Tuesday, January 11, 2011

Diners, Drive-ins, and Jives...

You see what i did there?  Jives, not Dives?  Because my basement will not be a dive.  I hope.  It will,  however, be decorated like a drive in/diner, complete with theatre screen that will drop down like magic from the ceiling.  Right now we are nowhere near that level of decorating, or bar building. Or, you know, a ceiling from which to drop the screen.  We're at the "figure out the wiring and outlets prior to drywalling" phase.  So you get the idea.  Months to go.  Here are some inspiration pics with the colors and retro theme i'm going for.  So sorry that i don't know where most of these images came from, i wasn't blogging then.  Just stalking and saving.  Please let me know if you know so i can properly credit! 


Sigh, these are the colors i want to do spot on.  Red, turquoise, black and white.  We already have 4 red retro bar stools that came with the house and probably need to be rechromed.  For additional seating at the bar, we're thinking a little two seater along this table's vibe.  How do you feel about a turquoise wall?   (i know this image is a blog find)


Our black and white tiles will be going on the floor a la angled checkerboard in the bar area.  In the lounging area, i will bring in the black with frames around my tin signs, and the chrome with the fireplace (hopefully).  I don't know about seating...red couch with turquoise cushions, and a neutral wall color?  Continue with the turquoise wall color, do a neutral couch, and red pillows?  i need to figure out how to do a mood board or something.  (retroplanet.com)


Is this bar not gorgeous!?!  Can't get much more retro than that!  We will not be having the tv there, we will be having a mirror like the image below, but with the sundae and soda shop looking glasses flanking it on either side.  It pained us to seal up a window, but there was no point in replacing it or worrying about water getting in.  They're your typical tiny basement windows, anyway, so we wouldn't be missing much light.  Plus we're putting in a sliding door where the old garage door was, and that will bring light.  (sheetmetalartcreations.com)


We're going to be building the bar, and i like the rounded edge to this.  To keep it classy, we are probably going to do black granite, but it needs to have this chrome wraparound edge to maintain the diner vibe.  What i want it some sort of conglomeration of this and the blue bar b/c we have the space for it.



I already have a Beatles poster, and there's the neutral in the curtains.  Proof i am not making this color scheme up!  (Casa Moxie)



I like this image for the colors and the props.  We have a retro inspired popcorn machine, much wall decor with popcorn and burgers, and fries, and reels, oh my.  Old school looking pendant lights and framed movie posters. We have this strange desire for an old gas station pump as well. I know it's not everyone's cup of tea, but we are super excited for the day this becomes a reality. 

Well, mostly S wants to make the magic screen come down.  Talk about motivation.

20 comments:

Nita Stacy said...

I LOVE turquoise and red! This is going to be such a fun room. Can't wait to watch it all come together.

Linda @ A La Carte said...

I think the turquoise is a great addition to the black, white and red! It is going to be so cool!

Anonymous said...

Sounds like you have it all figured out!!

I can't wait to see it when yall are done!

Debbiedoos said...

FUN...we almost went retro in our last house in the kitchen. I know me though I tire easily and once you do it and invest it is best to stick with it for awhile. It is fun!

Lisa said...

I was wondering how things were going with this project. I'm so excited to see it!

Melanie {The Tiny Tudor} said...

This is going to be such an exciting project! I love everything retro diner...

Reunion Committee said...

sooo cute. I love the color! Even the pop of hot pink went great!
Cant wait to see it all together.
Tana

Missy Salsa said...

I can't wait to see the final product! Do the turquoise wall. With the red, black and white it will really pop. They are such retro colors.

Anne said...

Those black and white tiles, along with the red bar stools in the other photo would be so retro cool!

Devonay said...

Completely awesome! I painted my bedroom the turquoise color you've chosen and I love it! Can't wait to see the finished product... will be watching your progress.

Devonay said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
Linda@Coastal Charm said...

Awesome color combo!!!

Blessings,
Linda

Kim Franklin said...

Well, you have to start somewhere, and its always nice to look at lots of ideas and pick and choose, thats how you arrive at the perfect picture. What fun that blue counter is though... wow awesomeness indeed.

-Kim aka Mr. Gnome

Anonymous said...

Do a turquoise couch with red piping detail!

I love this idea of a retro basement bar and Crazy Car Man is loving the turquoise because it's the same colour as his '77 Kingswood. He also thinks the idea of an old skool petrol pump is awesome.

I can't wait to see the finished product :o)

Firefly said...

Love the colors and ideas, can't wait to see the whole thing. Have a great day!

Jill said...

I LOVE that blue bar!! Sounds like big plans you have - make sure and post progress pics and of course the finished product!!!

Anonymous said...

I really like turquoise and red and think it make a really fun combination for your room. It will be fun to see it come together! Have a good weekend...

Diann said...

This is exactly what my hubby and I want to do. Have a retro diner in our basement. We have collected a lot of Coke and Route 66 items to decorate it with. Love it!

Oona Johnson said...

I LOVE the idea of a turquoise wall - definitely. What about a white vinyl or leather sofa? Even a black leather sofa would be good if you kept the styling along the lines of the theme. Like this one:
http://customsofadesign.com/styles.php?s=cynthia
or this one:
http://customsofadesign.com/styles.php?s=corson

Or we just saw this sectional at Crate and Barrel that came in a super dark charcoal, has kind of a retro-modern feel to it, and it would provide lots of seating:
http://www.crateandbarrel.com/furniture/sectional-sofas/sidecar-2-piece-left-arm-sectional/s524584

The bars in your inspiration pics are amazing. I think what you are describing would be our dream basement.

MJ said...

So freakin cool! Love that show and I love retro! Can't wait to see what you come up with. P.S. Love the wall color!