The vintage Lane Acclaim line of furniture seems to have been very popular in mid century America. We speculate that — much like the popular Drexel Declaration line – the design of Lane Acclaim appealed to Mrs. America because it was a good compromise between traditional and modern. It was a little bit Early American, a little bit mid mod.

Remember: The mass of Mrs. Americas were not nuts about mid century modern. But maybe she could tiptoe in. Interestingly — also like Drexel Declaration, there’s a Shaker feel to the Lane Acclaim design — you can see how the wood is connected. Reader Dave is a big fan of the line. He recently acquired what seems to be a very hard-to-find catalog of available pieces from the Lane Acclaim Line — and graciously shares it with all of us today.

Dave writes:

After much hunting, I finally tracked down a complete Lane Acclaim catalog on Ebay and have scanned it. This is a small booklet, 3″ x 4″, that was hung on showroom pieces with a string. As someone who owns six lane pieces (all tables) I was surprised to learn how extensive the line actually was! Especially since you mostly see only the tables trading, with possibly an occasional hutch or desk. I think it would be of value for MCM fans to have access to this great historical record of a classic furniture line. It’s a valuable reference for buyers and sellers.

This story is particularly fun for me, because I have a Lane Acclaim table — it is the cocktail table 900-01 (shown in the lead photo.) My mother in law gave it to me. It was her parent’s coffee table.

But, I’ve never seen most of the furniture that is in this catalog. Look at those nesting tables above — it looks to me like the top one has the dovetailed edge and the inner one doesn’t. Very interesting.

And what is that I see — a TV snack cart on wheels? Amazing!

Was there MORE Lane Acclaim? We searched the blog and found this photo from this story. A different surfboard coffee table from the same line?

The Boomerang table above is one I’ve seen before — but the picture window table with the big drawer — that’s new to me.

From the Lane Acclaim catalog:

Although contemporary in classification, Acclaim furniture has a distinct hand-crafted quality that gives it unusual warmth and mellowness. Edges are softly rounded and suggest patient hand-working, rubbing, more hand-working and rubbing to achieve the soft, sculptured contours. Only the top 35% grade of walnut on the market is considered for this furniture. Then, out of 100 feet purchased, only 40 feet will meet Lane’s exacting requirements for grain and color. This fine wood is then finished with a mellow gunstock patina, enriched in character with dovetail inlays. Let your finger-tips brush across the satin-sooth dovetailing — you won’t be able to tell where the joinings are. Drawers operate easily and smoothly on steel ball bearing drawer guides.

The hutches and buffets are especially interesting. The drawer edges seem to have the same dovetail detail that the popular coffee tables have. I’d love to see one of these in the wild.

Above: Lane Acclaim chairs — who would have guessed?

Where there are chairs there is bound to be a few dining table options — again sporting the signature dovetail edges. Fantastic!

The dressers and chests in this line are also quite amazing.Being Lane — the company most notably known for their cedar chests — of course the Acclaim line had to have one. The Lane Acclaim Cedar Chest above appears to have “matchmaker changeable front panels” giving it maximum decorative versatility.

Again — I was surprised to see that there are headboards in this line — sporting the well known dovetailed motif.

The catalog also has cleaning and care instructions for Lane Acclaim furniture:

Directions: To polish, first clean the surface lightly with a moistened cloth. Then apply a good furniture polish smoothly with the grain. After it dries, gently polish the surface with a soft cloth. With brand-new furniture, do this once a week for the first month. After that time, polish occasionally to keep the beautiful finish. Dust regularly, but do it lightly because dust is abrasive.

Caution: Don’t place rubber-based lamps, telephones, radios or other objects on lacquer finishes unless the surfaces are protected by pads. Rubber can cause a chemical reaction, turning the finish yellow. It is also advisable to avoid placing furniture where it is constantly exposed to direct sunlight.

Mega thanks to reader Dave for sharing his treasured Lane Acclaim catalog with the Retro Renovation clan. To view the catalog, see our slideshow below:

Tips to view slide show: Click on first image… it will enlarge and you can also read my captions… move forward or back via arrows below the photo… you can start or stop at any image:?

The post Vintage Lane Acclaim catalog — showcasing 48 pieces in this classic furniture design favorite appeared first on Retro Renovation.

Super thanks to reader Amber, who commented on our original story about Gerber:

I called Gerber and they do make a pink toilet! It is Bahama Pink (not Sea Shell as in the image in this post). I asked if they could send me a sample and she gave me the number of the local rep, who I will be calling today after I get off work! As I told my husband… I am hot on the trail of a pink toilet!

Amber, Pam says that if you email her (use the Contact form on the blog), she will mail you one of her Save The Pink Bathroom collages — a reward for your pink potty private-eye-ing.

Toilet and sink in 10 retro colors

I contacted Gerber Public Relations contact Linda Bendt, who supplied photos of the Bahama Pink fixtures and confirmed that the Viper toilet is offered in this color. For some reason, the website only shows that it is available in white, but Linda assured me that this Viper toilet model can be ordered in Bahama Pink. 

Linda also told me that Gerber offers a matching pink lav sink — the Rotunda style, model number 12-894-21  — shown as available in several colors on the website.

I asked Linda whether any other retro vintage pastel colors were available in these styles, and heck to the yeah, she said that both the Viper toilet and the Rotunda 12-894-21 can be ordered in these colors, all still being manufactured today:

• British Biscuit
• Bahama Pink
• Jamaican Beige
• Silver
• Bone
• Dawn Blue
• Almond
• Citron Yellow
• Regal Blue
• Spanish gold

After doing a little more poking around the internet I found this brochure for the Gerber Viper toilet line including available color swatches. The swatches above are taken from that brochure, which was released in 2009 — and seems to be nearly the same collection of colors. Not only would the Bahama Pink work in a vintage bathroom, but it looks like the Silver, Citron Yellow, and Dawn Blue *could* be terrific color matches for vintage grey, yellow or blue pastel bathroom fixtures. Or — put them in a gut remodel with either matching or contrasting pastel tiles from B&W Tile.

Where to see this pink toilet and sink

The most frustrating aspect of this discovery is the lack of readily available color samples. Linda said they couldn’t send me a sample of the Bahama Pink and I found only one dealer in my area that carries Gerber products. I called to inquire if they had a sample of the Bahama Pink in their showroom but they did not. The person I spoke with said they would try to get a sample of the pink from their Gerber dealer for me to see in person and compare to my B&W pink tile. He also mentioned that Kohler makes a lighter pink line of fixtures in Innocent Blush — though I suspect it is a much lighter pink than what was originally popular in the 50s and 60s. Bottom line — if you are in the market for a new pink toilet for your bathroom remodel or restoration — the Gerber Bahama Pink may be a match. I’ll continue to try to find a sample to verify this, so stay tuned.

We are also working with our contact at Kohler to get glamour shots of their pink fixtures in Innocent Blush.

The post Pink toilet and bathroom sink still being manufactured for sale today — plus, nine other retro colors appeared first on Retro Renovation.

Do you love the look of vintage TV sets, but actually want to watch be able to use them to watch the full range of programming available today? Greg and Tammy found a rare and wonderful 1951 Admiral Tele-Bar — and retrofitted the television portion to hold a 24″ flat screen TV. Now they can truly enjoy this amazing vintage television every single day. Read on for their story.

What could be more useful than a television, record player, bar cabinet and trash can all in one? Readers Greg and Tammy (of the fabulous 1953 Kelvinator refrigerator freezer) had been drooling over this vintage Admiral Tele-Bar — found at a local antique store — for about a year before they finally decided to pull the trigger and bring it home.

Greg and Tammy write:

Hi Pam,

Thought you would get a kick out of this. We recently bought what we discovered to be a 1951 Admiral Tele-Bar. It is a factory built entertainment center featuring a 21” black & White TV, AM-FM record player, 10″ speaker, complete with a built in lockable bar featuring 32 glasses, a serving tray and trash receptacle. It appears to have been made just one year. It cost a whopping $895 in ’51 when the average price of a new car was $1,800! Like spending $10K on a similar item today. Only about 23% of the U.S. population had TV’s in 1951. It interestingly has a socket for a color adapter!

We had been looking at it at an antique store in Ohio for around a year. We thought it was really cool, but didn’t know what we would do with it. We joked about the cool swinging couple who must have owned it. It has a sort of “Austin Powers” feel.

I really liked it, but wasn’t sure if we would put our modern 42” flat screen on it or? I didn’t want to make a fish bowl or something like that. I thought maybe I could get the old TV working, but we live out in the country in a deep river valley with NO antenna connection.

In the end, to make it a usable, practical 1950’s item (like our kitchen—remember our Kelvinator Foodarama, Tappan stove & custom built-in oven), I measured carefully and found a that a 24” flat screen would fit adequately. We were worried the screen would be “too small” after having big TV’s over the years, but it was one of the best decisions we ever made. It is our full time, everyday TV. I like looking at the Tele-Bar as much as the TV! Our 14-year-old son ended up with our 42” flat screen.

The Tele-Bar itself is in good shape. The original finish looks great except for some glass stains on the top. We may refinish that portion.  The bar is missing just two of the original glasses, supplemented with four period “girly glasses.”  The bottom “bar” portion serves as a perfect place for satellite receiver and DVD player. The trash receptacle serves as a DVD storage area.

Thought you might enjoy yet another 1950’s addition to our house. Now on the lookout for a mid century sectional!

Greg & Tammy

One of the Admiral Tele-Bar advertisements that Greg and Tammy pointed us to on the intertubes reads:

It’s here! The one and only Tele-Bar…Admiral’s new, exciting, unique, and revolutionary television-bar combination. Now…21″ TV, Dynamagic Radio, and the incomparable “Triple-Play” Phonograph…all combined in one great home entertainment ensemble for gracious living.

A Built-In Bar…Fully Equipped!

Tele-Bar enhances every occasion! Its exquisite, hand-rubbed, liquor-proof cabinet provides a stainless steel mixing tray, liquor-proof serving shelf, “empties” receptacle, and racks for 32 glasses. Lower compartment holds over 30 bottles. For those who entertain regularly…Tele-Bar is an indispensable aid and a practical investment. Glasses included at no extra charge.

I suppose this must have been the Rolls Royce of television sets back in 1951. Since it holds 30 bottles of liquor and 32 glasses — it would be easy to have all your neighbors over to watch TV. And as Greg and Tammy mention, since less than one-quarter of all Americans had a television in their home, those with a TV were immediately popular.

It is funny to note that the cabinet is described as “liquor proof” — even though it holds quite an amount. That must be in reference to the finish being impervious to water marks.

It was pretty ingenious to stick a flat screen TV behind the old frame — and using the liquor storage area for your cable box — perfect. Greg & Tammy — I’ll keep my fingers crossed that you find the perfect mid century sectional sofa to accompany your Tele-Bar soon — until then — thanks so much for sharing this fun story and photos with us.

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