Tracy wants our ideas on how to perk up her knotty pine kitchen. What do you think, Retro Renovation Squad? Tracy writes:
Hi Pam! My husband and I bought a 1962 ranch house in Nashville about 3 years ago and I’ve been wanting to somehow “update” the kitchen but still keep the mid-century feel. It’s a knotty pine kitchen with aqua formica countertops and a sort of aqua, peach, and ivory speckled linoleum floor. Everything is in really good shape and functional and the layout works for us. The thing we’re having some discussion about is the knotty pine on the walls and cabinets. I’m not a huge fan of it. I mean, I like it, but I just don’t like so much of it. Honestly, I’m not really sure what direction to go with it. I was wondering if you or your readers could make some suggestions of things we could do to kind of brighten the room up without changing the character, which we appreciate and love.
Thanks,
Tracy
Tracy, you may be new and not quite know it yet, but we are generally nutty for knotty in these here parts. So be forewarned. See this post about Eartha Kitsch’s knotty pine kitchen. And, you might like this story on “heart pine” — the expensive stuff, which I tend to believe you have in your kitchen, given it still looks so great.
In our email back-and-forth to get prepared for this post, I ask Tracy some more questions. First, with the pics, she says:
Yay! Thanks! Here are some pics. The area with the microwave/cart/mess of rubbermaid storage containers is the bane of my existence. Storage is an issue for us in the kitchen and we want to get some sort of behind-doors storage instead of that open microwave cart with all the pet food/crap thrown in the bottom. And the red/green/clear rubbermaid containers are for recycling, but we need to figure out another solution for the recycling/garbage that is functional and sort of funky and visually pleasing at the same time. The ceiling fan hasn’t worked since we moved in – the light is broken on it, so lighting will have to be addressed as well. Thanks again!
Then, I ask her to tell us more about how she and her husband (as yet unnamed, along with the doggie) got into the house. Ahhh! Ford is involved again. They should sponsor my blog. She writes:
Sure…we live in Nashville and bought our house about 3 years ago after an EXTENSIVE house search. We were looking for over a year before we found the house actually. In the beginning of our search, our agent was taking us to newer subdivisions, I guess because that’s what most people she works with want, but we didn’t really care for any of the newer homes. They all seemed the same….didn’t have any character or any sort of story to tell. Then we stumbled on this neighborhood called Charlotte Park and totally fell in love with it. All of the houses are mid-century ranch homes, built in the early to mid 60s for employees of the now defunct Ford Auto glass plant. Ford built a plant here in 1956 to provide glass windshields and windows for their cars and our neighborhood, Charlotte Park, grew up around it for employees of the glass plant. I believe that Ford even provided some money to help build some of the homes. The streets are all named after Ford products….Cougar Drive, Edsel Drive, Thunderbird Ave. and, our personal favorite, Mercomatic Drive. Our street is called River Rouge Dr., named after the original Ford River Rouge Complex in Dearborn Michigan. Anyway, we love the story of this neighborhood, we love the people, and we love the homes. We particularly love our home – it’s not too big (we love the “not-so-big” home ideas), it’s solidly built, and it has a lot of character and just feels warm, if that makes any sense! We knew it was perfect for us as soon as we saw it.
So, gentle readers… whatcha got for Tracy?
mstark says
That is an amazing kitchen!
Have you considered staining the backsplash with a transparent or semi-transparent tinted stain? This way you can keep the wood material but break up the wood color. I think the first step you should consider is a good purge. I can see just from this photo that you have what looks like 4 cutting boards, 2 cast iron skillets, and 2-3 types of spice racks/containers. I’ve been through this in moving to my new ‘old’ house but once I pared it down to one really good pan/appliance/serving dish, etc. I found I had a lot more room than originally thought.
I second everyone’s opinion on reducing the amount of wood furniture throughout the rest of the room. Do you have an IKEA or Target nearby? I think some of their stainless and white laminate storage options might be a good and inexpensive option. Otherwise I highly recommend getting a repurposed vintage dresser or buffet to use as storage – I think drawers are so great compared to shelving for storing kitchen items. You can paint all of your existing furniture white or another complimentary color (maybe a mango yellow or a fuschia/lavendar/pink) and add a coat of shellac or whatever it is that makes it shiny like enamel.
veg-o-matic says
Nothing improves the look of a knotty pine kitchen more than a vintage copy of the Better Homes and Gardens cookbook. There’s something about those red and white checks…
Gavin Hastings says
I use it all the time!!!!
Cristin says
I love your kitchen! My kitchen is very similar in the house I rent and I LOVE it. And by the way I live on River Rouge Dr too! I think the idea of taking off some cabinet doors is great. Maybe even just some cute curtains above the sink might help brighten things up too.
Tracy says
Yeah, I guess that’s the million dollar question, Gavin! With the exception of the microwave cart/recycling bin area and the broken ceiling fan the hubs would love to just leave everything as is. I don’t think I want it to be completely vintage but rather a sort of updated vintage. Not looking to move to Pleasantville but I also don’t want white cabinets with beige granite counters and ceramic tile floors. I would really like to keep the cabinets, floor and some of the knotty pine while breaking it up a little so that’s it’s not just knotty pine everywhere I look. I think that maybe adding a different backsplash and getting a hutch or something for storage, especially if it’s brightly colored, is the direction I was headed. I appreciate all of the specific suggestions you’re making like the Cushman Colonial hutch because I’ve never even heard of most of this stuff! I love what Eartha Kitsch did in her kitchen…that’s the direction I want to go. And I love the look of her cabinets, which I think has to do with the fact that there’s painted wall to it up between the cabinets and countertop.
Gavin Hastings says
Tracey-
What do you want this Kitchen to be?
Are you looking for authenticity or a nice accent color to what you have already got? Do you want a vintage room or a 21st Century kitchen that just happens to have pine cupboards? Are you looking to move to “Pleasantville” in a time machine?
Some of the posters are pretty much re-enginnering your kitchen and some are suggesting small touches. My own post above is basically giving you a whole different life right down to your choice of dinnerware: Red Wing Bob White.. I know that posters (myself at the top of the list) can get into trouble when they start bulldozing their way through your home.
I should have asked this before my above post; but what do you want the end result to be?
Sincerely, Gavin
Stephan Bianchi says
The woodwork is nice, but a little dark and the knottiness is quite busy. I’d redo the backsplash to provide contrast. It could be tiled or just painted, but in a light color that is easy to clean and reflects diffused light onto the work surfaces. I might even paint the cabinets, but leave the doors unpainted. I’d paint the white appliances to add color. The white brightens the space, but is too much of a stark, antiseptic contrast to the warm, earthy wood. Maybe an aqua or something appropriate to the ’60’s.
Annie B. says
Change nothing; just let me move in. I’m nuts for knotty pine!
Congrats on a fabulous new home. You’ll have this kitchen perfect in no time.
Michele says
The floor is great and so is the countertop. Love it. If it were my kitchen (so jealous!), I’d try to find some cool material to pull colors in (aqua, that reddish/orangey color in the floor and a yellow, maybe). I’d do some curtains, maybe placemats or cover the kitchen chair cushions with it. You can make a corkboard over by the microwave cart and use the material to cover the frame on it. Perhaps you can also use material to make a skirt for the microwave cart, kind of like those old-fashioned skirts you’d see on bathroom sinks. You can hide the stuff on the shelves underneath that way.
These are some “loud” samples I found. I generally always go for “in your face” fabrics. 🙂 http://warehousefabricsinc.com/CUDAUN.html
http://warehousefabricsinc.com/ORABLA.html
As for lighting…undercabinet or perhaps some little lamps on the counters…?
Good luck to you. 🙂
Don says
The kitchen is gorgeous!! I can’t decide which is more beautiful: The knotty pine kitchen or that perfect Cavalier King Charles Spaniel. Both vintage and both wonderful to live with. If you cook, i will come over and dog-sit.
Gavin Hastings says
I really love your kitchen…and have waited a few hours prior to adding my 2 bits.
I like all the ideas that folks have come up with-but I would suggest a Cushman Colonial-ish hutch on that wall. It will provide storage and be in perfect harmony with what you have going on.
Your mid-century kitchen is a great homage to a Colonial look…while adding a modern, clean and STREAMLINED look. For everything you add to this room I would take TWO things out. On the countertops I would only leave things you use everyday….percolator, salt/pepper a sugar bowl and a toaster. Over the sink- I would put a rod (right through the wood) and hook your new collection of Vintage (prior 1968) Revereware with shiney bottoms. That will free up a least 2 cupboards.
Hokey…..but I can see some copper molds…white and aqua plaid curtains and of course a philodendron. A milk glass pedestal bowl complete with plastic fruit and grapes will keep your guest wondering if you are “for real”.
Pam has one million pictures of beautiful pine kitchens and they all share one common element…they are all pretty spartan.
But that’s just me…and I like stage-set timecapsules. Youtube an episode of Ozzie and Harriet…they had a very similar kitchen.
Best wishes to you.