A kitchen island can be fantastic, for seating and especially for expanding useful prep space. But in my mind, there is nothin’ more cozy, comfy, homey than a kitchen table set close at hand. There’s just something… egalitarian and *grounded*… about sitting together around that most basic piece of furniture. Mid-century America was boom times for kitchen dinettes. It seems there were a gazillion possibilities to love — and in my mind, the quirkier, the better. I’ve been grabbing screenshots from ebay for the past several months, now collected into a gallery of 46 examples.
In my 1963 aquamarine kitchen, we have the Crate & Barrel Saarinen tulip table knock-off. It’s everyone’s favorite place, and I can’t imagine the room without it. The chairs, which I bought from a place selling replicas via ebay, are not holding up well, by the way. I recommend: Hold out for something built in the period — if it’s lasted this long, it’ll last through your family, too. And it is SO FUN to search.
The kitchen table: Humble, like our houses. Do you have a wonderful dinette? I’d love to see it and share it with other readers. Email me photos at: retrorenovation [at] gmail [dot] com.
Note: Click on the first image — it will enlarge — and then you can use the arrows to proceed through the slide show. Enjoy!
Magnarama says
The sheer variety of styles that were produced is just dumbfounding!
Pam, if we could climb in the RetroReno Wayback Machine for just a moment, I’d like to call your readers’ attention to a dinette question I submitted to you back in March of ’08. I’m still trying to find out any information on this unusual dinette I own that has every surface (including all chair parts) completely covered with Formica. I’ve never come across another set like it.
Now that your blog is so heavily trafficked (and award-nominated!), maybe someone knows something about the manufacturer or history of this unusual set?
Your original post about it , with pix, is here:
https://retrorenovation.com/2008/03/20/magbot-shows-us-her-awesome-all-formica-dinette/
(My user name and email have changed since then, but I’m the same Maggie.)
pam kueber says
Hey, magnarama, I most certainly remember your fabulous dinette – in fact I was just looking at it the other day. I need to go thru the blog and add dinettes that already have been featured to the slide show. Yes – let’s home someone can ID yours. I’ve never seen another one like it – a treasure!
Leah@storybookranch says
So fun to look at. I’ve been on the lookout for a round dinette set for quite some time, now. I may have to take your route, Pam.
ps.
Congrats on being in the finals over at AT! you have my vote:)
Annie B. says
Thanks for the delightful gallery of dinettes. I want one of these sets so badly I can hardly stand it; however, my kitchen is too small for even one vintage chair. A dilemma in the classic sense!
Bryan says
I looked thru the old adress’s of the Metal Masters Mfg on the underside of the chair and the one on harper is a old hardware store that ive been in. im guessing the hardware used to sell the furniture. they have been around since the 40’s in the same building and its one of the last old school hardware stores around. I know Metal Masters are still around cause ive seen there logo on a building near by. i just need to remember where i saw it at.
All so i have a really neat table im going to send you pictures of. it has a cool design inlayed in the laminate. I found it in the Garbage this summer. It would actually go in the new kitchen well but its very small and its busy holding all my Motorcycle parts right now.
Matt says
I just picked up a metal masters table and four chairs near Detroit I can’t find anything on the Internet about it, wondering what years they made them
Diana of Mt. Lebanon, PA says
Thanks for sharing these with us. I love looking at dinettes and we love our own dinette (which I just sent you photos of).
A couple of our chairs in our dinette have some small tears. Is there an easy fix for such tears? Or, is this something we’d have to pay someone to fix? Any ideas are appreciated. Our chairs are made of a vinyl material, but it’s not a smooth vinyl, it has a very fine marbly texture to it.
MrsErinD says
Oh my, Image # 8, the one with the quilted brownish chairs, we have that exact set, it’s a Chromecraft table set!!! It was Hubby’s aunt’s. BUT~ ours has a white table top and the chairs, I have no idea what color they were originally, they were recovered in the 70’s in cream and orange flower vinyl, cute but we are recovering them, ours aren’t quilted they have a middle overlay with buttons, so we are doing them in aqua and white naugahyde. We also painted the “wood” (it’s really sticker stuff) part on the table/chair legs white cause it was in real bad shape, and had to respray the chrome was also in bad shape, but we hope to get them recovered and looking 50s again soon!
I adore 35 and 37 especially, the pink boomerang and aqua ones!
Tim says
Speaking of dinettes… do you have any information on fixing the chair seats? We’ve got a beautiful yellow set with vinyl seats that have started to shred (it seems like they’re just cracking from age).
Emy says
I have a 50’s dinette similar to the red and grey one pictured above. Do you happen to have a source for replacing the plastic caps on the bottom of the table legs. Like the one in the picture, my table has two metal pieces so the caps at home depot don’t work as they are. I would love to find a nice option that doesn’t involve hot gluing two together.
mcmeg says
Oh, that booster seat is just too much! Thanks for sharing your collection of images. Incredible!
gab18481 says
Oooo…thanks for the eye candy this morning!!!