“…We rented a truck and loaded up
all the metal cabinets and brought them home.
All they really needed was a good cleaning
and then we attached them to the walls.”
I count five cooking surface, two refrigerators, four Mixmasters — and a whole lot of lovin’ fun — in Lori and Ed’s super happy aqua, pink and yellow retro kitchen. Lori seems to be a woman who knows her mind and makes things happen. She also is not afraid of color, and of mixing it up. This is a good one — one of the happiest kitchens ever! Lori writes:
Hi Pam,
I’m so glad that you liked the pics of our house. It’s really been a labor of love. My husband was transferred from his job in Atlanta to North Carolina ten years ago. So when we started our house hunt we decided to look for a house built in the 50’s that we could redo. We found this house almost immediately and saw tons of potential in it even though the current owners had pretty much destroyed any of the original fixtures and finishes in the house. There was carpet on all the floors and cheap vinyl peel and stick tiles on the kitchen and bathroom floors. And the walls were all painted a drab shade of beige.
I have to admit our toughest renovation project was the kitchen. Our kitchen is huge and runs almost the full length of the side of our home. We’ve got two working 1950’s fridges and my Turquoise GE LIBERATOR stove is used on a daily basis. And our kitchen opens onto our outdoor patio. We literally gutted everything out including the cabinets, sink and floor. It took us over a two-week period to gut the kitchen and then install the metal cabinets. And then it took us two weekends to put down the Marmoleum floor.
We started searching on EBAY (love EBAY) for metal kitchen cabinets and were fortunate enough to find a complete set of YOUNGSTOWN KITCHEN metal cabinets in AQUA from a seller in Detroit. Our family is from Ohio, so on a trip to visit them we rented a truck and loaded up all the metal cabinets and brought them home. All they really needed was a good cleaning and then we attached them to the walls.
Also I found a complete grouping of GE TURQUOISE cabinets from an EBAY seller in DAYTON so we picked up that set as well. And we just combined the Youngstown and GE cabinets to add lots of extra storage space and counter space.
The counter tops are all original YELLOW/AQUA boomerang laminate that came with the GE cabinets.
I also bought on EBAY all the yellow/aqua tiles, they are HOMART ORIGINAL 1958 tiles, that you see on the walls and we designed a pattern and then put them on all the exposed walls. They had wood paneling originally in the kitchen that someone had painted, so it wasn’t useable so we decided putting tiles up were the way to go.
As for my 1956 AQUA GE LIBERATOR stove I bought that on EBAY as well from a lady in Cinncinnati Ohio. It was her original stove.
And the Yellow FRIGIDAIRE fridge, another EBAY buy from a gentlemen in Columbus, Ohio.
And my pride and joy the 1956 PINK GE KITCHEN CENTER from a gentleman in New York. Again it just needed a good cleaning and my husband wired it up for the lights and we’re working on getting the stove, dishwasher and dryer/washer combo working. He’s an electrical engineer so that comes in handy.
As for the flooring we had originally put down black and white VCT tiles when we first moved in, but they were so hard to keep clean so last year after seeing the Marmoleum on your website we decided to put that down on our kitchen floor. We bought the black and white click loc Marmoleum tiles and then we put them on a horizontal slant rather than just a black and white checkerboard design. I think it really sets the kitchen off.
Our light fixtures we got from a seller on EBAY from Arizona. They were actually in a CHURCH cafeteria that had been built in 1959 and they were original. And they were in like new condition.
And then all the little details from the SUNBEAM mixers, waffle irons, cannisters, etc. we pretty much have bought those along the way..where else but EBAY. And my little kitchen table and chair set was a great find at a local flea market for $50.00 and even though it was not in the best of shape with a little elbow grease and wax it came out really great.
I hope everyone enjoys the pics and our TALES of KITCHEN RENOVATION.
Consider us “addicted” to your FANTASTIC RETRO RENOVATION website.
Have a great day!
Ed and Lori
Yowza. I spy and ask Lori if she and her husband painted the vertical blinds. She says:
Yes we did. We bought Krylon Plastic spray in Butter Cup yellow for the kitchen. And in the living room we used the Ballerina Pink in Krylon Plastic.
That is amazing attention to detail. And I must add: One of the reasons that this kitchen *works* so well even though it is chock-full of color and accessories, is that it is so tidy
Beautifully done, Lori and Ed. Thank you so much for sharing.
Marta says
This is the most beautiful kitchen I’ve ever seen. It has everything a person could possibly ask for, including a magnificent size and enough light to fill a whole house.
Well done, Lori and Ed! If your kitchen hasn’t been featured in a major magazine, it certainly should. Just marvelous.
Kate says
I am in love with this kitchen! I am wondering about using the old frig, are they condidered to be energy hogs? I just saw a pink one and an aqua one at a sale this weekend for what I thought were pretty cheap. I wondered if our electric bill will triple with these old appliances? What is considered an average price for one that works? Should I just shut up and go buy one of them?
pam kueber says
We had a big discussion about this issue in the comments here: https://retrorenovation.com/2012/02/20/retro-refrigerators-7-places-to-get-them-in-pink-and-other-colors-too/
Lori T says
Our vintage appliances do not seem to have much effect on the cost of our electric bill. I think one of the secrets is if it’s not a self defrosting model be sure and defrost at least every couple of months. And also be sure and vacuum the coils to keep them free from dust every month. Some of the fridges have the coils sealed in the back, the older ones are not covered. Also some of the fridges have a vent in the front on the bottom, my turquoise GE fridge does, that you’ll need to keep dust free. So in my opinion the old appliances were so well built that they shouldn’t adversely affect your electric bill. SO ENJOY!!
PattyOscar says
I wish you ‘d have a closeup of the Frigidaire Flair. For some reason I am obsessed with those. I have a white 40″ I am not using right now.
Lynn-O-Matic says
OMG, two aqua, pink, and yellow kitchens filled with vintage appliances in a row! First Robert and Fred’s, and now Lori’s! I think I’ve died and gone to heaven. Except that in heaven I don’t think you’re supposed to feel as envious as I do! What a joy it must be to walk into that kitchen every morning. Well done, Lori and Ed!
Patrick Coffey says
Oh and one other thing Lori, If you get me the model # of your 1959 GE I can send you the actual brochure page for your fridge. I have a bunch of dealer catalog pages For GE Fridges spanning from 1948 to 1963 and I have multiples of many of the pages and I would be glad to send you one so you can frame and hang it in your drop dead gorgeous kitchen….PAT COFFEY
Carol Litten says
Some of your “touches” bring back fond memories of the 50’s and 60’s. Thanks!! We should have kept our 50’s mixer. May we see your “Barbie Room” sometime?
Patrick Coffey says
Lori your kitchen is awesome. If I may give you some advice though…I recommend that you do not let your husband work on your GE Kitchen Center without a service manual. I have been told by a guy I know that has one that the Kitchen Center (the washer/dryer in particular) is very hard to fix without one. I also recommend that you join automaticwasher.org. The people who are part of that site (me included) are really into vintage major appliances and the fixing and maintaining there of and are always willing to give advice and share information. When you join automaticwasher.org get in touch with the guy who goes by the name of Turqouisedude (aka Paul Linell you find his info in the members profile section), he has a turquoise General Electric Kitchen Center and the service manual that goes with it. He is a really nice guy and I am sure he would love to give you and your husband some tips on how to fix up your Kitchen Center as he had to do the same to his. Oh and I also recommend you buy the service manual at the link below….it contains information pertaining to Your Liberator Range.
http://www.ebay.com/itm/GE-Electric-Ranges-Wiring-Diagrams-1951-1956-Manual-/160618644930?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item25659e05c2#ht_1549wt_1180
Oh and one last thing…the jadite juicer on your turquoise Mixmaster is from the 30’s or early 40’s, Color Mixmasters were not introduced until February 1955 with the introduction of the Model 11 and color Mixmasters were not available with juicers You had to get a white one or a chrome one with glass bowls to get a juicer……PAT COFFEY
Lori T says
Thanks Pat for all the info. My husband is an electrical engineer and we have a manual for the Kitchen Center. And thanks for the info on the link for vintage appliance repair.
The Jadite juicer on my Aqua MIXMASTER was a gift and even though it isn’t from the 50’s I just love it. For me it’s about the color and the design.
Glad you like the kitchen. Have a great day!
Just another Pam says
As soon as I saw the first photo, after the initial WOW the song Isn’t She Lovely? started playing in my head.
NGB48 says
This fabulous kitchen resembles Barbie’s Deluxe Reading Kitchen from the 60’s!! Wonderful!
Lori T says
Hi There! Funny you should make that observation as I also have the Barbie Deluxe Reading Kitchen displayed in my Barbie Room. So glad you like our kitchen. Have a great day!
NGB48 says
Are you a diehard Barbie Collector? I’ve been collecting for years and I too have that awesome kitchen!
Lori T says
Guilty as charged. Yes I love vintage Barbie. Particularly the ponytails. I started my collection years ago so the dolls were a little less expensive than some of them are now. I have a couple number three ponytails but sadly no Number one. Kind of out of my price range.
Take care!
Rosemary says
Love the Holt Howard kitties guarding the GE Kitchen Center. With this kitchen, I have to ask, what dishes do they use? Lu-Ray? Boontonware?
Lori T says
Hi there Rosemary,
We actually have BROOKPARK, BOONTONWARE and several other Melmac sets. And our dishes range from PINK SALEM FREE FORM to BLUE HEAVEN. Glad you like our kitchen! Have a great day!