Retro Renovation

[Poppy Fields]

Mmmm, there's only one thing better than an avocado or mustard bathroom, and that's an all pink bathroom!

For more retro home fun, check out Retro Renovation, a blog-style website dedicated to appreciating and preserving the interiors (and exteriors) of the mid-20th century.
If you only want to look at pictures without any words getting in the way, the flickr sets will do nicely (there's more stuff on the website though).

For more of the atomic age: 1950's Interior Design and Residential architecture and
1960's Interior Design and Residential architecture

[Roxy Tart {PL Team / Comm. Mgr}]

Awesome. I will so check that out. Thanks

[Rae]

man thats adorable! thanks for sharing!

[Wink Holliday]

I've been battling with the remnants of an ’80s remodel in my place, which left me with good-quality-but-ROSE-pink bathroom fixtures and hideous, ikat-patterned wallpaper (removed immediately upon my taking possession). Clearly, I've been going about this all wrong, and I need to embrace those pink fixtures rather than disguise them! Ooooh, I'm excited for this project now. I could hug you!

[Delyssia LaBelle {Madam}]

whoa, girly as hell

[Rachel Spring]

Cute!

I'm still sad that my family had to renovate our beach house (we hardly get to use it since it's rented out for people to live in for an extra income for my grandmother), it was built in 1956 and hadn't had anything done to it since (except replacing carpets and curtins). Had to have all the old wireing ripped out so the built in space heaters in the bathrooms came out too. Maroon and peach colored toilets replaced by white ones. We did keep one bathroom's sink and counter peach though.

[PunkGirl_Inc]

the bathroom in my college apartment looked JUST like this!! oh man i loved it! I have an all yellow bathroom now.. fixtures and everything.. this is why i got my BFA in Interior Design!! Kitchens and bathrooms are my favorite!

like this!!:
http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2343/2076238031_8b1c2f83b0.jpg?v=0

[Poppy Fields]

Ha ha! - "embrace" the pink fixtures :) Some things you just can't fight; they are too powerful.

My example: (::shudder:: I can barely type this without puking in my mouth a little. Okay, here goes...) avocado bath, aqua toilet, aqua-white swirly sink with mustard surround. Faux walnut cupboards. Faux wood walls. Mustard lino. GAAAAAAAAAAAAH!!!

Bedroom and living room were half-n-half faux wood walls and faux red brick walls. Really! Really! Alternating strips with mirrors in the bedroom. And: red patterned seizure-inducing carpeting, except for the spare room done in a lovely rust carpet-baby blue wall theme.

Fire is the only thing that will ever clear that evil. We moved.

Wink Holliday said:

I've been battling with the remnants of an ’80s remodel in my place, which left me with good-quality-but-ROSE-pink bathroom fixtures and hideous, ikat-patterned wallpaper (removed immediately upon my taking possession). Clearly, I've been going about this all wrong, and I need to embrace those pink fixtures rather than disguise them! Ooooh, I'm excited for this project now. I could hug you!

[Wink Holliday]

I see we shared the same decorators. I ripped out the wallpaper that covered EVERY SURFACE in the house (and as best I could in the kitchen, where it had been applied to a fresh skimcoat of plaster, thus rendering it wallpaper al fresco... did I mention that it was a pearlescent, watercolor-style floral?), as well as the alternating stripes of mirrors. EXCEPT for the bedroom in the basement, which is an homage to the original, 1974 décor: three beige walls, the third striped with gold-marbled mirror tiles and a Holly Hobby-esque floral wallpaper. Aqua carpeting that may have at one time been a low shag, but 35 years later is more like matted Grover skin loosely stretched over decomposed rubber padding. Half of the acoustic tile ceiling had fallen down, and I (ick) had to replace it. This lovely package is trimmed out with a horrifically cheap, hollow-core door (stained walnut, of course) and lit with two dim, whorehouse-style globe sconces.

I should be grateful that they're dim.

Poppy Fields said:

Ha ha! - "embrace" the pink fixtures :) Some things you just can't fight; they are too powerful.

My example: (::shudder:: I can barely type this without puking in my mouth a little. Okay, here goes...) avocado bath, aqua toilet, aqua-white swirly sink with mustard surround. Faux walnut cupboards. Faux wood walls. Mustard lino. GAAAAAAAAAAAAH!!!

Bedroom and living room were half-n-half faux wood walls and faux red brick walls. Really! Really! Alternating strips with mirrors in the bedroom. And: red patterned seizure-inducing carpeting, except for the spare room done in a lovely rust carpet-baby blue wall theme.

Fire is the only thing that will ever clear that evil. We moved.

[Jenny Carlotta]

I totally LOVE that pink bathroom!!

[Poppy Fields]

I think you're right. I forgot about the hollow core doors (with mandatory 2-inch gap at the bottom) and the dim lighting. Ours came complete with cylindrical glass shades in reds and oranges. When they were on, together with the carpet and the rest, it looked like a whorehouse in hell. And not even the good parts of hell where musicians and artists hang out. When we had to fiddle with the ceiling tiles, we found no less than 7 dead mice. Mmmm, sanitary.

The wallpaper though... I'm having a hard time picturing it. My brain keeps shying away from the horror.

Wink Holliday said:

I see we shared the same decorators. I ripped out the wallpaper that covered EVERY SURFACE in the house (and as best I could in the kitchen, where it had been applied to a fresh skimcoat of plaster, thus rendering it wallpaper al fresco... did I mention that it was a pearlescent, watercolor-style floral?), as well as the alternating stripes of mirrors. EXCEPT for the bedroom in the basement, which is an homage to the original, 1974 décor: three beige walls, the third striped with gold-marbled mirror tiles and a Holly Hobby-esque floral wallpaper. Aqua carpeting that may have at one time been a low shag, but 35 years later is more like matted Grover skin loosely stretched over decomposed rubber padding. Half of the acoustic tile ceiling had fallen down, and I (ick) had to replace it. This lovely package is trimmed out with a horrifically cheap, hollow-core door (stained walnut, of course) and lit with two dim, whorehouse-style globe sconces.

I should be grateful that they're dim.

[Wink Holliday]

AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAGH!

Poppy Fields said:

When we had to fiddle with the ceiling tiles, we found no less than 7 dead mice. Mmmm, sanitary.

[Poppy Fields]

"And visions of hanta virus
Danced in their heads"

We were renting the basement from friends. After we left, they had a water leakage issue. Opened up the cupboard and, you guessed it, toxic black mould everywhere. In the bathroom, in the spare bed, in the kids' room, main bedroom and bathroom upstairs. Suddenly our constant health problems started making sense.

Wink Holliday said:

AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAGH!

Poppy Fields said:

When we had to fiddle with the ceiling tiles, we found no less than 7 dead mice. Mmmm, sanitary.