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Something new + something(s) old: Can you guess?
This ain’t no ordinary kitchen faucet. It’s something new that I hacked with something(s) old. Who can guess? I will cobble up a prize (don’t get too excited) for the first one who gets the answer 100%...
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My new Dishmaster M-76 kitchen faucet — backdated with a vintage faceplate...
So our circa-2005 kitchen faucet pooped out after 10+ years of heavy use. It wouldn’t swivel easily anymore. I am sure we could have ordered parts to fix the swivel, but instead, I decided to install...
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Drew and Amy’s atomic inspired kitchen remodel in a 1960 parsonage
“My mother’s advice was to find one or two things you LOVE and have to have, and then work everything else around that.” — Drew Newlyweds Drew and Amy bought their fixer-upper — a parsonage built in...
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Wren & Willow’s little bit of perfection 1940s house remodel: Let’s start...
Laureen Scrivan, general contractor / owner of Wren & Willow This is exactly the kind of story I was hoping to ultimately see lots of, when I started this blog nine years ago: Contractors …...
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Georges Briard tiles — New Old Stock — now listed for sale online
Remember that ginormous stash of New Old Stock Georges Briard metal enameled tiles that we featured a while ago? Owner Mark now has a website to list them all for sale. Thanks to Mark, who wrote me...
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Retro range hood exhaust fan complete with retro logo from 1933: Vent-a-Hood®...
If you want a retro style exhaust fan in your retro or vintage style kitchen, check out the VentAHood® Classic Series that Laureen used in her fabulous Wren & Willow kitchen. VentAHood® has been...
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Practical(ish) gifts for holiday 2016
I’m old, so there aren’t many things I “need” anymore. But for Holiday 2016, here are a few ideas with “real people” appeal. Stuff I bought for myself this year. Not necessarily “retro” or “renovation”...
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Doing things “The Hard Way”: Do you have what it takes? 2017
Welcoming 2017, here’s the story that now has become our Retro Renovation new year’s tradition… kind of summing up the bumpy journey so many of us share, or can expect to, when we decide to undertake a...
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Vote for our “The Hard Way Award – Kitchen Remodel” winner — 2016
Voting for our 2016 “The Hard Way Award – Bathrooms” is under way (vote here), and now, it’s time to take a look at our contestants to win “The Hard Way Award – Kitchens”. I went through the archive...
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Christine gives her pink 1962 Lyon kitchen some retro TLC — including Retro...
The oven in Christine’s kitchen — complete with original-finish pink Lyon kitchen cabinets — finally gave up the ghost and could no longer be repaired. A mini-makeover was soon under way — and the...
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Congratulations, Jim and Heidi and Scott —“The Hard Way Awards” winners 2016
Congratulations to our “The Hard Way Award” winners for 2016: Jim, for the pink bathroom that he built, inspired by his grandmother’s, and Scott and Heidi, for their restoration of the classic 1950s...
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My rare Lyon Kitchen cabinets saleman’s sample kit — with real metal cabinets !
My new treasure: A rare Lyon kitchen cabinets salesman’s sample kit. Why rare? Because the little pieces are made of heavy duty metal (pot metal? aluminum?) — not plastic, as we normally see in other...
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Recessed electric clock receptacles — new old stock AND modern-new from...
One of my favorite features in time capsule houses is the old clocks centered above the sink or above the dinette. Where I live, it’s not uncommon to see these old clocks plugged into a recessed wall...
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LaDonna creates a retro-style kitchen that would make her grandmothers proud
LaDonna loved the look of vintage steel kitchen cabinets, but wanted the features of wood. So, taking a cue from the vintage Elgins at her parents’ house — and inspired by her grandmothers’ kitchens —...
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Fiestaware tile is now available for pre-order — 4 designs, 14 colors
Do you adore Fiestaware? Well now, you can add even more to your kitchen — as tile for your walls or backsplash. Yes, The Homer Laughlin China Company — the maker of Fiesta® Dinnerware — has teamed...
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My vintage lighted display clock from a Geneva kitchen cabinets store
My new hunka hunka: A vintage, lighted display clock that surely was used in a store that sold Geneva cabinets. I jumped on this Buy-It-Now the moment I saw it on ebay. I already have a Geneva kitchen...
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Bonnie Jo Campbell — an author and her modest kitchen, revisited
“I always tell my students that if they are serious about writing that they should live in a very modest house and try to keep expenses low so that they don’t have to work themselves too hard to pay...
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New Old Stock Emerson Pryne exhaust fan grilles available again
While she tended to some other business, seller Pam took down her ebay listing for the remaining inventory of New Old Stock Emerson-Pryne exhaust fan covers left over when House of Fans closed. These...
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Flooring for a 1970s kitchen or living area: Moroccan-style Filigree luxury...
Nosing around flooring websites for what’s new, I spotted this new Moroccan-style “Filigree” luxury vinyl flooring just out from Mannington — note, it’s sheet flooring incorporating a 6″ tile design....
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Spotted in a Lustron house for sale: Retro Renovation® by Wilsonart® Rock ‘n...
A Lustron house for sale — and I spy: a renovated kitchen that includes Retro Renovation® by Wilsonart® Rock ‘n Roll Ruby boomerang laminate countertops. It’s so nice to see this yummy red boomerang...
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