I LOVE KNOTTY PINE KITCHENS. They were very popular in the postwar era — they fit with our interest in both western ranch and early American interiors… they were were affordable… and the material was available.
In fact, in researching this post I read a 2001 story from the New York Times that said knotty pine has its fans again today – and also appeals to fans of the Scandinavian tradition.
And of course — Betty Draper’s kitchen on Mad Men is knotty pine!
As far as I can find, there are not too many mainstream cabinet companies making knotty pine cabinets today. Luckily, one company that does is: Cabico. They are a large Canadian company, and I had a positive experience with their product when I retro renovated by bathrooms a few years ago.
Their knotty pine – honey finish – is shown in the first door.. This honey colored finish looks pretty good, I believe, for a retro renovation knotty pine kitchen. But something even more amber/orange could be even better. Note the image above — a 1952 Formica ad — for one reference for door styles.
I’d also recommend a planked door like this traditional (3/4) overlay design from Dynasty/Omega. Reference only, I do not believe that Dynasty/Omega offers knotty pine. Cabico also says that they can make a full-overlay plank door.
My concern about a slab style like the third door (also a reference from Dynasty/Omega), is that pine might split from expansion/contraction as it is a pretty soft wood.
Best, if you are truly interested in pursuing this look, to consult with a cabinetry professional.
Final note: I recently saw “knotty cherry” cabinets at the Eugene Home Show. They were really nice looking — definitely had the knotty-pine groove going on — and cherry is a harder wood, an even better material for cabinets.
Want to see more knotty pine interiors? Check out this slide show linked directly to the flickr group that I started, Knotty Pine Interiors:
This post has been updated from the original, which ran Dec. 26, 2007.
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{ 21 comments… read them below or add one }
Love the knotty pine! It reminds me of my aunt’s kitchen. She had wrought iron hardware on the cabinets, and a RED range that matched the countertops.
I love the look of those knotty pine cabinets, but I would want more colonial style. The recessed cubby and that chair by the sink are about the only colonial touches in this kitchen. Wait, I see some shutters too. (These pictures are so fun to examine.) Look at those mod chairs that fit under the bar, made to look like cabinet doors! This is that blend of modern and colonial that 50sPam has talked about before.
Such blends don’t always work so well. My husband got sick of knotty pine as a kid, when his dad modernized their 1910-era house by paneling several rooms in knotty pine, and putting in dropped acoustical ceilings. But he left the Victorian-style woodwork, painted bright white. Quite a combination.
–>Sarakay, thanks for your comment! Your aunt’s kitchen sounds fabulous! There’s not a family photo somewhere, is there? I adore the idea of the matching range and yes, in a colonial knotty pine kitchen, the hardware most certainly would have been wrought iron. So cool!
–>Sumac Sue aka Judi: Yes, I agree that the colonial style knotty pine kitchens are really nice, too. Certainly, they are more typical — in a way, that’s why I liked this photo, it is opposite of what you’d expect. Knotty pine imitating steel. I will do more posts on the more classic design in the future. For sure, you would need the planked door style, and I recall that a knotty pine valance, carved/curved, is really essential, too. I also agree with your regarding the photos, they are SO MUCH FUN to analyze. People were so much into the details – I’d say even more so than today!
A little technical information about knotty pine cabinet doors:
No cabinet maker or manufacturer would accede to your request for knotty pine slab doors.
Pine “grows” and “shrinks” a lot, depending upon the amount of moisture in the environment. So slab doors in pine would crack and break themselves apart in a few years in a kitchen. That would happen even with sturdy bracing across the backs of the doors.
What you are seeing, in that illustration of the knotty pine kitchen at the top of this post, is knotty pine veneer doors. The only way to make solid wood pine doors that will last is to make what they call a “five part door” (a frame around a floating center panel). Even those tend to dry out and crack over time, but they’ll hold up far better than a slab door would. The knots also tend to fall out as they shrink.
Some woods are just not all that conducive to being made into cabinets. Pine is on the borderline.
Enjoy your blog.
Peggy
Thanks, Peggy, for that info. I hear what you’re saying about slab doors. What do you think about planked doors in pine (ala my post about Omega’s)?
I’m afraid that I’ve been scarred as a child of the 50s and 60s and cannot fully embrace the love of knotty pine. I must have been overexposed.
I understand completely.
We live in a house built in the 1950’s and we have the knotty pine kitchen and dining room walls. While I would love to change it and update my kitchen my husband refuses and keeps saying it’s worth a lot of money, etc. etc. We also have the matching brown appliances, the double wall oven, stovetop and dishwasher. We did update the flooring because of Hurricane Katrina and the water damage from the refrigerator after we left. I have to say I’m torn between keeping it the “old” way or updating because it’s so dark in there.
I’ll have to send you some pictures. We have a knotty pine upstairs master bedroom and a knotty pine basement. The upstairs has built-in drawers with the black wrought iron draw pulls and the closet has black wrought iron hinges. I need to clean before I can photograph. lol
We had fabulous knotty pine built in dressers in each room in our last house and the I cringed when the new owner (as we were selling it) commented about tearing them out. Gasp.
People have absolutely NO taste. I wish we had knotty pine in our current 50’s house!
Pine? I personally don’t like it, but my mothers old house had heaps! Also Australia is getting Mad Men.
I don’t think I’ve ever come across these kind of cabinets in our retro neighborhood, but they are classy! And the turquoise counter tops are to die for!
We have birch cabinets with the reddish stain that are original and we lightened the kitchen by painting it a robins egg blue that is a really good match; I also bought some vintage-y cafe curtains at Urban Outfitters that are white with a black/turquoise/green print that also lighten things up. The original golden brown Kitchen Aid stove and dishwasher were broken before we moved in so we had those replaced with new Kenmore stuff, but what can you do? The fixtures are the hammered black metal ones you see everywhere. I love them!
The best knotty pine house I ever lived in had the cabinets, a red formica countertop edged in silver metal and COWBOY themed fixtures!!!! The address plate out front was even an original with a cowboy reclining against a cactus…ah rentals!
This is my favorite!!! Love the color combination of red and turquoise with the warm wood.
Hey I think it would be fun to do a “knotty pine” group of photos like you’ve done with the pink kitchens and pink bathrooms.
Sara, look within the post – I already have a group going on flickr. But, I can also start my own and readers’ collection on the site. Send ‘em in to: retrorenovation at gmail dot com. Glad you like.
I can testify that knotty pine can last and, in the right setting, look beautiful. We have it in our kitchen and it has held up very well for 54 years. Yes, there is some slight warping on a few doors, and one drawer has badly cracked, but given the generally high humidity of summers in Kansas it surprises me that that most of the panels have remained so straight all these years. I think the quality of the pine is the determining factor here, in addition to solid bracing in back. The overall effect is inviting warmth and utility. It’s a great combination.
Naughty Pug’s + Knotty Pine…..hold up, I’m going for the camera!!!
OK, I have retro stove sickness right now, but still…when you click on the picture, dig that ol’ Western Holly with the single porthole! Love at first sight! The double porthole-double oven is dreamy, but at 43″, who has the width? Sigh…
We bought some old knotty pine cabinetry from a salvage warehouse. My husband turned the large cabinet doors into a desk and credenza for me. We left the old iron hardware in place. The pieces turned out beautiful and are just right for my office in our “Ranch Style” home. Love the look but not for a kitchen anymore.