From the richly ornamental to the whimsical, old-fashioned wood porch bracket designs have enriched the faces of American houses for over a century.
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If you love the mid-century style, or want to re-create that beautiful vintage backyard feel, get 47 of the best old-fashioned patio, deck & porch ideas here for a little retro inspo.
Why take the stairs while you can ride up in comfort inside one of these metalwork ‘cage’ style antique elevators, made with beautiful ornamental iron? Just tell the bellhop what floor you want.
Nestled between the spectacular Maui coastline and the rolling green hills of a lush pineapple plantation was Maui’s luxurious original Kapalua Bay Hotel and Bay Villas. Take a look back!
If you were a child or a parent in the seventies, or are looking to the past to style something new, you’ll love this sunny trip back down memory lane. We’ve tracked down some of the coolest, trendiest vintage kids’ bedroom makeovers from the 1970s. Take a look!
These vintage Rig-a-Jig toy sets were popular back in the fifties, and were sort of a hybrid of TInkertoys, Lego and an Erector Set. See how they worked, and what you could create with them, here!
One of the most beautiful – and most imaginative – passenger centers in the world was unveiled when Trans World Airlines opened its iconic sixties modernist masterpiece – the TWA Terminal at JFK airport in New York. See it being built here, and how it looked in the early days.
Put together a half dozen pieces of this DIY fun furniture for kids, and your child will have endless play ideas. Made from just one simple box construction, the pieces are great for pretend games, the right size to use as table and chairs.
The basic concept hasn’t changed much in 100 years, but vintage Erector Sets like these are still popular, still inspiring creativity, and still being used to build everything from mini roller coasters to motorized robots.
The woman on the iconic ‘We can do it!’ posters from the 1940s encouraged women to join the WWII workforce – and they did. Here, see 46 real-life Rosie the Riveters who built bombers and transport planes.
It took years to complete the Statue of Liberty construction – and it wasn’t easy! Look behind the scenes into how it was done, plus close-up shots from renovations.
Early in the 20th century, people started moving from the city out to the suburban districts and small towns. See some classic All-American suburban houses from that era here!
Monsanto’s Home of the Future at Disneyland – set in the futuristic year 1986 – was built almost entirely of plastic, either alone or in combination with traditional building materials.
Even today, there are ships buried under downtown San Francisco that you might walk over, on land reclaimed from the Bay thanks to the Gold Rush.
See what it took to get the Golden Gate Bridge built, plus see dozens of pictures of the construction, and the celebration when it finally opened in 1937.
If you’re remodeling a 1950s home exterior, advice from that decade says to follow a simple, straightforward style. Your house will look better and cost less.
Inside the rambling 160-room Winchester Mystery House, doors lead into blank walls, staircases end in midair, trap doors spring to the floors below, and elevators rise through the roof.
This unusual home in the hills of Oakland, California is tree house – with a modernist design – belonging to Dave Brubeck, known as ‘Mr. Jazz’ to his fans.
This cute build-it-yourself vacation cabin from the ’50s was designed to be affordable and easy to build, and it could be expanded, too.
Biltmore is a huge private estate and tourist destination in Asheville, North Carolina with 250 rooms spread over four acres of floor area, and it has 43 bathrooms and 35 bedrooms. See it here!
Look back at Hawaii during the huge tourist boom of the ’60s, which helped thousands fall in love with the state – but also forever changed the islands’ landscape.
When you look back at these old photos of skyscraper construction, you’ll see men way up high without harnesses, walking along beams suspended hundreds of feet above the street, and swinging on cables.
Few families today are without automobiles, so the lack of a garage affects the resale value of any home. A garage not in good taste architecturally almost as seriously affects that value.
This vintage playhouse from the ’60s is a real house, with a Dutch front door and hearts and flowers dormers and a white picket fence.
Our practical dream house: Practical in the sense of low maintenance. Dreamy in the way it realizes the family’s hopes. What a house costs to
A-frame house plans for second homes & family vacation cabins: 12 retro designs from the ’50s & ’60s
The A-frame house design is a tried and true style, and was especially popular for second homes and vacation cabins in the ’60s. See several retro A-frames here!
If your family never stays home because there’s nothing to do, check out these ways to pep up your yard or garden. Sometimes the simplest things, as in the play castle here, yields the most imaginative results.
Move out of doors in style during the summer . . . yet provide year-round storage for your boat, motor and outdoor equipment with this boat shelter and convertible patio.
Here’s an idea designed to make one room serve two purposes . . . a cozy, practical family room, plus well-planned facilities for extra guests or family additions.
Children’s activity center Hours of family-planned fun with this compact “home saver” A separate little world for the youngsters of your house . . .
The Homarina beach cabin provides secure boat storage, over 400 square feet of comfortable, practical leisure living space, plus a large deck right at water’s edge.
A touch of Old Japan, added to the occidental comforts and convenience you’ve come to expect — that’s this charming summer teahouse vacation home design from 1960.
These seven unique budget small house designs from the 50s prove that good things still do come in small packages – that originality can make the tiniest house attractive!
Boy’s Alaskan bedroom hideaway Built-in utility… plus a new world of adventure The young men of your house will appreciate this beautiful and practical “Alaskan
Here’s how to make a retro DIY kitchen island with roll-away cart! This prep and serving center was designed to modernize a kitchen with ’60s style.
Fold-away dining corner A family-centered dining nook tucks away into warm wood paneling Here is an idea that will provide additional living space in your
Over, under and all around, a sunny mood pervades this lemon-and-lime kitchen in suburban Cincinnati. But this kitchen has more than good looks.
Make a ‘Finger-tip’ buffet server Display, serve, store, “roll away” with this serving center of fine wood This built-in buffet will save you steps, help
Make a fold-up home workshop Plan, work, store, protect with this “fold away” workshop For Dad only . . . a complete, self-contained home workshop
Make a ‘Lazy Susan’ wardrobe Four-season wardrobe selection at the touch of a finger Separate your wardrobe by season . . . by formal and
Modernism reigns in house situated at ‘The Crossroads’ Promptly at 7 tomorrow night, the doors of the new Orinda Theater will swing open for the
Thousands of lives would be lost before it was discovered that simple asbestos – something natural, helpful and seemingly innocuous – would actually lead to many major health problems.[
One of the first problems which confronts the prospective home builder is the selection of the style of architecture for his new home. New England
Stokely — a canned food company — together with Tonka Toddler Toys, introduced this line of fruit and veggie-themed preschool toys in the early seventies.
The hot new building material: Concrete (1906) Economics and conveniences of concrete Concrete is the new medium of the engineering wonder-worker. First, he builds the
