Screen doors

I scanned this ad from an old magazine. Our house has the No. 5 on the front door and the No. 1 on the back door.
 
I must admit, the little bird was a major selling point for me when I bought the house.

1950 House Bathroom

I've been going through some old photos and found this old panoramic composite image of our bathroom here at 1950 House. Thought you might like to have a peek.

Upstairs Bathroom in the Draper Residence

Happy New Year! It's been nearly a year since I posted, but I promise to do better in 2010. To start, let me share these screen captures I've been saving of the wonderful tile bathroom in the Don and Betty Draper residence from the show Mad Men. I LOVE this bathroom.


This must be an original vintage bathroom. The blue and black tile is in incredible condition. The wall-hung sink with chrome legs is a perfect period fixture. Wall-hung sinks are great for keeping a feeling of open space in a small bathroom; they really should be used more. The chrome legs add a nice, clean formal touch without the heaviness of a pedestal base.


The toilet is vintage in style but might be newer. Old toilets mount to the floor with two bolts on each side. I only see one bolt in this photo. We need a new, old-fashioned toilet for our bathroom to replace the 1980's model we currently have. As much as I'd love to make our house a period piece complete with period fixtures (nothing manufactured past the early 50's!), I couldn't bring myself to install a toilet that uses 4 gallons of water with each flush. Can anyone recommend a new efficient model that looks like it could be from the 40's or 50's?

The photo above also shows some great period decor. I love the dresser in the bathroom and all the pink accents. Our bathroom has a similar shade of blue tile, and since I love pink bathrooms and I love our blue tile, I'm thinking bringing in some pink towels and accessories would work well. Luckily, my sweet hubs is very secure in his approval of the color pink. Also, this photo makes me want a carpet toilet seat lid cover.


This photo shows the bathtub fixtures and top-of-the-toilet-tank-tchotchkes.


AWESOME pink 50's wallpaper. I wonder, am I brave enough to use wallpaper in my bathroom???? There is a nice glimpse of a glass wall shelf here, too.


This shot shows the reflection of a lovely built-in cabinet in the wall opposite the sink.


Here is one last view to recap. I have to mention the curtains. I'm on a mission to rid our house of mini blinds, and I think the bathroom is a good place to go girly with ruffly priscilla curtains on the windows. I think it works well on small windows amidst all the pink.

High-End Drain Lines, ca. 1956

Click to view the film at the Prelinger Archive website.

Here's a great little film from the Prelinger Archives about the benefits of building with cast-iron drain lines, as seen in 1956. The builder of our home opted for the less expensive option available at the time, Orangeburg, a composite paper product (yes, you read that right). As it turns out, cast iron pipes don't seem to have a useful life that greatly exceeds that of Orangeburg, at least not as represented by the mid-century construction in our central city. The joints of cast iron lines are similarly susceptible to root infiltration, and in slab homes of the 40's and 50's they are at risk of leaking and causing foundation issues due to our shifty clay soils and shifty early slab construction. Thank goodness we've got a pier and beam foundation, and thank goodness our sewer line has been replaced; a couple of years of regular sewage backups were not that much fun.

Dreamy Light Fixtures at Rejuvenation

I love the selection of antique light fixtures at Rejuvenation Hardware. They regularly update the selection online, but if you're ever in Portland, you should check out the store and amazing collection of light fixtures and architectural salvage in person.

If I had some extra money to spend, I'd buy these two light fixtures:

This little beauty would look perfect in our hallway. Our house, though built in 1950, retains more post-war design elements than modern features. Light fixtures like this are typical of the houses in our neighborhood built about the same time. Since few of the original light fixtures came with our house, my hope is to replace all the newer ones over time. This little fixture reminds me of a cake I want to just eat up.

This fixture might not be quite humble enough for our house, but I like it a lot for our dining room. I love love love the acrylic detail over the shade. And the pink color is so charming and fits right in with our color scheme. There is something about this fixture that is sweet with just a hint of glamor without being over-the-top.

I've bought two antique light fixtures from Rejuvenation in the past. (I'm embarrassed to admit they haven't been installed yet; posts about cloth-wrapped wiring and the ensuing learning curve to come.) I think their prices are probably a little higher than you might find elsewhere, but everything is re-wired and restored, comes carefully packed, and the selection, of course, is sublimely curated.

We also ordered our front porch fixture from Rejuvenation's collection of new reproduction fixtures. Our house came with a newer deck light fixture next to the front door which just didn't work for the style of the house (and it didn't function). We replaced it with the Otis in brushed nickle. I installed it myself!

Coral, Yellow, and Green in 1953 Kitchen

1953 Youngstown Kitchen, originally uploaded by American Vintage Home.

I like the colors in this image very much. They are similar to the color combination I'm aiming for in our living room, which emphasize the coral and a lighter shade of green. Touches of yellow and blue tie in with the permanent color elements of our home: yellow tile in the kitchen and blue tile in the bath.

The shade of coral in this ad is particularly nice. Perhaps I'll make pinch-pleat drapes in a similar shade.

A Small Project: Switch Plate and Outlet Covers

before and after

Projects like this remind me what a difference the details make. The many original outlet and switch plate covers in our house--though caked with paint--have always caught my eye. In the past, I might have replaced everything with new white covers, but now that I have become obsessed with keeping everything original, I had to clean the original covers up. A soak on the stove in a pan of water with a little dish washing soap loosened up the many layers of paint. A little scraping with a toothpick cleaned out the grooves. The older covers are very thick and sturdy so they can stand some cleaning and scraping and still come out looking like new. After shutting down the power, I used a cotton swab dipped in rubbing alcohol to clean the receptacles and switches in the wall, and then reattached the plates. There are a few receptacles around the house that are newer that I'm looking for old matching covers for. I've found a few on ebay and Habitat for Humanity (that just needed a little extra cleaning, but worth the 20 cent versus Ebay price). Over time I'll get all the covers cleaned up, but already this little detail is lifting my spirits around the house. It's a very satisfying project when time and budget constraints won't allow for more dramatic improvements.