VINTAGE EYE CANDY today — a complete catalog of steel kitchen cabinets from Montgomery Ward, circa 1941. You can see from this brochure, how much simpler kitchens were in the pre-war era. Of course, we were still in recovery from the Great Depression. Even a kitchen like this — which would seem so basic today — would have been immensely luxurious in 1941.
Here we see again, how an average housewife of the era may only have been able to afford and purchase the sink cabinet alone, with its porcelain-enamel-on-cast-iron drainboard sink-top… While the catalog is presumably about the full range of cabinets, it is principally marketing the “Modern Cabinet Sink.” This would be the first piece a homemaker would buy — she would then integrate this into her farmhouse kitchen – which may have had homemade wood cabinets or not, or into her apartment kitchen to replace the old wall-hung kitchen sink. She could buy the rest of the pieces later. What a move forward: Built-ins, made in a material, steel, that was “vermin-free.” Oh, also notice the stainless steel drainboard sink on p. 4 – a look you can replicate with Elkay aluminum drainboard sinks today.
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{ 11 comments… read them below or add one }
These are so hot.
I’m about to start planning a 1949 kitchen reno. We have to rip out the old wooden cupboards to insulate in front of the structural walls because we’ve had problems with water pipes freezing. This series will be helpful as I’m planning a 1949 inspired kitchen to blend with the rest of our bungalow!
Good luck with your project, Maureen – sounds like a big one. I scan for relaxation – so I’ll see if I can dig up more kitchens from 1949 for you!
I miss Monkey Wards.
One time my mom gave me some advice, as we really didn’t purchase much there. She said, “Once in a few years there you get a little surprise and actually find something you want/need.”
How true—-all the memories
I really like the stainless trim pieces that integrate the drainboard sink with the counter top on each side. It’s a subtle feature but the devil is in the details, eh? I do not so much like the split up counter top. I get the whole “buy a piece at a time” set up and it’s a wonderful idea, but this would drive me nuts.
Chris.
theres a sink just like the one in the photo on Chicagos Craigslist!!
This looks for all the world like the same concept as the IKEA modular kitchen systems, right down to the half-moon shelves capping off a run of upper cabinets, just all rendered in metal instead of laminated particleboard. Some of the “design your own kitchen” advertising even reminds me of IKEA adverts. I do agree that having the counter top in sections is the most questionable part of this setup. I would think every one of those joints is a haven for dirt and food particles and a constant hassle to clean.
Like so many great posts of yours, this one makes me long to change my own kitchen….once again! The particular details I long for? The black baseboard that is always underneath vintage cabinets; it makes the cabinets feel like they’re floating. Also, the ever-present dark flooring. My floor is already b/w Armstrong checker; I love it, but I notice those 40’s kitchens have dark cork or brown or black floors; contrasting with the white or bright cabinets is really stunning. Oh, now you’ve got me started again!
fjp — regarding the countertop: this set up, with the steel casings connecting the countertop pieces all along the run, is very very common in the 40s and into the early 50s. I will have to do some more research on this … as I know that I have seen materials in my stash that explain the countertops … but I believe the answer may be along these lines: The countertop material is a form of lineoleum. But it is not just smacked onto a piece of plywood like we do today with laminate. It is actually melded to other substrate materials for strength and durability. I am betting that also in those days it was just not practical to order a complete run all cut to fit. So the countertops were made in sections to fit each cabinet – then pieced together on site. I think that these things are really really durable. I’ve seen some still in existence today. Some of them also have curved integrated backsplashes also with steel pieces. They are actually quite the engineering marvel – reflecting the actuality of the techology available at the time.
Barclay, I think that during the war there actually were constraints on the availability of “colors.” Also, prewar, the economy was still very slow — no happy go lucky pastels. However, we did see rich streamline and deco colors – 40s Hollywood glamour colors.
I have a Montgomery Ward red sink cabinet with homemade planked wooden cabinets recycled from an old chicken coop I’m told from a family member whose parents owned the place. All still work fine although the cabinets are a little warped.