Postwar Retro Resources: An Illustrated Guide to All Things Retro Compiled by the StarCraft Design Studio
The nation is in midst of a post-war retro revival, still in its infancy but blooming quickly as more young couples rediscover the beauty and budget-friendliness of retro housing.
So, there are a growing number of post-war retro resources available.
Anything you need to restore, refurbish or refresh your mid-century home can be acquired somewhere, and it is entirely possible today to recreate a mid-century homestyle virtually indistinguishable from that which our parents and grandparents enjoyed — with the advantage of modern conveniences and improvements in both technology and design.
The Post-War Series: Where Are You Now?
Our directory is not intended to be the ultimate comprehensive list of every supplier of Postwar Retro information, products or services. There are 'way too many. It is a list of our favorite places, and the resources that we think are probably the best of the best. There are many other resources that we do not list because we don't use them or know much about them. We are pretty confident that the sources we do list will give you a quality product or service at a fair price — and if they don't we'd like to hear about it.
We do not accept any compensation of any kind for listing a business, product or service. If you feel your organization, product or service should be listed here, please contact us. We will give any recommendation serious consideration. To be listed, you must be located in the U.S. or Canada have a Postwar Retro-related product or service of interest to our readers, and a working website that describes or illustrates the product or service.
Please contact us if you find that any of these links are broken.
Furnishings & Appliances
Danish Teak Classics specializes in finding, restoring and selling vintage Scandinavian modern furniture designed and produced during the mid-20th century in Northern Europe and the U.S.A. On regular trips to Denmark, company buyers search out well-preserved, classic examples of Danish modern furniture by known designers such as Hans J. Wegner, Finn Juhl, Arne Jacobsen, and Borge Mogensen, as well as high-quality, well-made pieces by lesser-known designers.
Founded by Thom Vernon and his nephew, Orion Creamer, a product designer, the company makes reproductions of mid-century ranges and refrigerators with all of the features of modern appliances. They also make appliances that did not exist or were fairly rare during the mid-century including a dishwasher panel to disguise the modern look of most dishwashers, range hoods, a microwave, and an induction cooktop. All appliances are available in appropriate retro colors or any RAL color as a special order.
Elmira Stove Works, despite its name, makes a full range of retro-look modern kitchen appliances including refrigerators, ranges, microwaves, range hoods and dishwasher panels.
Midcentury-LA imports mid-century modern vintage furniture from Denmark, Sweden, Holland, England, and other European countries which are restored and reconditioned. Matching lighting available. The items range from unique, high quality items such as credenzas, dining sets, and lounge seating to examples by renowned designers of the period.
Rejuvenation is a classic American house parts general store for home improvement. Starting with lighting fixtures, it has since expanded into furniture, carpets, decor accessories, even faucets plus a raft of ideas and illustrations. Truly excellent customer service.
" From the front porch to the back door, we provide lighting, hardware, bath hardware and functional home goods based on the best pieces of the past, designed for today, and made to last for years to come. The majority of our hardwired lighting products are finished and assembled to order at our manufacturing facility in Portland, Oregon, and we pride ourselves on partnering with American craftspeople and vendors whenever possible."
Mid-modern vintage porcelain, melammine dinnerware, kitchen items, linens, clothing — essentially an online mid-century junk store. You never know what you will find. It's not always open, so check back periodically.
West elm was founded in Brooklyn in 2002 as a division of Williams-Sonoma, Inc. to sell contemporary, affordable furnishings and accessories. The company claims to design 90% of its sustainably sourced, Fair Trade Certified™ products in house.
"We specialize in finding items that have been well taken care of over the years and have minimum wear. Every piece is inspected and assessed by our quality control team multiple times. In some cases, they may determine that it will be beneficial to the items integrity to refinish sections or the entire piece."
Furnishings, lighting, clocks, mirrors, decor items, outdoor furniture, all in mid-century style. Discount offered to active and retire military.
"A curated and crafted experience that connects design with the individuals who seek it. Founded in the Pacific Northwest in 2011, our company grew from a desire to modernize the furniture industry. Focusing on quality and contemporary design, we offer sophisticated home decor to help create your inspired lifestyle."
"Home & Closet's mission is to offer good-looking, functional, and reasonably priced furniture, home decor & clothing in a comfortable shopping environment. Our goods are carefully selected for their quality, utility & appeal. We feel that your purchase with us should add to the enjoyment of your life and allow you to create rooms and outfits that are as unique as you are!"
A division of Wayfair, the web store specializes in mid-century and moder furnishings and decor items. Free shipping.
Publications
The quarterly Magazine celebrates mid-century houses — from 1940s ranch tracts to 1960s architect-designed modernist homes with an emphasis on affordable solutions and homeowner renovations.
The Journal of the National Trust for Historic Preservation.
"For over 40 years, Old House Journal has been helping people repair, rehabilitate, update, and decorate their homes in classic style. We cover every American architectural style from the earliest colonial-era buildings to mid-century ranches and the wealth of Victorians and bungalows in between."
Web Resources
A well-designed eclectic web journal edited by Rikki Nyman as a resource and forum for mid-century modern house owners, and those who wish they were. Supported by subscription and advertising, neither gets in the way of the substance of the site, and advertising is nicely keyed into the context of each page. A huge number of photographs of vintage houses, both interior and exterior by an accomplished photographer, as well as vintage house plans. Well worth a visit, and once you get addicted, you'll keep going back.
Fashion, music, style, year-by-year history — just about anything '50s, including a whole section devoted to Burma Shave signs.
Created and maintained by realtor Douglas Kramer as a resource for owners of Cliff May Ranchos and those interested in the May's modernist post and beam architecture. Many architectural historians identify the May Rancho as the first of the ranch-style houses, and certainly it is the only one routinely built using a post and beam structure.
"Welcome to Retro Renovation your regular dose of mid century and vintage renovation and decorating resources, design inspiration, fun finds, and a growing community of people all interested in cherishing their mid-century and older homes."
"Our focus here, first and foremost, is to help you find the products and sources you need to help remodel, renovate and decorate your house in authentic mid century style. Increasingly, we feature sources for pre-war and post-modern homes as well."
Everything about Eichler Homes. Information about individual Eichler neighborhoods, the history of Eichler homes, a list of Eichler homes for sale, the Eichler lifestyle, and how to improve your Eichler ranch. The site even publishes its own quarterly magazine, "CA-Modern" devoted to things Eichler. The site's forum allows Eichler owners (and wannabe owners) to exchanges information.
Do you know of a mid-century modern or Retro 50s resource we ought to add? Please contact us. Are any of these links broken? Please let us know.
Rev. 08/15/19