We continue our 1961 Hotpoint kitchen mini-series starting with the calendar couple for May. I think it is rare to see an older couple in a kitchen ad. No one seems to want to market to oldies, and I now am having to get used to putting myself in that category. Gramma and Gramps have one bitchin’ kitchen, though. I really love the acrylic panels above the wall cabinets. I also find the wall cabinets themselves interestingly done: They are not 30″ high like most kitchens, they appear to be only 15″ high. If you can afford to give up the space, this arrangement certainly opens up the kitchen more. Finally, if you go over to the 1960s gallery and look at this image enlarged, notice the 4″ tiles. They are all kind of “marbelized”, like with a Roman feel, which we’ve talked about before. I am not sure how I feel about this particular look, but the designers get credit for pushing the envelope.
Here are Gramma and Gramps’ son and daughter-in-law. This seems to be a tiki kitchen. Those are seashell cabinet pulls, and there is an aquarium built into the kitchen island. Yowza. Today, with the prevalance of bamboo cabinets, you could go even further down this tiki path, haha. These vintage images provide great ideas that we might not otherwise be exposed to today via mainstream design media. Like: Yellow + lime + light wood cabinetry. I like it. Precautionary Pam warns, however, that in addition to ensuring you learn about all the safety and environmental issues related to your vintage house: Don’t waterski while smoking a pipe.
This is a Retro Renovation classique image. Is there a party going on elsewhere in the house, or just here? Lovely lovely color combo: Pink and orange against ivory with black. This kitchen has a two-color Mondrian feel… I love the repetition of the orange above the sink… Again, very high wall cabinet placement. A key consideration in the use of color in any room is to use it to keep your eye “dancing around” in an entertained yet not overwhelmed way. Kind of: lively but balanced. This room has it, although that couple, I’m not so sure of.
Pencils says
Pam–not only does bamboo often take more processing, it’s also almost always shipped from China and other parts of Asia. More locally produced materials are therefore more green in that respect. I’m planning on installing linoleum (specifically, Marmoleum) in my kitchen, but unfortunately it’s manufactured in Europe as all the North American linoleum factories closed when the demand dropped. Still, it’s an all-natural product and I’ll be proud to have it in m house.
Alice says
Pam you know that yellow and lime kitchen is an inspiration to me! We are pretty sure that we are going to go with chartreuse walls in our yellow geneva kitchen. I had thought about white sparkly terrazzo for the floor, but perhaps bamboo flooring would look nice…what do you think?
I just love your eye for detail…I had to get out the reading glasses to see the pipe on the “surfer dude”!
pam kueber says
Alice, I think that re: bamboo it’s really important to check into durability issues. Also, I am not convinced that bamboo products are really any “greener” because they can take more processing… I think this is a complicated issue…
magnarama says
My first fridge, in the ’70s, was a hand-me-down from an aunt and uncle, and it was the exact ’60s Hotpoint model shown in these photos. It was fabulous, and I’ve wished a thousand times I still had it today.
Pencils says
I had no idea that bottom-freezer fridges were around back then either. They seem so much more sensible! Just bought a high efficiency one as part of the cash for clunkers program. The interesting thing is that it’s replacing an 80s model bottom-freezer, something I’d never seen before. It’s almond or beige. I would have loved to get a set of Big Chill appliances in the buttercup yellow, but their prices are just too far out of our budget.
handyandy says
Tut-
Thanks for the hilarious story of Pat and Chuck….haven’t laughed that hard in a while.
Mod Betty / Retro Roadmap says
Two thoughts on having the laundry near the kitchen- our 1958 Ranch has a “nook” just inside the back door where we have our washer and dryer and I find it so much more convenient than our last house/ a Cape, with the laundry all the way in the farthest corner of the basement. We were lucky enough to get the original blueprints to the house so I’ll have to see if that was the original plan.
The other thing that just occurred to me, besides that this might have been a plumbing based decision, is that it could possible be an arrangement totally made up by the companies who designed both kitchen and washer appliances- only one photo needed to highlight both products.
I like the fact that the W&D in our nook also doubles as counter space when needed!
Tikimama says
A tiki kitchen – how great!! Of course, I wouldn’t be able to resist putting lots more tiki “stuff” in there, and I’d probably ruin the design….but the aquarium in the island is to die for! Can’t you imagine all the kids and cats just sitting there mesmerized on the kitchen floor?
I grew up in the 70s with bottom-freezer fridges, and didn’t know they came other ways. When I went to buy my own first fridge, in the 90s, you couldn’t find them at all. I’m irritated by top freezers, because as Gavin pointed out, you are constantly bending and stooping to get to all the stuff you use much more frequently in the fridge. Now I’ve got an inherited side-by-side, which are no better for frozen pizza lovers. 🙁