"The Bible" of 50s style and all things retro

My husband and I have found this book to be incomparable, in terms of generating ideas for every aspect of decorating our 1951 ranch. The interiors were all created by interior designers charged with selling Armstrong flooring. As such, they're "over decorated" -- but that's part of what makes this book so AWESOME. I've paged through it at least 1000 times, so far! It is well worth the cost.

Final note: You can see, I am not a midcentury modern snob. Sure, I like the expensive, renowned designer pieces. But only the rich lived like that. I love the eclectic mix - the fact that ambitious women were turning their creativity toward their home - and of course, the exuberance - of the period.

Rubber tile for retro floors

These rubber tiles appear to have the same features as VCT and linoleum - and I really love the marbleized effect. http://www.burkemercer.com/flooring/rt_marble.asp

Azrock Cortina #423 is my favorite 50s style flooring

Forced to make final decisions about my kitchen reno, I have settled on this Azrock Cortina tile - #423 Autumn Haze. I haven't installed it yet, but the sample looks FABULOUS. Very streaky -- rather than "blotchy" like so many of the other VCT tiles today. I am going to install the tile at a 90-degree angle to each other.

In my research - looking through many old 50s kitchen catalogs - I think this particular tile is a great replica. My biggest regret is that I must buy it in 12" squares. All tiles today seem to be in this size, at minimum, it seems. In the '50s, from what I can tell, 9" tiles proliferated. In my home, all the tiles (under carpet in the basement, the original kitchen flooring) were 9" square -- as is the parquet in the dining room and the cork tiles in the foyer and bedrooms. In my back hall, the beige/white/black/coral streaked linoleum (fabulous) is 6" square. Fabulous! Oh well.

I also think that Flex-Tile is worth a look:

- Flex-thru tiles, Architectural series -- http://www.flextile.net/

Here is the url for Azrock Cortina:

- And Azrock Cortina -- http://www.tarkett-commercial.com/floors/site/en-us/topic/azrock/article/12533/article.asp

Note: The Azrock people were great about getting me samples. Give them your business!

A few more retro knobs and pulls

The catalog just arrived and I see that Van Dyke's Restorers also has several good cabinet knobs and pulls in their most recent catalog. I really like one pull in the catalog - p. 176 - an asymmetric aircraft-style design. It's not on the website, and it's not expensive ($5.99). Check it out. I also like the "Diner series hook" pictured above/center. The Diner series appears to me to be more contemporary/2005 than 1955 - but it's a nice tribute for someone who doesn't want to go completely retro. Prices on other pulls look good, too - for example, the waterfall style pull pictured first is featured on a post below, but I think the price is better at Van Dykes. Try their website, search "art deco" and "diner" - but for the complete selection, you'll need to call for their catalog. 1-800-558-1234, or http://www.vandykes.com/

50s style flooring - Linoleum & Vinyl

Looking at photos of interiors from the '50s, it is clear that both vinyl composite and linoleum were used. Here are sources I recommend today:

- Armstrong Commercial floor tile - Standard Excelon Imperial Texture. One homeowner I heard from said the black was identical to what is still in his basement. There are 75 colors, three shown above (the last three, larger images). Note, in my downstairs basement bedroom, the original homeowner used a mix of browns to beautiful effect - so have fun. Note, this flooring will last forever and ever. See more at: http://www.armstrong.com/commflooringna/product_details.jsp?item_id=381

- Armstrong also makes true linoleum -- see their website, and so does Forbo Marmoleum. Note: While these are quite beautiful, and environmentally friendly to boot, they do require more care and are not considered completely waterproof.

- Toli Linotesta - is another product that I have found that resembles the marble-like look of lineoleum, but has the greater durability of vinyl composite. 3 colors pictured above (first three, smaller images). See more at http://www.toli.com/linotst_home.html

- Finally, try cork. It's quite beautiful. It has the same care-ability issues as linoleum. There are many suppliers around.

Where to get porcelain kitchen sink+drainboard combination?

Does anyone know of a company that's reproducing the cast-iron, porcelain-enameled sinks with drainboards as featured on top of this metal sink base? They were very popular in the '50s and while you can get them today in metal, I cannot find a source in porcelain.

They can be picked up salvaged -- such as this one at
www.historichouseparts.com. But it seems like they could also be easily reproduced. Let me know if you have a source and I will feature it on the blog.

Kitchen sinks: Great 50s style choices

It's Mac to the rescue again with some nice choices of cast iron porcelain-enameled sinks for the kitchen. The first two sinks pictured are both from Mac the Antique Plumber, http://www.antiqueplumber.com/, and the site says the same same supplier has been making them for 70 years. I believe them. I salvaged four (yes, four) similar sinks circa 1963 recently, and will install one in my upcoming kitchen reno.

The stainless countertop sinks are both from Elkay. I recently saw the first one in an ad from the 50s - it appears to be virtually unchanged from then.

Blogger not letting me post my final pic, so I will have to do a separate post of the sink I REALLY want to see reproduced: A cast iron porcelain-enamal sink/counter combo like the stainless version from Elkay above. IS ANYONE MAKING THESE?

Stainless steel edging for laminate countertops

I've moved: Please see my dramatically improved site: RetroRenovation.com

This is another alternative for countertop edging -- although I prefer the edging from Dave Sanders (see my other post on stainless steel edging for countertops).

http://www.outwater.com/catalog04/outwater/opi19.htm

Cabinet pulls and knobs: Atomic, streamline and deco

My favorite pulls and knobs:

- Photos with green background: All from Rejuvenation Lighting, http://www.rejuvenationlighting.com/

- Gold pull: From Mac the Antique Plumber -- but go for the chrome instead! http://www.antiqueplumber.com/

- Atomic triangle, Dominoes and Mah Jhong tiles -- from Bauerware, http://www.bauerware.com/

- And note, there is a classic 50s/deco pull available from Crown City Hardware, costs nearly $20 but it looks beautiful. It's not online but you can order the catalog at http://www.crowncityhardware.com/

Tile 50s style for your kitchen or bath: Go Canadian

I've moved: Please see my dramatically improved site: RetroRenovation.com

It was very difficult to find tile in the correct 50s shades. My best source: A Canadian-based company, Olympia Tile, had a selection of 4.25 x 4.25 "Maple Leaf" tiles in appropriate shades. Good news, their distribution network in the U.S. is growing. Go to olympiatile.com to see where you can buy this tile. No photos online - watch this site and I'll post my bathroom pics at some point.

Colors I used in my bathrooms: Heron Blue and Fawn Beige. I used the 4x4s for field tile and for edging, trimmed them with a basic United Ceramic white 2x6 from Home Depot. I used Olympia's matching 2x6 cove base to meet the walls with the floor. Note, we installed the cove pieces flush with the floor tile (rather than 'sitting on top of it' -- but struggled because the room was not perfectly square (by a long shot.) This is a trade-off decision.

Other colors I like in the Olympia line: Primrose (yellow), Teal Blue and Lake Blue, Salmon (would be great with black or grey trim) Terra Cotta, Bone and four shades of Grey - Thunder, Platinum, Silver and Tender (my favorite.)

This tile was all very inexpensive. Note, I bet you can go much higher-end -- to a Waterworks or Ann Sachs -- and probably get a better selection of colors. However, this will be at a much much higher price.

Finally: For my floors, I used American Olean Chloe, a "pinwheel" pattern evocative of the 50s, with the gloss black dots in one room, and with plain satin white in the other two. To be honest, I prefer the all-white. Use warm grey sanded grout -- it's a nice look. You must seal the grout, though - an arduous (but worthwhile) task.

Countertops with 50s style

I've moved: Please see my dramatically impoved site: RetroRenovation.com

The countertops I removed from the two vanities in my 1951 bathrooms were both laminate, edged in metal. One - a soft aqua tinged green - imitated a really beautifully, nubbly linen weave. I could not identify any current laminate to replicate it in either style or color. (Greens really differ in popularity by era, I've found.) In the other bathroom, there was a marbleized pink -- and I found a good match for this one (see below).

Ultimately, these are the best choices I found for bathroom laminates:

- Wilsonart Bleu Windrift - a light, marbleized blue. Special order.
- Wilsonart Tearose Illusion - this is the pink marbleized laminate described above. Special order.
- Wilsonart Beige Illusion - also shown above. Special order.

Now, you can also get Formica 1950s replicas for the bath or kitchen. They all look terrific:

- Formica Boomerang - in four colors, shown above.
- Virrvarr - in two colors, light blue and white. This is a reproduction of a popular European pattern. I think it's terrific, and may use it in my upcoming kitchen reno if the salvaged aqua-with-gold-fleck counters I'm hoping to use don't work out.

Other details:
- I edged my bathroom countertops with the laminate, simple square edge. My husband the neat freak again begged me not to use the metal edge. I think this worked out fine, it certainly is 'softer' than the metal. I'll do a future post on where to find metal edging.
- The original countertops had a special piece of metal molding, a narrow T molding between the edge of the counter and the tile that ran up the wall alongside it. I saw at my local lumber store, this was still available. I skipped it.
- I ordered a high-gloss finish, although I think matte or a soft gloss would be fine and certainly less likely to scratch.

Finally -- if you really don't want laminate and prefer something more durable, I recommend you look at Caesarstone, a solid surface material. I thought their "Blizzard" was beautiful, a bit off white with some nubble but not overwhelming or a major contemporary statement. You could design around it.

Next: Tile.

Bathroom faucets that are hands-down 50s style winners

God bless Mac the Antique Plumber.

These are my two favorite lavatory faucets for 1950s bathroom restorations/renovations. The shape of the faucet escutcheons (the bases of the handles, yes that's what they are called) are the most reminiscent of the wrecked faucets I pulled out of my original 1951 bathrooms. Both of these faucets are from Mac the Antique Plumber -- http://www.antiqueplumber.com/. They are not inexpensive, each around $250 on sale, but I found the quality to be excellent and Mac's had great customer service, too.

A note on the 8" "Mississippi" lav (the second featured). It is much larger in scale than a 50s lav faucet. If you are purchasing a sink to go with it, ensure you have adequate "deck" space on the sink. The Kohler cast iron self-rimming sinks recommended in my Jan. 29 blog look great with this sink.

Regarding the 4" "Deco" two-hole-mixer faucet shown, I have never seen anything to match this one. It was not available when I renovated my bathrooms, and instead, I had the original faucet rechromed for $115. It leaks to this day and is a real pain. I wish this had been available then, and may end up with it yet. Ugh to the brass, though. Go for chrome, for sure, or nickel if you must.

BTW Mac the Antique Plumber has some great kitchen sinks that I will showcase in a future post.