproductions gave me sticker shock. But fear not — I found a more budget friendly alternative that still delivers the same great style — and I saved more than $250 vs. the more expensive ‘go-to’ option.

As regular readers likely know, Rejuvenation has several  mid century chrome cabinet knob and back plate combinations available. Rejuvenation is usually our first, go-to site when looking for midcentury hardware reproductions. They generally do a beautiful job with their reproductions, and Pam says that she has been impressed by the quality of the different items that she has purchased from Rejuvenation over the years. That said, you’re gonna pay — and increasingly so, we predict. Since the company was sold to Williams-Sonoma, are we right in noticing that their fanciest new lighting is getting wicked expensive? In any case, if you have a lot of cabinet doors and a tiny budget — their kitchen knob and pull options get expensive pretty fast.

At Rejuvenation, the 2″ chrome dish cabinet knob with round backplate combination sells for $11. If you’re like me — and have a total of 31 kitchen cabinet doors in need of knobs — you won’t be excited to cough up $341 plus shipping for kitchen cabinet hardware.

So I went looking for a more budget friendly option — and happened upon this very similar retro styled Liberty 1.5″ Concave Round Cabinet hardware knob. It’s available at Home Depot – for just $1.38 each.

Next it was time to search out some appropriate back plates. After some intense searching, I found a package of 5 chrome door knob backplates from HD Supply for only  $4.79 — making each backplate just 96¢.

At first I was concerned that the HD back plates might be a bit to large for the 1.5 inch wide chrome dish knobs. The comparisons: The Rejuvenation combination pairs a 1.5″ knob with a 2″ diameter back plate, while my Home Depot + HD Supply combo pairs a 1.5″ knob with a 2.75″ back plate. After putting my two less expensive options together (as seen above), though, I ended up really liking the combination. And, there’s an argument to be made that by wider-diameter back plate is functionally superior — because it prevents even more fingerprint smudges and oils from landing directly on my painted wood when I go to open and close a cabinet or drawer.

I saved $268.46

The only thing that was better than the way the end result looked was how much money I saved. While it would have cost me $341 ($11 each set) to purchase my chrome back plates and knobs from Rejuvenation — my budget version came out to only $2.34 for each set — costing me $72.54 for all 31 cabinet knobs — a savings of $268.46 for my job. I’ve been using the knobs for nearly three years and the back plates for several months now — and they are holding up beautifully.

A note on adding the backplates to my kitchen cabinets – it will depend on the thickness of the individual cabinet doors and drawer fronts — but I did have to buy a few slightly longer screws for five of my drawers to make sure that they were long enough to go through the backplate and screw securely into the knob. For this I purchased a small container of size 8-32 machine screws (1.25 inches long) at my local hardware store for less than a dollar. Standard cabinet knob screws are 1 inch long — the extra .25 inch was just enough to make it through the backplate without being too long.

What do you think of my cheap and cheerful solution, readers?

The post Affordable kitchen knobs and back plates — Kate saves $268.46 appeared first on Retro Renovation.

If you buying the traditional-style Dishmaster (M-76) kitchen faucet — or have one already — and want to add even more vintage bling, here’s news you need to know: The folks at Dishmaster still have a stockpile of vintage New Old Stock cover plates for the housing unit. I have three of these designs in my vintage hoard and I can attest:  They are lovely.

I called the owner of the Dishmaster company, and he confirmed that two of the three designs shown in my photo (from 2008) are still available:

• They have about 15 of the “silver sunburst” design cover plates, available for $39 each.
• They have more of the “Solaric” design — about 80 pieces, and they sell for $27 each.
• No more of the black sunbursts are left.

I knew about these cover plates, because I had seen them when I visited the factory in 2008 (wee early days of the blog!). I featured the fabulous old cover plates in this story, but I never called them out separately. So here.

I was reminded by this recent email from reader Pam:

We recently got a Dishmaster and my husband installed it that day. He said that it just didn’t look right. Calling the company again he found out that the front plates from yesteryear are available… They are really expensive because there just aren’t any more.

Could you folks get the Dishmaster people to show off the previous front plates and when they were issued? like the older license plates?

Pam

Thanks, Pam, for the reminder. Get ‘yer vintage Dishmaster cover plates soon, because when they’re gone, they’re gone.

The post Dishmaster kitchen faucet — two vintage cover plate designs available appeared first on Retro Renovation.

Woah. This may be the bestest thing ever on the blog yet: Readers Rebecca and Keith not only did an amazing job remodeling their 1960s kitchen in appropriate mid century style — but this creative pair has marked the event by designing a back to the future advertisement — worthy of Mad Men — designed just for us. Woah. Keith and Rebecca are co-owners of a design company, Woodhouse Creative, and they sure are! Of course — their new kitchen is just as delightful as the surprise ad – Rebecca sent lots of photos of their kitchen, which was transformed from a spare white room into a warm, inviting retro-tastic space.

We’ve featured Rebecca and Keith several times before. Here’s the first story we did about their 1961 split level house.

That first story was in 2009 — demonstrating that, yes, it takes time to gear up a kitchen remodel. In fact, pretty much our number-rule in planning a kitchen remodel is to wait at least one full year so that you can get to know your space and your taste (unless, of course, there are environmental and/or safety issues that need to be dealt with stat.)

Rebecca writes:

Hi Pam,

Here are my kitchen photos, finally! This seems very long, but there are so many important details and stories. I can’t decide how to trim it anymore. At the end is a very fun surprise. Luckily for me, my husband is a graphic designer and totally into this kind of thing. Months ago, you said something about a couple knowing how to do it. They had dressed up to take their photo in their living room. It took me ages to do it, but I got my hair and make-up done for it. Now I can forever be alive, in my dreams, in the 60′s.

“Now I can forever be alive,
in my dreams, in the 60′s. ”My dream of a new retro-style kitchen has been realized. The contractors missed the deadline by seven months and I was literally three days away from having a baby, but still didn’t have a working kitchen!

Our 1961 tri-level had an all-white kitchen with original cupboards that had been covered with white laminate. There was a wall with old pegboard that looked awful. They made some changes to sell the house which just left it void of character. The drawers left sawdust in my pans. It was also poorly-designed in that if someone was at the refrigerator you couldn’t walk around the counter to the rest of the kitchen.

But the worst part was the ceramic tile on top of concrete slab. It was so hard to stand on that it gave us leg and back aches. It was also really cold. We were expecting a baby in late July, and I had to have it redone. I knew if I didn’t do it before the baby, it could be years. So, I spent my very pregnant months making food in a three-season porch and doing dishes in a laundry room. And now that I have a child, we spend so much time sitting ON the kitchen floor playing, plus it seems like we spend all of our time in our kitchen. I am so happy we were able to swing it.

I wanted a Brady Bunch kitchen with orange counters, but my husband was very much against it. We both love 1960s Scandinavian design and we have a lot of Danish Modern furniture throughout the rest of the house, so this is perfect. And, I got my orange in on the wall and cushions!

I chose laminate counters for the look and the price. It’s Arborite Tatami. We really like the pattern and think the blue matches everything nicely.

The cabinets are Walnut and custom-built. I love the grain, it took my breath away the first time I saw it! And, I really liked using a local man, not a big company.

The ovens, refrigerator, and hood are Whirlpool for Ikea. I like the simple design of them and the price was nice especially with a great sale. The refrigerator is the counter depth Nutid, thanks to Pam. I love the hood and it works very well, actually. It’s called the Lutftig Hoo, which sounds so funny to me. I really like having the stovetop apart from the oven like all the ads I spent hours studying on Retro Renovation and on Flickr. Besides the hood, I would not recommend the Ikea appliances unless you absolutely can’t afford better. They have redesigned the refrigerator since and maybe the water leaking issue on stainless steel isn’t a problem anymore. But it’s slowly killing me and I will have to replace it one day.

I asked our designer to put legs on the wall cabinet-piece after seeing a photo from a 1960′s kitchen where the cabinet was raised with metal legs.

My Mom made us the curtains. It was a hard choice because we love a very clean look. But everyone had curtains in the 60′s and they are warm and useful. I found the fabric at the same store that I found the orange vinyl. I love the linen look. It looks period-appropriate to me.

We love the new cork floor. I think it’s the best material for a kitchen floor for standing, and because things don’t break when dropped (or thrown.) It’s beautiful and warm, even in the middle of the night, in the winter with bare feet. And I think it looks really nice in the entryway, too.

From Rejuvenation, is the light I longed for. Thanks again to Pam, and this blog, I have what I think is the coolest light ever. Pam had a feature after visiting the Rejuvenation warehouse. Pam had a photo of a woman holding this light. I saw it and called them immediately and asked if I could have it! They had ten of them in their warehouse. After I saved up for it, they refurbished it and cut it to my specified length.

The pulls are the Peg Cabinet Knob from Rejuvenation.

After having the Ikea stovetop for a while, we sold it and bought an induction cooktop. Cleaning those gas stovetops is just too much of a pain for us and it wasn’t holding up well either. The GE cooktop is amazing, incredibly efficient, modern-looking, and cleaning it is a breeze. We highly recommend it.

Eero Saarinen is amazing to me because of his tulip table and chairs, and the St. Louis Arch. I am so happy to have those works of art in my kitchen every day. And sitting on them is a joy. To me, there was no other table I could have. I found four Knoll Saarinen tulip chairs from 1973 on craigslist. They were structurally in good shape, there were no cracks, but the finish on them had worn through. And of course they looked their age. The cushions were ripped and scratched and looked awful. I had the idea to take them to an autobody shop since they are fiberglass. The shop in town did an excellent job repainting them. (I can’t believe I forgot to take before photos!!) Apparently, I ruined their resale value having them painted, but I won’t be selling them anyway. I had the cushions reupholstered in an orange vinyl as close, as we could see, to the “carrot” that Knoll still makes them in. I didn’t have the time or will to find a used table, and it was too hard to find the right size. Therefore, I bought the table new from Design Within Reach.

The backsplash tile is from Ann Sacks. Keith and I saw it in Miami’s Design District, two years before we bought it, and took a photo just because we loved it. I didn’t think the day would actually come when I could USE it. I love that it’s designed by, and supports, an artist.

I love my toaster. We vacillated about it for an entire year, I think. I just couldn’t stand how awful a lot of new toasters look. They just didn’t match. And, I didn’t want to buy anything made in China. My husband finally gave me the go-ahead to get one from Toaster Central after he read many bad reviews of new toasters. So, it’s American made, 1974, and groovy. My beautiful blender is 1961, the same year as our house, and works like a dream. It’s from ebay, along with the rotary dial wall phone. Certain colors go for much less than others. Luckily I love brown!

Rebecca — you and your husband did an amazing job with this kitchen. I’m loving your bright orange accent wall. From the gorgeous cabinets to the special light fixture — you really nailed the 1960s Scandinavian look you were trying to achieve. Of course this kitchen will be everyone’s favorite spot in the house. Mega thanks for sharing your story and photos here — and for creating the awesome “retro” ad for Retro Renovation.

Because Rebecca’s kitchen was so fabulous — we’ve included the slide show below to show the photos twice as large as in this post.

Tips to view slide show: Click on first image… it will enlarge and you can also read my captions… move forward or back via arrows below the photo… you can start or stop at any image:?

The post Rebecca and Keith’s Mad Men kitchen remodel — and Mad Men ad designed for us! appeared first on Retro Renovation.

Brick veneer walls and back splashes seem to have been a popular feature in 1960 and 1970s kitchens — when the movement to earthy decor took hold. Today, we take a look at a company that sells thin versions of real interior brick veneer, which sounds relatively easy to DIY install — and certainly looks great.

There are many places in a mid century home where interior brick veneer can typically be found in vintage houses — in built-in planters, on fireplaces, flooring, in kitchens, and on entire walls maybe especially in basement rec rooms. Brick can add incredible character, dimension and warmth to a home.

If you love the look of brick but don’t want to have to hire a mason to get the job done — Brickweb Thin Brick (also sold under the name Old Mill Brick) might be just what you’ve been searching for. Thin Brick is actual brick — cut into thin pieces — that can be applied indoors or out on nearly any surface. Because it is installed in a manner similar to tile — it is easy for the homeowner to install. Available in 12 colorways, the possibilities for use in mid century home decor seems to be limited only by your imagination.

Linda, my contact at Old Mill Brick — sent a little more information about the company’s history:

The Old Mill Brick Company was established in 2008 by Garrick Hunsaker. Mr. Hunsaker has over 30 years of experience in the construction industry. He is the creator of Old Mill Brick’s patented thin brick installation systems. He is a licensed general contractor and has owned and operated several building contractor and sub-contractor companies specializing in sales and installation of interior and exterior masonry in the commercial and residential markets. Mr. Hunsaker serves as Old Mill Brick’s President and CEO overseeing all company operations with the emphasis on strategic planning, manufacturing, and sales.

Old Mill has developed several patented, easy to install panel systems so that they can be used with any thin brick, including tumbled and cast. The Old Mill Brick system allows customers to explore and design many installation options. In 2009 our line of patented Do-It-Your Self thin brick systems were finalized and have proven to be the most effective way to install thin brick on the market today. We have the ability to customize our panel to meet any brick size. The end product is maintenance free for both exterior and interior design.

From the website:

What is Brickweb® Thin Brick?
Brickweb is an award winning – patented thin brick product made from the highest quality real, cut, kiln-fired clay brick. A full piece of brick is cut to approximately ½ inch thick. Several thin bricks are pre-mounted on a durable, fire resistant, fiberglass mesh with the brick already laid out and aligned for quick and easy installation. Brickweb is the easiest and fastest method available to install thin brick for interiors or exteriors.

Brickweb is available in pre-assembled flat sheets and corner sheets, with 12 color blends to choose from. The primary 8 color blends are made from “tumbled brick”, having a classic old world, aged, or weathered look and feel. The 4 other color blends are commonly known as “straight brick”, and are made from the same brick but are not tumbled and provide a more uniform (flat and straight) appearance with less color and texture variation.

Where Can I Install Brickweb Thin Brick??
Places to use thin brick are virtually endless both interior and exterior. Some ideas where to use Brickweb include: fireplace or stove surrounds, accent walls, columns, kitchen or bath back-splash, flooring (on a solid surface such as concrete, backer board, etc.), chimney, exterior siding, kitchen islands, bed headboards, wine cellars, man caves, porch or stairs, table tops, outdoor BBQ or kitchen, home exteriors, accent walls, and more.

According to the website — Thin Brick can be applied around fireplaces or stoves, can be used inside and out, and can be painted, stained or sealed to achieve your desired look. It is available for purchase through the BrickWeb website or through Home Depot or Lowes — and costs about $7 per square foot.

Pam says: Using brick in kitchens seems to have been particularly popular in the 1970s. Above: Pam’s photo of her television, showing the movie “Dick” starring Michelle Williams (shown) and Kirsten Dunst. Best. 1970s. Kitchen. Ever. House. Too.

Interior brick veneer colors from Brick Web:

Above: Boston Mill Thin Brick

Above: Columbia Street Thin Brick

Above: Little Cottonwood Thin Brick

Above: Rushmore Thin Brick

Above: Cordova Thin Brick

Above: Castle Gate Thin Brick

Above: Dixie Clay Thin Brick

Above: Chattanooga Thin Brick

Above: Pony Express Thin Brick

Above: Alamo Sunrise Thin Brick

Above: Promontory Thin Brick

Above: Independence Thin Brick

The variety of available colors plus the possible ways to further treat the bricks with stains, sealers or paints assures that most everyone could find the right brick for their home improvement project. We sure like the look of Brick Web’s thin brick!

Cheap and cheerful brick veneer alternative: Paneling

Yes, if you just wanna go cheap and cheerful, Pam has featured paneling that looks like brick.

Readers, do you have noteworthy uses of brick inside your home that you really like — and which could be replicated with a product like this thin brick veneer?

The post Interior brick veneer made from real bricks — from BrickWeb and Old Mill Brick appeared first on Retro Renovation.

In the early days of steel kitchen cabinets — the 1930s — the cabinets had a “deco” or “streamline” look… they were always white… and there were only a few brands that we know of so far — including Whitehead Among the very early brands were Whitehead/Monel, Servel, Elgin, and Dieterich. It’s not easy to find examples of these old originals any more, so it’s very exciting to discover and be able to archive this vintage Whitehead catalog from 1937… so that we can ogle late 1930s kitchen design ideas… so that we can identify these rare birds when spotted in the wild… and to add as another wonderful piece of archeology to our short history (3,000+ words, gulp) of vintage steel kitchen cabinets.

Whitehead steel cabinets were made by Whitehead Metal Products Co. of New York, Inc. The company lists there address as 304 Hudson Street, New York, N.Y. Yes, steel kitchen cabinets made right on the island of Manhattan — imagine that. Looking at this story, Pam said that she *thinks* we may have seen a set once a few years ago — for sale in New York City. But doggonit, no photo can be found. 52PnB, you remember it???

In this catalog, Whitehead puts an emphasis on smart design. Very interestingly, the company even calculates how much space is needed for any one type of cabinetry based on how many bedrooms are in the house. And, there was lots of focus on efficiently organizing all the work elements in the kitchen. With this in mind, Whitehead created a whole line of specialty cabinets and inserts — all with organized and useful components (shown left to right above):

• Bulk storage bins
• Step shelf
• Bread bin
• Soap powder rack
• Lid rack
• Refuse container
• Cutlery tray
• Slicing board
• Tray racks
• Planning desk

Some of the other and more interesting specialty cabinets include the vegetable storage cabinet, soiled linen cabinet (laundry basket for the kitchen), towel drier cabinet and plate warmer cabinet (shown above).

The steel cabinets themselves had several features that ensured ease of use and the well-built longevity that was expected back then. Construction features include:

• Anti-friction drawer slides
• Fully insulated door and drawer fronts
• Recessed toe space (to minimize uncomfortable bending)
• Concealed hinges
• Bullet catches
• Rubber bumbers
• Welded door and drawer corners
• All frame corners welded
• Monel hardware

The counter tops are made of Monel. And, the touts the benefits of having an integral sink, counter top and back splash, which will not collect grease or allow water to penetrate the drainboard. So, this is how far back — at the least — that we can see examples of stainless steel(like) counter tops. See our helpful story — 5 ways to do stainless steel sinks and counter tops.

Another exciting component of a Whitehead steel kitchen was the availability of the integrated dishwasher.  We need to do research to identify when the first built-in dishwashers were installed in American homes.

Of course, an important fact to consider — especially when a dishwasher is involved — is where the hot water will come from. In this case, Westinghouse has a solution — the automatic electric water heater — that fits seamlessly into a kitchen cabinet, even providing extra counter space above the unit.  The catalog advertises this unit as rust proof — and mentions that you will never again have to worry about contaminated hot water from a rusty tank.

In 1937, this kitchen surely must have been very high end — well out of the reach of most Americans. But surely, designs like this set the stage for the big boom in steel kitchens after World War II. Very cool.

Thanks to archive.org and the MBJ Collection for making this vintage catalog available.

Tips to view slide show: Click on first image… it will enlarge and you can also read my captions… move forward or back via arrows below the photo… you can start or stop at any image:?

The post Whitehead steel kitchen cabinets — 20-page catalog from 1937 appeared first on Retro Renovation.

“… Planned in accordance with the ‘Balance of Storage’ principle…released to the public in 1934.”

How big does a kitchen really *need* to be? How many kitchen cabinets do you really *need*? Well, beginning around 1929, the Westinghouse Electric and Manufacturing Company began a five-year research study to investigate this question. In 1934 — after three years of testing their design principles — they released their study to the public. We first got a look at this fascinating research in the 1937 Whitehead Kitchens catalog that we recently featured — now, let’s take a closer look.

The “Balance of Storage” research

The catalog explains:

All Whitehead Work-Saving Kitchens incorporating Westinghouse appliances are planned in accordance with the “Balance of Storage” principle, which was developed by the Westinghouse Electric and Manufacturing Company after five years of research and released to the public in 1934. In three years of actual use, it has proven its reasonable accuracy as the kitchen storage equipment yardstick of proven value.

It is based on the sole constant factor in a house — the number of bedrooms. Briefly, it is as follows: The number of bedrooms establishes the normal occupancy of a residence. Normal occupancy is based on one person per bedroom for all except the master bedroom, which has two persons. The normal occupancy of a house, therefore, is one more person than the number of bedrooms. To obtain the actual number of persons to be provided for, however, two persons per house must be added to take care of the entertainment factor and the inevitable accumulation of materials. The actual occupancy, therefore, is three persons more than the number of bedrooms. For each of these total persons, 6 square feet of wall cabinet shelf area is required. The amount of base cabinet storage space is governed by the fact that base cabinets should be placed directly underneath all wall cabinets, with the exception of the space occupied by the major appliances. These two facts give us the following storage requirements for any residence.

This research was likely as another outcome of major scientific movements like Scientific Management, also know as Taylorism. How many kitchen cabinets do you need to really work efficiently? This research certainly seems to make sense to us, even today.

Why did kitchens get bigger?

In the 1930s, 1940s and 1950s, the kitchens in most middle class houses were much smaller than what the mass of middle class of America would consider desirable today. As the post-WWII boom continued into the 1960s and beyond, kitchens continued to grow in size — often quite dramatically — for several reasons:

• For many years in many homes in America, the kitchen was a prep space — eating was done in the adjacent dining room. As dining habits became more informal, more families wanted to eat right in the kitchen. Eat-in kitchens — there was even a real estate shorthand “EIK” became a must-have. To fit the EIK, the kitchen had to expand.  As this occurred, more cabinets were added around the now-larger perimeter (even if there wasn’t really stuff to fill them.) But of course, we found stuff to fill them, quickly enough…
• For many years in mid century America, there was home delivery of milk and groceries — daily, even, I believe. As this custom died out, homemakers needed to go to the store themselves to shop. To save trips, they began storing more groceries at home. So more storage was needed.
• After World War II, the number of “labor saving devices” in homes exploded. So then, we *needed* even more storage space. I keep putting needed in *needed*, because, do we really use this stuff? I recently read an article that said that Americans wear only 20% of the clothes they own, on a regular basis. I suspect that, similarly, we only use 20% of the pots and pans and glasses and mugs, etc., stored in our kitchen cabinets. So, in this sense — I bet the Westinghouse research still is relevant. 
• Kitchens open to an adjacent great room became popular. The whole assembled space — bigger.
• And similarly, as affluence in America grew, we built houses that were bigger and bigger and bigger (a trend that only ended with the recent Great Recession). Bigger house? Bigger kitchen, of course — because pretty much a constant was, is and ever will be: The kitchen is the epicenter of the home… the very heart of the American Dream that is homeownership.

Readers — do you have “too many” kitchen cabinets?
That is, how actively do you use all the stuff in them — week in and week out?

Thanks to archive.org and the MBJ Collection for making this vintage catalog available.

The post How many kitchen cabinets do you need? Scientific advice from 1939 appeared first on Retro Renovation.

Anatomy of GE’s Monotop laminate counter top with postformed edges and backsplash: Profile view of framing, circa 1953.

In the early days of the blog, I recall, there was a bit of a commenting cat fight. I showed a plaid laminate counter top with curved front edges and an integral back splash — it was all curvy, too. You know what I’m talking about — the counter has no edging on the front edge and the whole thing continues in one piece even up to and including a (typically) 4-inch backsplash. This is called “postforming” — or a “postformed counter top” — that is, when you bend the laminate to curve around edges, rather than cut it and square off everything. It’s an innovation that does not seem to have been immediately available with laminate counter tops. Not available, we presume, because it was tricky to get the laminate to curve without breaking.

Back to the cat fight — which was actually between my mother (or maybe it was me, arguing on her behalf) and a reader. They disagreed on whether the curvy postformed counter top I was showing could have been from the year I said it was — like, circa early 1960s. The reader said no. My mom said yes. My mom said she HAD the counter top, in our adorable little bungalow in Carlsbad, California (the first house I ever lived in that I still remember… sweet memories.) I believed my mom — because we homeowners remember these things!  Although, it is highly possible I am remembering this blog story incorrectly. Because I cannot find it on the blog. A prize to anyone who can.

Verified: Postformed laminate counter tops as early as 1952

Are you still with me? Anyway, when we recently featured a complete catalog of 1953 Textolite – I finally saw some proof of just when postformed counter tops may have begun appearing in the U.S. marketplace. According to the catalog, GE offered its first postformed design — the GE Monotop — in 1952.

Above: More info about the GE Monotop. The laminate for the Monotop was three times thicker than “Standard” laminate — Monotop laminate was 3/16″ thick vs. 1/16″ thick for Standard. I hypothesize: This is why the stainless steel “connectors” were required where the laminate pieces met. According to the Surface Properties list, Monotop could withstand much more abuse from certain everyday substances. And if you go back to the very first photo shown in this story, it appears to have been so strong it did not need to be adhered to a full substrate. Wow. It was available in only five Cross Current colors. Here’s the Cross Current palette from the catalog:

In a nut: The postformed GE Monotop counter top must have been pretty darn high-end.

So who was the very first to manufacture and sell postformed counter tops?

That is, which laminate maker was the very first to market with postformed counter tops?  I will keep my eyes open and hope to wrestle this question to the ground one day. For now, the stake goes to GE, 1952, because of the confirmation in this catalog.

For this story, I reached out to Formica with this question, and their initial response was “late 1960s” for their company. I am skeptical of this answer, though, because once I started looking more closely through my photos of kitchens featured previously on the blog, I quickly found photos of postformed counter tops from 1954 and on.

Here’s a great view of a postformed counter top that does NOT have the stainless steel divider strips. I am not sure if this was an “advancement” or whether this laminate is just thinner and therefore, more easily joined at the seams. This image is from Micarta (one of the earliest laminate makers) — 1954.

American Standard kitchen —  yup, postformed laminate counter tops in this ad from 1954.

Are postformed counter tops “authentic” for 1950s houses?

Suffice to say: If you are wondering, “Is it authentic for me to have a postformed counter top and back splash in my mid century kitchen?”, the answer looks to be: Starting in at least 1952, yes, postforming was available. However, I will make an educated guess — these were upscale — maybe even “the granite counter tops of their day”! Looking at the GE diagram, it appears that creating a postformed counter top took real finesse — this was a special factory order, you could not post-form this counter on-site. Note, I am talking “early days” of postforming here.

Laminate with edging: Much more common for many years to come

On the other hand, it was relatively easy for any contractor or even an intermediately competent DIY homeowner to adhere laminate on to a flat surface and then edging the flat edges with with aluminum, stainless steel, laminate or wood. So I bet, that squared-off counter tops with edging were even more common, because of all the subdivision and tract housing that was going up across the nation. In these developments, the so-called merchant builders would have been looking to shave off pennies and dollars wherever they could. I’m betting they installed their own substrates and rolled on the the laminate themselves — finishing the whole design with squared-off edges and back splashes.

All this said, by the early 1960s (again, I hypothesize), postforming became the norm. No more edging. I am guessing the technology was (1) either improved to make it cheaper or (2) the look became preferred, and as Americans became increasingly more affluent, they were willing to pay for the upcharge, no problem.

Images of GE Monotop courtesy the Building Technology Heritage Library and archive.org via creative commons license.

The post Curved postformed laminate counter top edges — as early as 1952 appeared first on Retro Renovation.

Laminate basics: The invention of laminate. How is laminate made? What is laminate made of?

In essence, laminate is a skin, supplying a supplemental finish that is both ornamental and lasting.  In this way, it is a veneer: a thin surface that cannot be used without a substrate. Laminates are usually applied to a substrate of inferior aesthetic and economic value. In the architectural and interior design trades, laminates are categorized as a “surfacing material” or a non-essential overlay, a material applied to achieve an aesthetic effect or to serve a durable function.

It surprises many people to learn that laminate, the material commonly found on kitchen counter tops, has been around for more than 100 years. The first laminates were what we call industrial laminates. They were not decorative — instead of being patterned or brightly colored they came only in a caramel brown color, a result of the polymer resin that was used to make them. These first laminates were made using only phenolic resin, the same polymer used in Bakelite jewelry. Not surprising, as the man who developed phenolic resin in 1906, Dr. Leo Baeckelund also invented Bakelite. By 1907, laminates were being made at Westinghouse in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. The first laminates were made as casing for electrical parts, mostly in the form of gears and tubes. Two employees at Westinghouse championed sheet laminates, but the company did not see any benefit to producing them. In 1913 those two employees left to form the company we know today as Formica. 

The invention of melamine makes bright colors possible

Why, when we think of laminate, do we think of America in the mid-20^th century? Initially, laminate was made purely with phenolic, which could only be used to produce a caramel brown colored finish. It wasn’t until 1938 — following the invention of a new kind of resin, melamine — that laminate could be engineered with a top layer of colored paper. Melamine bakes, or “flows”, to create a hard, clear, topcoat finish, which bonds and protects the “decorative” paper layer beneath. This important invention made the brightly colored laminates we associate with kitchen counter tops of the 1950s possible — and opened up a brand new world of design possibilities for American kitchens and bathrooms. Given the state of the American economy in the late 30s, laminates were not marketed to the consumer until the very end of the 1940s, after the Second World War. Consumers ate this new “modern” material up — laminate became simultaneously popular in commercial settings, such as diners and bars, and in the home as dinette tables, cabinetry and counter tops.

Laminate was seen as a modern marvel. It was bright and cheerful, impervious to stains, easy to clean and never required polishing. Think about the other materials that were used for the same purposes: Marble was porous, stained and was cold to the touch. Wood stained, scratched and required polishing. Linoleum could be scored, it stained, and it yellowed with time and sunlight.

Lots of names for laminate

Today, laminate is called by many names: laminate, plastic laminate, p-lam, and yes, sometimes it is called generically by the brand name Formica®. In Canada, it is often generically called Arborite® because in the post-World War II era that was the name of the company that made and popularized it there. There are currently five main brands of laminate manufactured in the United States: Wilsonart®, Formica, Pionite®, Nevamar® and Lamin-Art®.  Of these five companies, only Wilsonart and Formica are available to consumers through home centers. Some additional laminate brands are imported for sale in the U.S., including the Italian manufacturer Abet Laminati, the company that supplied the colorful laminate to the Memphis Group and Studio Alchimaya. Laminate is a misleading word because it literally means made of layers, layers that are also called laminae (plural) or lamina (singular). By this definition, plywood is a laminate and so is chocolate-layered cake. The laminate we know and love as a surfacing material – used most often for kitchen and bathroom counter tops — is more accurately called High Pressure Laminate (HPL) or specifically decorative high pressure laminate since there are also industrial high pressure laminates which are not decorative.

How laminate is made

The decorative high pressure laminates in our homes consist of sheets of paper that have been coated or impregnated with two types of resin, stacked on top of each other and placed into a press where they are cooked at a minimum of 265 degrees F. at a pressure of approximately 1,200 pound per square inch (psi) for about an hour. Under this pressure and heat, the resins flow and the stack and the resins transform into a single sheet of homogenous composite material. It surprises most people to learn that plastic laminate is approximately 70% paper and 30% polymer (phenolic and melamine) resin.

The top layer: A special clear, tough combination

The top layer of this laminated stack of paper is a sheet of melamine-impregnated alpha cellulose overlay paper. This special type of paper is made with very high-grade wood fibers (‘alpha’ meaning ‘first’, and ‘cellulose’ meaning ‘insoluble substance that is the main constituent of plant cell walls’; both cotton and wood produce cellulose). The paper is white in color when dry but very porous, not unlike very thin toilet paper. Between the paper and the melamine, this layer becomes completely clear in the pressing.

The second layer: The decorative design or color

The clear, tough melamine/alpha cellulose top overlay lies on top of the second layer of the laminate — the decorative layer. The decorative layer of laminate gives the counter top (for example) its design or color — its aesthetic appeal. The decorative layer also is permeated with melamine, which is pushed through the overlay sheet and penetrates into the decorative layer. The decorative layer can be created in three different ways: It can be a digital print (white paper which is printed with a wood grain, stone or abstract pattern); it can be a solid sheet of color; or it can be a solid sheet with “inclusions” (such as gold glitter, a Retro Renovation favorite not currently available in North America).

The core underneath: Kraft paper

The core consists of layers of kraft paper treated with phenolic resin. There are three basic grades of laminate: vertical, horizontal and post-forming. The main difference between the three is the number of layers of kraft paper. Kraft paper is the same kind of brown paper used for grocery bags. The word kraft comes from German and means strength. The kraft paper used in laminate is often made of recycled material.  Since it is only the backing material and will not be seen once the laminate is installed, it is possible to use a thicker, less aesthetically pleasing paper, as opposed to the thin alpha cellulose paper used in the top layer, which is milled thin enough to “disappear” when imbued with resin. All three layers together equal one of the most popular counter top innovations ever. The melamine overlay of the top sheet and the kraft paper layers underneath work in tandem to create a laminated material that is stronger than each material on its own. Scientists and engineers sometimes refer to laminate as a composite material because composites work the same way: Two materials combine to make a third, even stronger, material. High Pressure Decorative Laminate (HPDL) meets an industry standard for wearability, scuff resistance, stain resistance to 29 different agents, radiant heat resistance, conductive heat resistance, UV light resistance, blister resistance, cleanability, appearance and post-forming capabilities (its ability to wrap around a radius). Because of its early use as an electrical insulator, laminate was associated with standards set by the National Electrical Manufacturers Association (NEMA). ASTM International, formerly known as the American Society for Testing and Materials (ASTM), is now associated with test methods for laminate and most other materials in our homes, such as textiles and vinyl flooring.

Laminate today — compared to laminate in the 1950s

Laminate today is produced in the same was as it was in the 1950s, with some differences.  In that period, laminate had a higher percentage of polymer (phenolic and melamine) resin. The exact percentage is unknown but it is estimated that mid century laminate was 40% polymer and perhaps as high as 50% depending on the grade. Interestingly in today’s laminate, the paper-to-polymer ratio makes for a stronger material. It has been said that gram per gram, laminate is actually as strong as steel. Mid century laminate also has a different hand-feel than today’s laminate. It feels almost oilier, slippery in a different way. Part of this texture is due to the finishing technique, which will be described in a later story.

• For more information on how laminate is made, visit Wilsonart’s information page here.

To take a virtual tour of Wilsonart’s manufacturing facility:

Next in our series:

• More on grades of laminate and finishes historically and today.
• Also coming up: Understanding inlay laminate and rotogravure and digital printing of laminate.

Readers — what questions do you have about laminate history that Grace can help answer?

The post Learn about Laminate: How laminate was invented and how it is made appeared first on Retro Renovation.