A recent surge of animosity on some other blogs aimed at knotty pine kitchens has been upsetting my karmic balance. However, the retro decorating gods have made it all better (for now) by delivering flickr friend Eartha Kitsch, who just last week finished freshening up the knotty pine kitchen in her 1956 new-old house. Today, she shares her secret to reviving the cabinets, tells about her stove quest, and shares lots of photos. That’s her with DH (dear husband).
EK writes:
Hey Pam,
Thanks for asking about the fancying up of the knotty pine kitchen in our 1956 ranch. : ) For years, my husband and I passed by this house every day, each time saying that if it ever went up for sale, we had to try to make it ours. We had no clue whatsoever about what the inside of the home looked like but of course, when we saw it in our minds, we pictured it with the original kitchen and baths and other period details still intact. When we finally did get the word that the house would be for sale, we anxiously awaited the day that we could see inside. Once inside the home, we were super excited to see that our mind’s eyes had been correct in that not only were the original baths intact – but the kitchen too…and it was so much better than we’d imagined – knotty pine from top to bottom with flagstone wall and lighted niches. We instantly fell in love and knew that we were home. We both admit now that it was the kitchen that sealed the deal. In July of last year, our dream came true and we closed on the house.
the kitchen "before"
The work in the kitchen has focused on cosmetic as well as more serious issues. Cosmetically, we set to work straight away sprucing up the woodwork in the kitchen. The walls, ceiling and cabinets are all knotty pine and they’d seen some years of dust, cooking grease and nicks and scratches. I know that there are a lot of different opinions on how to clean knotty pine but in our case, we mixed a tiny bit of Murphy’s oil soap in with hot water and gave all of the wood a wash with a slightly damp rag. Then we buffed it all with a clean cloth.
This took off so much of the grime from the years. I used a small bit of Simple Green mixed with water on some of the areas that were coated with cooking grease. The final touch was to use Old English to remove all of the scratches. A simple buffing with Old English made them look brand new. We were amazed at how well it worked and with just a small amount of the product too. A toothbrush was used on the hardware.
We removed some of the upper cabinet doors and put them in storage so that we could have more display space for a lot of the dishes and kitchen kitsch that we like to collect. The dishes added a nice splash of color to a room that is mostly wood. We found the original kitchen windows from above the sink in storage and after a good cleaning, we put them back up. It took a good deal of searching but we finally found the push bar hardware to match the rest of the windows in the house to go on them from a company called Blaine Window Hardware in Maryland that fabricates upon order. They matched perfectly.
We had an additional light put in on the ceiling because the corner at the stove was quite dark. Luckily, Home Depot still sells the fixture that matches so it looks like it has always been there.
When we moved into the house, we found that the stove didn’t work and learned more than we ever expected to know about 40″ ovens. We could either buy a new one for around a thousand bucks or search for a used one. We decided to look for a used one that would match the age of the house. That was quite the search! It took us to some very interesting places to say the least…
In the end, we found a beautiful old stove that was being sold from the sad gutting of a 50′s ranch across town. It looked showroom new inside and out and we were told that the lady who owned it never really cooked. Score! For a couple of hundred bucks, we took it home. It’s got all of the bells and whistles and some pretty snazzy lights on it too. Sometimes, I like to light it up and just look at it. Crazy but true. It’s my dream to have all vintage aqua appliances one day but we’ll see how long the current ones last for us.
We had some hardwired florescent lights removed from over the sink and a good deal of the budget was spent updating the breaker box and wiring. There were some pretty scary electrical issues in this house. There was also an unnerving issue with the kitchen switches sizzling when we flipped them. Eep! We also had some major plumbing issues in the kitchen. When we moved in, we learned that we could use neither the sink nor the dishwasher without water backing up into other places. After a lot of time and money spent with plumbers, we finally found out that the problem was inside of the wall pipes. Squirrels had been dropping walnuts into the plumbing exhaust vent pipes on our roof! (Note: We learned that it’s a good idea to cover these with strong wire mesh if you have squirrels in the area or live under trees) We had to remove our countertops and have the wall opened up to access the pipes so that the walnuts could be removed. What a mess! I love squirrels but not so much that day.
We just finished painting the kitchen a light mossy green and I think that it looks great with the pine details. I love old Western and woodsy memorabilia so it’s all seemed to fall together so sweetly.
One entire wall of the kitchen is a flagstone wall with niches that light up and I’ve enjoyed decorating those.
Along that wall is a long countertop and cabinet that according to the original blueprints, used to be a breakfast bar.
It’s great as a bar and buffet at parties. We hope to one day replace the ceramic tile flooring with a checkerboard pattern in VCT tiles but I think that will be several years down the line, probably after some other rooms have been tackled. On a side note, the Sellers of the house told us that when they bought the house, they were about to put down that very tile in the kitchen but their realtor told them that nobody wanted that style anymore and that it would be a horrible idea. Huh! I think that just goes to show that we should always do what makes US happy when decorating our houses and not worry about what “other people” like. I hope that we are in this house a long, long time but if for some reason we aren’t, I hope that the next folks down the line will also appreciate this knotty pine kitchen and keep it going. It’s easy to see that it’s got many more decades of service and charm left in it.
Thanks again, Pam!
Sincerely,
Eartha
Thank you, EK, for a wonderful, wonderful story. I also really appreciate your trials and tribulations regarding the electrical, plumbing and vent pipe issues — these are all the kinds of things prospective homeowners need to be very aware of, along with safety and environmental issues related to vintage homes. It’s good to budget for just these kinds of surprises — so that you can get to that good feeling of security that all your home’s basic maintenance issues are intact. Decorating is the icing on the cake. Your kitchen is just gorgeous — proof that knotty pine can definitely be worth preserving and maintaining.
Knotty pine kitchen and more – in this month’s Old House Interiors 
Vintage heart pine vs. today’s knotty pine 
Decorating ideas for Tracy’s knotty pine kitchen — Readers, chip in! 
Become a fan
Thank you for sharing the details of your remodeling. We are getting ready to fix our knotty pine kitchen the way we like it. This is a link: http://www.flickr.com/photos/31108567@N06/sets/72157621971263328/
We are changing the counter tops (no granite!) and taking out the upper peninsula cabinets to let in more light and open the kitchen up to the eating area. Also, we are replacing the floor (not original).
Anyway, thanks for sharing your tips about the Old English. I can’t wait to try it!
I love your stone wall and your color choices. Great kitchen!
Hi all,
Does anyone know what kind of stand mixer that is? I LOVE it.
Morgan,
It’s the artisan series kitchen-aid mixer in mint or kiwi. very easy to fin, but maybe not in that color. they run about $250.
Hey Morgan,
Thanks! Lindsey is right that it’s the KitchenAid artisan series mixer. The color is Pistachio and looks a lot prettier in person than the photos online at retailer sites show. It’s a nice mint green in person.
Eartha Kitsch, our style always makes me feel so very happy! All that hard work paid off big time in fabulosity! On a side note, my boyfriend’s mama has a KitchenAid Pistachio mixer from the many many decades ago…and it is in MINT MINT MINT condition. It’s so dang fabulous.
Thank you for posting this entertaining and delightful look at our favorite domestic goddess Eartha Mae Kitsch! She’s done such a terrific job, this should be an inspiration to those lucky enough to have inherited one of these original pine kitchens!!!
What a great story and photos! Thanks for featuring Eartha Kitsch!
You may have just converted me to knotty pine fandom. I’ve always hated them, but not after seeing how great your kitchen looks. Wow!
It is the most beautiful kitchen I have ever seen… hooray for knotty pine, Eartha Kitsch and DH! (But no hoorays for squirrels and plumbing issues.)
Great article!
I am the person who, along with my hubby, sold this house to Eartha Kitsch and DH. We are so glad we did, and not because of the issues they found (I promise we didn’t have those plumbing issues and we never messed with the electrical stuff!). So sorry about all that! No, I’m so glad because we really loved that house but were never able to really put in the money and work it would take to restore it like it deserved to be. We were it’s caretakers for a few happy years, and it was our daughter’s first house. I’m so glad to see these pics, Kelly. I knew you all would give [it] the love and care it deserves!
It’s absolutely breathtaking! So that’s why that was happening, the squirrels and the walnuts! This is just the most gorgeous, wonderful kitchen I have ever seen, in my entire life.
Pam, thank you for this great feature, about Eartha Kitsch’s knotty pine kitchen. Priceless.
Eartha Kitsch and DH ~~
Thank you for saving this fantastic kitchen! It looks so loved and so cool. I’d love to see more of your house for inspiration. And thanks to Pam for posting this story. This site is a revelation to me, an actual vintage person learning a new appreciation for styles I’ve taken for granted for decades. My karma has been leading me here for several years however, with my own collection of mid-century cool and the books and mags of the era that are the best things ever to read! Glad to land here at last. I love it all!
I love your photos so much I wanna cry. When looking to purchase our first home, I told my husband I wanted the Brady Bunch house or a sprawling (preferably) one-owner sprawling rancher with as much knotty pine as we could find. Unfortunately, months went by and nothing. Very hard to find knotty pine thanks to those “sell this house” type shows where they paint everything and hope to sell quickly.
We ended up with the house I have now. Suitable for our needs but no character. Thank you for saving a knotty pine kitchen!!!
Thank you for publishing your photos. We just purchased a cottage with a very similar kitchen. My husband is so excited about the knotty pine, me, not so much but now that I see yours, I’m all for it!
Thank you for the tips on how to clean unfinished knotty pine cabinets! My father and grandfather made the cabinets and drawers when the house was built in 1950, and I’ve been struggling with what to do to clean them. Those who scoff at my mid-century family heirloom woodwork suggested sanding to the original pale color or priming, filling and painting. No!!! You have inspired me to try your magic formulas.
The only thing remaining is what neutral colors to choose for the laminate countertops–e.g. light or dark. Right now, they are the original blue linoleum with chrome edge strips, but the lino is so chewed up and ruined [especially around the sink] that it has to go. I’m on the fence about whether to go with black or something lighter as I have a new glossy black stove. Any ideas? Authentic 50′s popping color isn’t my aim with the counters…just something that doesn’t call attention to itself. It’s all about my cabinets. Thanks!
Silent Cal, check out these two posts for countertop ideas:
http://retrorenovation.com/2009/04/05/knotty-pine-kitchens-a-look-that-is-due-for-a-comeback/
http://retrorenovation.com/2008/08/18/recreate-don-betty-drapers-50s-mad-men-kitchen/
I am looking at houses in Fort Worth, Texas, and find myself forgiving a lot if they have knotty pine kitchen, for instance, one trapped between two freeways?
I guess it is the northwoods, 1950′s born Wisconsin girl in me.
I shudder whenever I see a good 1940′s/50′s home with a 2000 era kitchen stuck in it.
Can you tell me what color is on the walls?
I just closed on a one owner ranch with some truly amazing original features (turquoise boomerang counters? Yes please!) My new house is dripping in knotty pine, so I’ve been scouring the internets for information and inspiration. I will be attacking my new cabinets tonight with Murphy’s and Old English! Thanks so much for featuring this drool-worthy kitchen and for the helpful hints!
Welcome and congratulations, Andee! Send me some photos (use Contact button to establish contact…)
Pam
It’s so nice to see someone with taste of their own.
To not follow the crowd and have the exact same thing as everyone else seems to be out of fashion right now.
Refreshing!
I WISH I would have discovered/come across/stumbled upon your site BEFORE my Renovation. My Mom has my old 40′s stove and I demo’d the bottom knotty pine cabinets. I still have some top one’s, but I painted them white. Ugggh!! Oh well, I will enjoy the one’s I see on your blogs and for those I know that still have a kitchen like this, I will personally help them lovingly restore them to their former glory. Great Job!!!
Can you tell us what color the paint is that she used on her kitchen walls.
Such a beautiful kitchen! I too have a 1950′s home. My kitchen still has the original boomerang countertops but the notty pine cabinets have been painted an eggshell color. At one time the kitchen had turquoise green ceiling and window trim with the notty pine but, it had all been painted eggshell – ceiling, walls, cabinets…. I have thought about stripping the cabinets but, it seems like a huge ordeal. After seeing your kitchen….it just might be worth the effort!
I came across your site because I was googling knotty pine for an article that I was researching. Anyway, strolling through your pics, I realized I have the EXACT same stove you do. It’s a vintage GE electric that was in our home when we bought it. It has always worked great and I love the look of it so I have never replaced it. Hope you have enjoyed your stove as well~!
I just found this site and am totally thrilled…Our home was built in 1926 but was “updated” in 1952 with knotty pine in the kitchen, breakfast room, one wall in living room..and in our bedroom, we have real beadboard on top and knotty pine on lower walls. I have always wanted to paint it all but never did….now I know how to clean well and make it look new again and I am so excited…I love my bungalow and now everything will look as I envision it did in early years…thank you so much for the blog, the pictures, the comments, and the encouragements….
You’re welcome — and welcome! Your bungalow sounds just lovely… perfect!