Retro Renovation

Remodel & decorate in Mid Century Style

Home / Kitchen / Appliances & Decor

Vintage kitchen cabinet swing-out shelf storage contraption: What is it?

pam kueber - Updated: February 18, 2020

Retro Renovation stopped publishing in 2021; these stories remain for historical information, as potential continued resources, and for archival purposes.

kitchn handy rotating shelf holders

Kersten went to an open house yesterday then wrote me right away, all excited:

Hi Pam!

Just got back from a walk through of a time capsule home (OMG! OMG!) and saw these inside one of the kitchen cabinets. Any idea what they are used for? I’m stumped! (And so was the realtor.) As you can see, they swivel. Did you notice how the wood is cut for these specifically?  Love that.

Thanks,

Kersten

In following emails, Kersten also wanted to point out: The cupboard shelf edges are actually routed to fit these thinga-ma-bobs.

vintage stove in 1950s kitchen

I also asked her why she is at an open house, since we know she has a cutie mid century home of her own — which we just featured. Is she house-shopping?

1950s yellow bathroom

She answers:

Not really, but whenever I see a time capsule listing, I always check it out.  (Then when it is sold, I show up with a potted plant and tell the new owner that I’ll offer to pay for the things they tear out.) The realtors get a big kick out of how much I adore these houses.

Kersten, please don’t take this the wrong way, but I love you. Thank you for sending these photos, you have made my day. I’ve never seen one, ever! So: Aaaaahhhhhh, to see something altogether new — a strange, simple and beautiful, unidentified 1950s kitchen gadget species — still running free, undisturbed, in its natural habitat….Like you, I would have been all goosebumpy and excited and jumping up and down and making the realtors think I was a rare bird, indeed.

Note, I’ve seen Kitch’n Handy cup holders — long, ruler-like assemblies with cup-hooks that you screw into the bottom of a wood shelf and then pull in and out like a drawer. Actually, I think I bought a NOS one from ebay last year and have it stashed somewhere. There might have been one on the bay recently.

Okay, so, moreover:  What the heck are these woddities (“wonderful oddities”) for, given their design?? Each of the three rings swivels out independently…. Why? What would really fit in there?

Surely some reader who grew up with one will know in a flash. Who’s the smartie today?

Reader Interactions

Comments are closed. 

71 comments

Comments

    • Kersten Falvey says

      Janice, I’m in love with the bathroom too (even though we just finished ours!) It is big and roomy and, I can’t believe I didn’t get a photo of the Cinderella tub! It is a match to the one that Pam has pictured in an ad (the one with the woman in all the bubbles.) The photos make the sink and toilet and tub (a little can be seen in the reflection of the mirror) look grey, but it is actually a really interesting bluish color. I almost think I remember a forum post of a NOS sink of the same color. Really different – but lovely. The way it is paired with the light yellow of the tile is gutsy – but works amazingly!

  2. dale says

    I have a couple of Kitch’n Handy chrome racks that screw to the wall or inside a cupboard for spices. Kind of like those things that clamp onto the back of a counter in a diner to keep the napkins and salt and pepper from falling.

      • dale says

        Were these old stock pieces that were never used? The chrome is exceptional (mine are rusting). The shelf standards and condition of the finish tell me someone recently built all this more recently than the 50s or 60s (or even 70s). The bull nose routed into the shelf is a bit of a clue as well.

        • Kersten Falvey says

          Dale, this house was built in 1952, and I’d bet my starburst wall clock that everything in that kitchen is completely original (oh, that stove, that floor, those counters!) This home is one of those “just so” homes that the owners took great pride in. The butterfly wallpaper is an exact match to the butterfly curtains in the kitchen. This owner was impeccable.

  3. Puddletown Cheryl says

    Maybe they held Melmac dishes. That wouldn’t be so risky. We had Melmac when I was a kid that Mom bought with Green Stamps (I was the stamp licker). They were advertised as non breakable. Well that was a challenge for my teenage brother who sent one flying across the kitchen and split it into two pieces. I’m sure you can imagine my Mother’s reaction, so I’m not going to bother describing it. However as the bratty little sister, I was delighted.

    • Kersten Falvey says

      Melmac would possibly be light weight enough — the aluminum rings just don’t seem like they’d hold much weight. I, too, immediately thought “plates” but since the rings were 3 different sizes, it seemed like the use would be something more specific. Maybe, however, the small top ones were for dessert sized dishes, the next for a saucer or lunch plate, and the bottom, largest ring for dinner plates. The stem that goes from the vertical bar to the ring isn’t very long, so the plates would have to be quite small. Here’s what I love: they haven’t been taken out yet!

  5. Ashley says

    SUPER interesting! I loved the link you posted, Maryann! It does seem a little risky to the delicacy of plates, to actually sit them on swivels, but I loved the idea of it. The photo in the link was very classy.

    • Kersten Falvey says

      I wondered the same thing, but the canisters would have to be quite small, and once filled, I think would be too heavy for these aluminum frames….

  9. weed30 says

    And Kirsten….I thought I was the only one!! I do the same thing! I save the listings with Listingbook, which will show when they’ve closed. I usually give the new owners a few weeks to settle in 🙂

    • Kersten Falvey says

      Ha! I’ve also been known to show up with cookies if I can tell that there are young children… (a new outdoor swing or swingset).