Kitchen Remodeling: Thoughts on "Retro"

[+ Truereview]

I had no idea you were an iced tea drinker.

I like it with a dash of cream

[+ deej]

If your bathroom is small (my house was built in 1954 with tiny bathrooms), consider a floating bathroom sink (no vanity). It will make your bathroom look bigger, but you’ll lose a lot of storage space.

 

Or, maybe a floating vanity? It gives you some storage space while making the room look bigger.

 

I actually disagree about the floating sink. Another option designers often offer in a small bathroom is a pedestal skink, also to "make the room feel bigger".

 

But in a small space the loss of storage is significant. There's no place to stash the extra roll of TP or the brush/plunger, etc. I have a powder room I'm about to remodel and the first thing to go will be the oyster-style pedestal sink!

[gezellig4u]

As my husband is fond of saying... "First, think about what the remodel will to the resale!"

[+ bashful]

GE makes a line of appliances called the Artistry Series. Somewhat retro without being full on retro.

 

http://www.geappliances.com/ge/artistry.htm

 

I'm shopping now too. I've had good luck with GE appliances in the past, but the "cheap builder package" GE appliances the builder put in 13 years ago are all starting to break down now. I had no choice, it was ready for move-in, and I needed a place. I would hope these or their other upper level appliances would be more dependable, but everybody tells me 10 years in now the average life span. As for counter, a lot of the quartz, or engineered stone from a distance will resemble Formica. A countertop is where function trumps looks.

 

While not exactly in you era, have you considered a rebuilt/refurbished stove from the 40's, such as a Tappan. They were built to last a lifetime. If your're worried about matching, could spend some extra $$$$ and get the refrigerator and dishwasher built-in and covered in the same panels as the cabinets. Then the stove is showcased.

 

http://www.antiquegasstoves.com/

(not affiliated, or trying to promote the above, just want to give you some pictures)

 

Just some thoughts. Good luck. It can be maddening trying to decide.

[rvwnsd]

They didn't have engineered stone in the 50s either....

That's true, but engineered stone can be made to look like other types of materials. Granite looks like, well, granite.

 

... I don't think they even had laminated countertops in the 50s....

 

They did. The house I grew up in was built in 1956 and it had laminated countertops. My parents bought it from the original owners in 1967 and the kitchen had not been renovated. It also had solid oak cabinets with a glossy varnish and mid-century modern door and drawer pulls.

 

Trueviews questions are absolutely right on.

 

Since I had no intention of ever moving, I entertain constantly and love to cook, and live alone I was the sole decision maker in my condo remodle. I remodeled my entire place in 2004 and did exactly what I wanted. I'm an extremely decisive individual and created exactly what I wanted in my home. I totally gutted the kitchen. My cabinets are all custom and painted base white (high gloss) with blood red counter tops. Many family members and friends had a fit about the red counters claiming that I would soon tire of them -- ten years latter that hasn't happened. Red is my favorite color and I love spending time in my kitchen. The rest of the walls in the condo are painted a slightly off white but I have a maroon accent wall in the dinning room and a brick red accent wall in the bedroom behind my bed. Again family and friends had a fit and again ten years latter I love the place.

The point of the above description is that I really want to emphasize that you simply MUST do what makes you happy. If you want avocado or turquoise appliances and you know you won't tire of them get them. Family and friends won't likely be living in your home so do exactly what you want and ignore everything else.

 

I agree with Epigonos. To clarify my point about selecting the white "retro" appliances, what I intended to say was if you think you might get tired of a funky color, go with white.

 

Last design note: If your concern is resale, should you ever decide to sell your place and potential owners seem turned off by the retro-style appliances you can do what my brother and I did with my father's house when we sold it: offer an appliance credit. His appliances were standard-issue but had been neglected. We tried our best to make them look like new, but nine year old white appliances that were cleaned for the first time in four years will never compete with contemporary, brand-new appliances.

[rvwnsd]

As my husband is fond of saying... "First, think about what the remodel will to the resale!"

If you want to live in someone else's house, follow this advice.

[Rudynate]

In our kitchen, the counter tops are all ceramic tile, which I don't like that much. It was well-chosen, so it looks nice, but it's hard to keep clean and needs to be regrouted. We have an enormous island the size of a football field, the top for which I would to replace with soapstone. The other counter tops, I would like to redo with a high-end laminate that would look good with the soapstone.

[+ deej]

In our kitchen, the counter tops are all ceramic tile, which I don't like that much. It was well-chosen, so it looks nice, but it's hard to keep clean and needs to be regrouted.

 

I'm in much the same boat. The counters and backsplash are a well-chosen tile that has also been used to face the fireplace in the living room and in the guest bath upstairs.

 

And I hate it. I cook. I want a solid surface, no matter what that surface is.

 

(The previous owner was a retired contractor and some of the finishes smack of leftovers ... nothing matching anything else. But they did carry that tile throughout the house.)

[Kenny]

I got great ideas and inspiration from Houzz.com when doing 2 projects in the last 2 years. Easy to use and offers a really good shopping service. I even found a pro contractor there. You can create an idea book and share it, too.

+1 http://www.houzz.com/retro-kitchen

[mmk123]

I have a 1954 house in a 1954 housing development, where something like a half-mile of my side of the road houses had identical floor plans [except mine: different on purpose].

 

Things have been done to my place in the past: An entryway closet was removed, to make a hall to the bath room and back bedroom (originally, to get to the bath / BR, you had to go through the living area).

 

Originally, there was a kitchen (13 x 13) and a dining area (13 x 8). It's now one big area, 13 x 21. [All measures approximate].

 

The problem is: The kitchen has never been updated. I bought a refrigerator in 1990, a new dishwasher in 2010, and a stove in 2004. The cabinets are all as they were.

 

I want to remodel the kitchen, but keep it true to its 1950's character. (It looks similar to one of the scenes in the Carousel of Progress at the Magic Kingdom at WDW.

 

Quite by accident, I found companies that make retro-look refrigerators, stoves, and dishwashers. I'm tempted to do a retro look, but the colors are funny.

 

The Big Chill: https://bigchill.com/

 

 

Elmira Stove Works: http://www.elmirastoveworks.com/northstar/refrigerators/

 

 

 

 

 

http://elmirast.ccjclearline.com/wordpress/wp-content/uploads/2013/05/1959RE.jpg

I want to keep the kitchen with white cabinetry, and possible granite countertops that resemble formica (how retro can you get!) but brought up to functionality.

 

Any input on this project will be useful. Also, any recommendations for kitchen remodeling in Central Massachusetts would be nice.

 

Comment mostly on the idea of a retro upgrade to keep part of a very 1954 house true to its roots.

 

To give an idea: The Living room is done in Ralph Lauren Suede brown on three sides, with a very dark, matte blue on one wall. That wall has a red brick fireplace with white would surround, and is really quite stunning.

 

The bath is a '90's mistake. Tiled; 5' jetted tub that's 22" high (it's actually great). Toilet, sink, tub all in the same kind of ...

 

http://image.homeclick.com/product-zoom/kohler-K-1108.jpg

 

so I've already gotten a little modern.

 

Oddly enough, I bought a pantry unil from Kmart, that has one upper and one lower cabinet, and a drawer between. Except for its bead board front, it looks like it belongs here.

 

The basement, on the other hand ... 18x21, previously furnished until the third flood, followed by the septic flood, kinda made it uninhabitable ... has a wood-burning fireplace and a 1/2 bath with shower.

 

That's a whole nuther project.

 

There have to be SOME design Queens around here, somewhere.

 

 

If it was me, I would do Retro appliances all the way. It would be very fitting for your house and it would be such a unique feature as well. If you think about it, these are not that common but that character and charm they would add are more than worth the price. That was part of 1950 design was the experimentation in color so I think the color choices are great.

[MikeBiDude]

+1 http://www.houzz.com/retro-kitchen

My kitchen and house aren't really setup for retro, but I love those O'Keith & Merritt stoves! My brother has one in his kitchen, and we have one local and 2-3 not so local stores that specialize in these stoves.

[Rudynate]

I'm in much the same boat. The counters and backsplash are a well-chosen tile that has also been used to face the fireplace in the living room and in the guest bath upstairs.

 

And I hate it. I cook. I want a solid surface, no matter what that surface is.

 

(The previous owner was a retired contractor and some of the finishes smack of leftovers ... nothing matching anything else. But they did carry that tile throughout the house.)

 

 

Ceramic tile is great for backsplashes - I love subway tile for a backsplash, but, I agree, the work surface needs to be solid. I have seen some really nice aggregate and concrete counters, but they really cost.

[+ deej]

Ceramic tile is great for backsplashes - I love subway tile for a backsplash, but, I agree, the work surface needs to be solid. I have seen some really nice aggregate and concrete counters, but they really cost.

 

Yeah, you cannot roll out a pie dough on a tile counter. It can't be done.

 

It's been gratifying seeing butcher block making a comeback, and it could work in a 50's-era throwback. The 50's was the era of futurism with melamine and formica, but it also saw a lot of traditional craftsman workmanship and butcher block plays directly into that.

[Rudynate]

Yeah, you cannot roll out a pie dough on a tile counter. It can't be done.

 

It's been gratifying seeing butcher block making a comeback, and it could work in a 50's-era throwback. The 50's was the era of futurism with melamine and formica, but it also saw a lot of traditional craftsman workmanship and butcher block plays directly into that.

 

High maintenance though.

[+ Gar1eth]

I always thought Retro kitchen was Avocado and Harvest Gold appliances, although i do prefer the Turquoise... I'm smack in the middle of a Bathroom re-do, and keep asking myself WHY ? I've lived with it the way it is for so long, there's noone here but Me and I'm so close to death, WHY BOTHER now ? But the shower doors with the swans keeps antagonizing me !

 

Avocado and Harvest Gold are more of the late 60s and through the 70's. Before this was more pastels. My Dad's boss in the 1970's had a large house that was probably built at least in the 1940-1950's. They had a pink kitchen.

 

I see nothing wrong with kitsch-except as they always say on all those home shows-if it's too weird, it might impact you when you try to sell it.

 

As for the sleek look, I'm with @whipped guy. I think extremely contemporary/Nordic design, while it can look very clean and stylish, it usually comes off as very sterile. I don't want a home with sharp edges. On the other hand, my gay gene is missing the area that controls artistic talents. So what do I know!!

 

Gman

[craigville beach]

I have a 1954 house in a 1954 housing development, where something like a half-mile of my side of the road houses had identical floor plans [except mine: different on purpose].

 

Things have been done to my place in the past: An entryway closet was removed, to make a hall to the bath room and back bedroom (originally, to get to the bath / BR, you had to go through the living area).

 

Originally, there was a kitchen (13 x 13) and a dining area (13 x 8). It's now one big area, 13 x 21. [All measures approximate].

 

The problem is: The kitchen has never been updated. I bought a refrigerator in 1990, a new dishwasher in 2010, and a stove in 2004. The cabinets are all as they were.

 

I want to remodel the kitchen, but keep it true to its 1950's character. (It looks similar to one of the scenes in the Carousel of Progress at the Magic Kingdom at WDW.

 

Quite by accident, I found companies that make retro-look refrigerators, stoves, and dishwashers. I'm tempted to do a retro look, but the colors are funny.

 

The Big Chill: https://bigchill.com/

 

 

Elmira Stove Works: http://www.elmirastoveworks.com/northstar/refrigerators/

 

 

 

 

 

http://elmirast.ccjclearline.com/wordpress/wp-content/uploads/2013/05/1959RE.jpg

I want to keep the kitchen with white cabinetry, and possible granite countertops that resemble formica (how retro can you get!) but brought up to functionality.

 

Any input on this project will be useful. Also, any recommendations for kitchen remodeling in Central Massachusetts would be nice.

 

Comment mostly on the idea of a retro upgrade to keep part of a very 1954 house true to its roots.

 

To give an idea: The Living room is done in Ralph Lauren Suede brown on three sides, with a very dark, matte blue on one wall. That wall has a red brick fireplace with white would surround, and is really quite stunning.

 

The bath is a '90's mistake. Tiled; 5' jetted tub that's 22" high (it's actually great). Toilet, sink, tub all in the same kind of ...

 

http://image.homeclick.com/product-zoom/kohler-K-1108.jpg

 

so I've already gotten a little modern.

 

Oddly enough, I bought a pantry unil from Kmart, that has one upper and one lower cabinet, and a drawer between. Except for its bead board front, it looks like it belongs here.

 

The basement, on the other hand ... 18x21, previously furnished until the third flood, followed by the septic flood, kinda made it uninhabitable ... has a wood-burning fireplace and a 1/2 bath with shower.

 

That's a whole nuther project.

 

There have to be SOME design Queens around here, somewhere.

 

 

I recently used Kitchen Associates from Sterling, Mass to design and source my kitchen remodel. I did not have them install but they do that also. I found them to be far and above and superior to any kitchen department in Lowes or Home Depot.

[+ deej]

Avocado and Harvest Gold are more of the late 60s and through the 70's. Before this was more pastels. My Dad's boss in the 1970's had a large house that was probably built at least in the 1940-1950's. They had a pink kitchen.

 

Yeah, my sister's first house had Pepto Bismol pink appliances in the kitchen. It was a UNIQUE look. She was glad to sell it.

[gallahadesquire]

I recently used Kitchen Associates from Sterling, Mass to design and source my kitchen remodel. I did not have them install but they do that also. I found them to be far and above and superior to any kitchen department in Lowes or Home Depot.

 

Thank you for the input. I went out to see them lnce, and was dutifully impressed by their showroom. I did not speak with any of the designers, however.

[+ FreshFluff]

I recently used Kitchen Associates from Sterling, Mass to design and source my kitchen remodel. I did not have them install but they do that also. I found them to be far and above and superior to any kitchen department in Lowes or Home Depot.

 

Good post. When looking for a contractor, referrals are often the best way to go. Get as much word of mouth as possible. One way to do that is to visit open houses in better areas of town. Try to put aside your design preferences and look for kitchens in which is work is top notch with no signs of cutting corners. See some stone you like? Ask how it was sourced. Since contractors are really important, get as much word of mouth as you can.

[Mo Mason]

I like modern industrial / minimal kitchens, personally. It's weird because as an artist I am so into the abstract expressionism and minimalism movements of the 1950s, but as far as design and architecture goes, I am not a fan of mid-century modern.

 

I always recommend all white appliances and walls. You can bring your personality into the room via interchangeable color accents. Art, light fixtures, linens, displayware/bowls/cake stands, etc.

 

And these are things you can easily and inexpensively change every year or so.

[+ Gar1eth]

This is off the exact topic. But look what they are building in Austin...

 

 

Starlight Village — a brand new, midcentury modern styled neighborhood in metro Austin, Texas

http://retrorenovation.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/03/midcentury-modern-house-500x292.jpghttp://retrorenovation.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/03/starlight-village-logo.jpgI think that all of us retro-philes dream of being able to hop in a time machine, zip back to 1960 and build, customize and decorate a midcentury home of our own. Get ready to pinch yourself, because for those living in metro Austin, Texas, this opportunity is becoming a reality. No, we haven’t invented a time machine, but we have the next best thing — a new midcentury styled neighborhood called Starlight Village — with eight different architect-designed retro style home models to choose from — that is being built right now, and we have the scoop! Mega thanks to Doug from Facebook for this terrific tip!

 

http://retrorenovation.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/03/starlight-village-sign-500x476.jpgConstruction on the Starlight Village neighborhood, which will include a total of 29 homes, began in January 2016. The neighborhood is set up so that the eight different sizes and styles of midcentury homes are built on specific lots, creating a pleasant mix of houses and avoiding a ‘cookie cutter’ housing development look. The homes are sized from 1,369 sq. ft. to 2,400 sq. ft. depending on the model and have fun names like the “Palm Springs,” “Telstar” and “Cocoa Beach.” Prices start around $270,000, depending on the design chosen and the level of finish selected. There’s basic — like polished concrete floors, and up — like terrazzo floors, Eichler paneling and Roman Brick for an additional cost.

 

I contacted Lynda Jones, co-owner of KLM Design Build, the exclusive builders of Starlight Village, who kindly answered my many questions:

 

http://retrorenovation.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/03/retro-midcentury-modern-house-500x367.jpgQ. How did the idea for this community come together, and what made the developer/builder decide to choose midcentury style homes?

 

The idea for the MCM came from one of the developers, Mike Kopecky. He grew up in the time period and had an interest in the MCM (midcentury modern) era and wanted to build a whole community of them. His father was in the military and they lived in similar style housing. It reminds Mike of his childhood. He and his dad, Willie Kopecky, are the developers.

 

Willie Kopecky is 82 years old, very active, bright and energetic. He owns a lot of land in Williamson County. Over the years he seemed to have a gift of buying just the right piece of land and holding it for the perfect amount of time. Now he is letting Mike develop the property in Leander for Starlight Village. He also owns more property, that is just sitting and waiting on the right opportunity. We are considering doing a mixed use property next in Leander.

 

http://retrorenovation.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/03/midcentury-two-story-house-500x342.jpg

 

There are three players in the mix, land owner (Willie Kopecky) , developer (Mike Kopecky) and builder (Matt Jones and myself of KLM Design Build also known as KLM Custom Homes.)

 

The exclusive builder for Starlight Village is KLM Custom Homes. My husband and I are the owners. We have been building in this area for 10 years. We built our first home in 1996 in the Dallas Fort Worth area. We are mostly a “build on your lot” custom builder but have done some light subdivision work in the past (Daum Estates and Estates of Walburg.) We met Willie while inquiring about a piece of commercial property that he had for sale. He wanted us to come look at some property that he was holding in Florence as well. We formed a friendship, and Willie thought we might be the perfect complement to Mike’s work. (Mike has never built a home or done any subdivision work but he has done some remodeling.) Willie wanted someone he could trust and someone who would not only help Mike, but also teach him along the way. Prior to entering the building industry, Matt and I were both teachers so it just came natural!

 

http://retrorenovation.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/03/midcentury-ranch-new-500x242.jpgQ. How did you choose how many and what style home models to offer in Starlight Village?

 

Mike worked closely with the architects and wanted to make sure there was enough variety in the neighborhood that the homes would not appear “cookie cutter” in nature and would retain some uniqueness. We wanted to offer a variety of sizes and prices to meet more of the public’s needs as well as present some of the architecture of the MCM era. It was hard to choose or limit it to the few that we did, but we narrowed it down to about eight with variations within those models as well.

 

http://retrorenovation.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/03/footers-for-concrete-500x326.jpgQ. How is the community coming together? Have most of the lots/homes sold? Has there been a lot of interest due to the midcentury style of Starlight Village?

 

The community is coming along very well. We have all of the utilities in place and buried, the roads are cut, the retention pond is in place, the forms and rough plumb are complete on the first six models and the fence is starting next week. There has been quite a lot of interest. I have had about 175 realtors respond to my Facebook announcement that these were coming. This is pretty amazing given that there are only 29 units being offered in total. The first weekend we launched the website, we had over 2,000 hits.

 

Q. How many homes have been built as of this time?

 

As of this time, no homes are complete yet.

 

http://retrorenovation.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/03/midcentury-modern-split-level-500x330.jpgQ. Midcentury homes were often modest in size. I see you offer plans ranging in square footage from 1371 sq. ft. to 2000+ sq. ft. Have you noticed buyers favoring the smaller styles or the larger ones?

 

Our buyers have been all over the place with square footage but I would have to say that a majority of them prefer the larger square footage so far.

 

http://retrorenovation.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/03/midcentury-modern-ranch-house-500x168.jpgQ. I see you offer some authentic midcentury building materials as options in some of your home models — features like terrazzo flooring and decorative concrete blocks. Have you found these midcentury materials difficult to source at all?

 

Mike has been in charge of all of the chasing down of the authentic materials as it is his passion. He has been able to find sources for them all. Some are at reasonable prices and some are at a more “rare” type pricing. Even though this may be a little expensive for some, we wanted to offer it to those that have more of a purist desire in the MCM style.

 

http://retrorenovation.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/03/midcentury-house-500x429.jpgQ. Does each home come with a complimentary pair of pink yard flamingos at closing?

 

I love that idea! I’ll have to pass it along to Mike. I’m sure he would go for it. We are possibly getting an AirStream for our jobsite trailer until models are complete to go with the Mid-Century theme.

 

Mega thanks to Lynda for taking the time to answer all my questions and for providing us with renderings of the homes being built at Starlight Village.

 

Gman

[bigvalboy]

This is off the exact topic. But look what they are building in Austin...

 

 

Starlight Village — a brand new, midcentury modern styled neighborhood in metro Austin, Texas

http://retrorenovation.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/03/midcentury-modern-house-500x292.jpghttp://retrorenovation.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/03/starlight-village-logo.jpgI think that all of us retro-philes dream of being able to hop in a time machine, zip back to 1960 and build, customize and decorate a midcentury home of our own. Get ready to pinch yourself, because for those living in metro Austin, Texas, this opportunity is becoming a reality. No, we haven’t invented a time machine, but we have the next best thing — a new midcentury styled neighborhood called Starlight Village — with eight different architect-designed retro style home models to choose from — that is being built right now, and we have the scoop! Mega thanks to Doug from Facebook for this terrific tip!

 

http://retrorenovation.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/03/starlight-village-sign-500x476.jpgConstruction on the Starlight Village neighborhood, which will include a total of 29 homes, began in January 2016. The neighborhood is set up so that the eight different sizes and styles of midcentury homes are built on specific lots, creating a pleasant mix of houses and avoiding a ‘cookie cutter’ housing development look. The homes are sized from 1,369 sq. ft. to 2,400 sq. ft. depending on the model and have fun names like the “Palm Springs,” “Telstar” and “Cocoa Beach.” Prices start around $270,000, depending on the design chosen and the level of finish selected. There’s basic — like polished concrete floors, and up — like terrazzo floors, Eichler paneling and Roman Brick for an additional cost.

 

I contacted Lynda Jones, co-owner of KLM Design Build, the exclusive builders of Starlight Village, who kindly answered my many questions:

 

http://retrorenovation.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/03/retro-midcentury-modern-house-500x367.jpgQ. How did the idea for this community come together, and what made the developer/builder decide to choose midcentury style homes?

 

The idea for the MCM came from one of the developers, Mike Kopecky. He grew up in the time period and had an interest in the MCM (midcentury modern) era and wanted to build a whole community of them. His father was in the military and they lived in similar style housing. It reminds Mike of his childhood. He and his dad, Willie Kopecky, are the developers.

 

Willie Kopecky is 82 years old, very active, bright and energetic. He owns a lot of land in Williamson County. Over the years he seemed to have a gift of buying just the right piece of land and holding it for the perfect amount of time. Now he is letting Mike develop the property in Leander for Starlight Village. He also owns more property, that is just sitting and waiting on the right opportunity. We are considering doing a mixed use property next in Leander.

 

http://retrorenovation.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/03/midcentury-two-story-house-500x342.jpg

 

There are three players in the mix, land owner (Willie Kopecky) , developer (Mike Kopecky) and builder (Matt Jones and myself of KLM Design Build also known as KLM Custom Homes.)

 

The exclusive builder for Starlight Village is KLM Custom Homes. My husband and I are the owners. We have been building in this area for 10 years. We built our first home in 1996 in the Dallas Fort Worth area. We are mostly a “build on your lot” custom builder but have done some light subdivision work in the past (Daum Estates and Estates of Walburg.) We met Willie while inquiring about a piece of commercial property that he had for sale. He wanted us to come look at some property that he was holding in Florence as well. We formed a friendship, and Willie thought we might be the perfect complement to Mike’s work. (Mike has never built a home or done any subdivision work but he has done some remodeling.) Willie wanted someone he could trust and someone who would not only help Mike, but also teach him along the way. Prior to entering the building industry, Matt and I were both teachers so it just came natural!

 

http://retrorenovation.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/03/midcentury-ranch-new-500x242.jpgQ. How did you choose how many and what style home models to offer in Starlight Village?

 

Mike worked closely with the architects and wanted to make sure there was enough variety in the neighborhood that the homes would not appear “cookie cutter” in nature and would retain some uniqueness. We wanted to offer a variety of sizes and prices to meet more of the public’s needs as well as present some of the architecture of the MCM era. It was hard to choose or limit it to the few that we did, but we narrowed it down to about eight with variations within those models as well.

 

http://retrorenovation.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/03/footers-for-concrete-500x326.jpgQ. How is the community coming together? Have most of the lots/homes sold? Has there been a lot of interest due to the midcentury style of Starlight Village?

 

The community is coming along very well. We have all of the utilities in place and buried, the roads are cut, the retention pond is in place, the forms and rough plumb are complete on the first six models and the fence is starting next week. There has been quite a lot of interest. I have had about 175 realtors respond to my Facebook announcement that these were coming. This is pretty amazing given that there are only 29 units being offered in total. The first weekend we launched the website, we had over 2,000 hits.

 

Q. How many homes have been built as of this time?

 

As of this time, no homes are complete yet.

 

http://retrorenovation.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/03/midcentury-modern-split-level-500x330.jpgQ. Midcentury homes were often modest in size. I see you offer plans ranging in square footage from 1371 sq. ft. to 2000+ sq. ft. Have you noticed buyers favoring the smaller styles or the larger ones?

 

Our buyers have been all over the place with square footage but I would have to say that a majority of them prefer the larger square footage so far.

 

http://retrorenovation.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/03/midcentury-modern-ranch-house-500x168.jpgQ. I see you offer some authentic midcentury building materials as options in some of your home models — features like terrazzo flooring and decorative concrete blocks. Have you found these midcentury materials difficult to source at all?

 

Mike has been in charge of all of the chasing down of the authentic materials as it is his passion. He has been able to find sources for them all. Some are at reasonable prices and some are at a more “rare” type pricing. Even though this may be a little expensive for some, we wanted to offer it to those that have more of a purist desire in the MCM style.

 

http://retrorenovation.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/03/midcentury-house-500x429.jpgQ. Does each home come with a complimentary pair of pink yard flamingos at closing?

 

I love that idea! I’ll have to pass it along to Mike. I’m sure he would go for it. We are possibly getting an AirStream for our jobsite trailer until models are complete to go with the Mid-Century theme.

 

Mega thanks to Lynda for taking the time to answer all my questions and for providing us with renderings of the homes being built at Starlight Village.

 

Gman

 

Great post Gman!!! Fascinating...

[Mo Mason]

I'll just close my eyes, listen to some Leslie Gore, and pretend...

 

"... oh, what a birthday surprise, Judy's wearing his ring.."

[+ bashful]

I'll just close my eyes, listen to some Leslie Gore, and pretend...

 

"... oh, what a birthday surprise, Judy's wearing his ring.."

 

You would cry too if it happened to you.

[Mo Mason]

By the way, the company for which I work designs and distributes some very nice display pieces for the hospitality industry (hotels, restaurants, bakeries, interior design firms, et cetera).... really nice pieces for the kitchen / home.

 

We even have a retro celadon green collection.. (that avocado color mentioned before).. as well as the good old 50s diner chrome finish.

 

Let me know if you're looking for some accent pieces. I can hook you up since it's a family-owned company... can give you some things for the cost of shipping, really.