Making the most of our 50s/60s/70s homes

[Lelivre]

Following on from the 1974 thread here
...

This is for those with mid-century homes, trying to modernise or update them in a way that is sympathetic to that period.

There are a few of us out there, no lurking now, please join in!

Hopefully we can share ideas, products, gumtree/eBay/Carboot finds and other sources of inspiration. Also I hope, receive feedback on our plans and build enthusiasm for 'features' that others zealously take out!

For starters I enjoyed this article here

If you will; introduce yourselves, your homes and where you are with things

Damnit. Those would be amazing in my utility. Over the janitor sink. Must. Not. Buy.

Got the Tapley up and persuaded the nice young man who came to collect some furniture that he wanted to buy the rest for cheap so now have a much emptier living room! Seriously, there actually is such a thing as too many teak cabinets.

It's perfect TeddyBee

Love that shelf/cabinet arrangement Teddy

I've got those taps in my downstairs loo ?

Kittentwo = jealous

Thoughts on these please, probably this is achievable and affordable? I can't find these actual tiles (supposedly topps ones) but 3inch mint colour tiles are probably easily found...is it dull?

Lelivre at some stage in the spring/summe we are going to have to replace our downstairs loo suite.

When we cahnge the taps, do you want to buy our old ones? Any reasonable offer accepted!

Arya - ooooh I think that I might! Please let me know when you are ready. You never know I may have some spare £ by then. Thanks for mentioning

lelivre wow love love love that what a fantastic colour.

Kitten - Thanks for the comment on the tiles, I'm still looking but want to find these in store. Its funny I keep seeing either tiny weeny mosaic tiles or tiles the size of paving slabs; in either bejewelled ostentatious finishes or the plainest neutral mattes. In amongst these current trends a simple glazed 3 inch tile idea seems so, sort of unusual.

On the subject of curtains. I would like wide wooden slatted Venetian maybe with tape (as seen in mad men, or perhaps not due to extra grubbiness potential) but I can't get them wider than 2.5 metre.

I've got my doubts about pelmets, but could be convinced otherwise. I have a gliss hidden rail in one room. I love roman blinds for the simplicity and being able to get them up out of the way, again a problem with the very wide windows here. Not really into short drapes or nets, but I think that's quite 'authentic', but I don't plan to get all eccentric about this sixties style thing - not including my supataps obsession that is

We bought a 50s house a couple of years ago and are slowly doing it up, not really doing 50s style but the odd nod to the era and preserving some original features (but the fireplaces have had to go!).

We have most of our original doors but 3 doors downstairs have been replace with nasty paperboard style ones so I'm busy looking for replacements. It's complicated by the fact that two doors are in the same room but different sizes and I've not managed to find the right sort of style in the right sizes yet. Something like this - 50s door

We had one original kitchen unit mixed with more modern ones when we've moved in. Completely solid wood, they didn't do things by half back then.

Also picked up a 50s parker knowles armchair which we're in the process of restoring and reupholstering.

Arya, if Lelivre doesn't want them, come to me

Just posting some pictures. If anyone can find these tiles or similar IRL please post :)

lelivre is it these Topps tiles you are after? the colour looks similar, but they are glass ones rather than a flat matt colour. Not seen them irl but seems you can order samples.
The wooden pelmets - they do add a sleek finish to the window especially if the window/opening is wide as you don't see the curtain track. On ours there is also coving on the pelmet, so the pelmet really feels like part of the room.

toBeeorNot completely agree about the quality and very jealous about the pake knowles chair:)

www.toppstiles.co.uk/tprod44603/section135/Matrix-Teal-Glass-Tile-10x10.html#null

oops forgot the link:)

or even parker knowles:)

nevertoomuch maybe it is, if it is they are out of budget, I'm not sure about glass tiles. I really fancy an old fashioned glossy glaze, not easy to clean though.

Would like to see a pelmet like that sounds classy.

Here's a pic of our dining room pelmet (with vertical blind just in shot). I think the pelmet works best when the height of the window reaches the ceiling ifswim. Hth :-D the tiles are a bit pricey!

Ignore the above haha! Multitasking; and not very well.

Yes that's nicely done, thanks for the pic

I've just taken down 2 pelmets like that one. Are they a thing now?

nevertoomuch love that pelmet that's helped solve one dilemma for me thank you ?

we have kept them in all the rooms! don't know if they are a thing, but they are all original to the house, so we decided to keep and just see how we got on with them and now I grown to love them. I realise I might be alone on this .....:)

Just spotted those Mondriaan type sliding doors lelivre, they are stunning and I really, really want them but cant afford them The roof needs attending first.

Loving this thread - not sure I should join in yet though, as we're in the middle of a painful property chain to buy our 70s house! I love the tiles posted by Lelivre and we're big fans of mid-century teak furniture too!

We live in a Victorian property at the moment, but it's a converted auction house/warehouse, so quite blank like a gallery, so I've been able to indulge my love of all things 20th C without it looking incongruous with too many period features.

Does anyone here pinterest? I'm here but I haven't used it in a very organized way yet!

Tremolo - oh you should join now. All the best with the sale/purchase this bit is ghastly isn't it.

Never too much, I'm with you on those pelmets. Normally, I admit, I do think 'static caravan' when I think of pelmets but those are totally different. If I had them like that here deep and up to the ceiling I would paint them the wall colour and keep them. They do give a clean look to the curtains. I've been won over

Has everyone got coving. I've got some coving. Not really a fan, is it in keeping? Some rooms look ok (painted wood and fit great) others are not nicely done and poly, and badly cut/placed.