“…Like so many others, we are on a tight budget.
Buying our items patiently and doing all the work ourselves,
we spent less than $2500 on our project.”
Using family heirlooms, vintage finds, the color red — and some crazy mad electrical engineering skills, Greg and Tammy have cleverly transformed a circa-1980s kitchen in their 1913 farmhouse into a charming colorful retro kitchen. All for less than $2,500. You’re going to love the vintage appliances — a Kelvinator Foodarama and a Tappan Holiday oven range, just to start… And, I love in particular how Greg and Tammy kept hold of their 1980s laminate kitchen cabinets — you surely remember this style: the kind with oak strops across the top or bottom? A dash of red paint on the oak — and voila: Retro! — with no need to throw out perfectly serviceable kitchen cabinets. Looks great. Greg writes:
We have always enjoyed your site; lots of great ideas! We are finished with our 1950’s retro kitchen and thought you might like to see it.
Tammy and I have been married 25 years this summer. We have been interested in antiques for years. Started collecting 15 years ago, just what we liked. We got serious when we bought our farm 5 years ago. The house was built in 1913. We could have done the house in many styles, but we fell in love with the 1950’s styles especially kitchen items.
The first item we picked up for the kitchen was Tammy’s grandmothers red formica and chrome table. In one of the photos (above) is a pic of the same table at Christmas 1959 with her mom and Dad and family.
Next was the 1957 Tappan Holiday Stove. There is hardly a scratch on it, bought for $60 at a Ohio antique store. Works perfect. Has Visiguide, timer, perfect running clock and the Tappan boys standing guard.
We missed out on an antique wall oven on Ebay so converted our mid-1980’s Tappan wall oven to vintage style. I bought a early 50’s Tappan Deluxe “stove topper” off Ebay for $30.00. I carefully cut it down, notched the backing plate on the existing stove to mount. Had to rewire existing knobs to fit properly. Sanded the front glass and painted safety red. Used chrome automotive wheel well trim. Used an early 1950’s Tappan stove top and modified it to fit the stove. Had to do some rewiring, scuffed the glass, painted it red. Used auto wheel well chrome for sparkle.
The highlight of the kitchen has to be the 1953 Kelvinator Foodarama. Bought from the original 85 year old owner. Worked perfect, but paint was tired and had received a couple of dents when the owner had it moved. Tammy obviously loves red, so I painted it with automotive base coat/clear coat paint. It is a tank and built a ramp and platform to get it up on our deck. A heavy cart w/casters was constructed to roll it around.
The counters/cabinents are 1980’s laminate, but chrome hardware and a dash of red paint makes them appear like ‘50’s metal cabinents.The really old stove is my great grandmothers Sunray from 1920-‘30’s. She bought new and used till moved to our family cabin in 1948.
Accessories include, GE Telechron kitchen clock, vintage toaster, Sunbeam can opener, Hamilton Beach Blender, (all work daily!)….
The red cart is Tammy’s grandmothers, repainted w/the fridge…
Original 1950’s Gem City Ice Cream cheerleader ad. Kelvinator glassware. Tammy loves the red handled kitchen utensils.
Thought I should mention that, like so many others, we are on a tight budget. Buying our items patiently and doing all the work ourselves, we spent less than $2500 on our project.
Anyway, that’s the basics!
Thanks!
Greg & Tammy
Thank you so much, Greg & Tammy, for sharing your kitchen with us (and for letting me torture you over photos). You know what I also love about this project? Your mix of the midcentury retro with the even older antiques — like the Hoosier cabinet and Grandma’s Sunray — works really well in also paying homage to the 1913 provenance of your house. The fact that you also accomplished this with 1980s kitchen cabinets left intact: Even more so a classic example of the Love the House You’re In design ethic. What a fantastic job … what a cozy happy kitchen … what’s for pie today, I’m coming right over!
Jess dg says
Holy cats am I ever STOKED to see those cabinets. I just bought my first house and the cabinets are the same as these. However, this house will be a rental in the future, so while I am definitely doing some tweaks and colours to make it mid-century, I definitely don’t want to spend a bunch of moola on new cabinet doors. I thought about painting the oak parts, and putting pulls and handles on the doors, but wasn’t sure if it would look good, or goofy. I am so pumped to see that it looks fantastic and I am now going to forage ahead! However, my kitchen colour is pitaschio green ;o)
Patrick Coffey says
Greg, I do not believe they made Food-A-Rama’s before 1955. In the ad in the link it says “a new star is born in food keeping” and “from Kelvinator comes a new concept in food keeping” so that would lead me to believe that 1955 was the first year for the “Fabulous Food-A-Rama” by Kelvinator. Red is my favorite color too and I really like the way your kitchen turned out….it is very impressive
jen says
****************applause******************
like seriously. what a transformation!
Patrick Coffey says
OMG Your kitchen is awesome….but…..2 things you should know first off that blender in the picture is a Waring Blendor (spelt with an o) NOT a Hamilton Beach. I have that same blender in white and turquoise. Second your Food-A-Rama is from 1955 NOT 1953 the ad in the provided link below shows the Food A Rama you have. Another way to know for sure is to check the model tag. If it says it was made by Nash Kelvinator then it was made before May 1 1954. If it says it was made by American Motors then it was made after May 1 1954 when Nash and Hudson merged and became American Motors……..PAT COFFEY
http://www.ebay.com/itm/Vintage-1955-Kelvinator-Foodarama-Refrigerator-Freezer-Cute-Little-Girl-Print-Ad-/360443829995?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item53ec205eeb#ht_2806wt_879
pam kueber says
Thank you, Patrick — it’s always great to get your expertise!!!!
Greg Pearson says
Thanks Patrick. We have seen that same fridge referred to as a 1953-’55, (including by the owner). Were they produced before ’55? It definetly has the “American Motors” logo label on the back. Works out great because I have had an affinity for AMC cars over the years. I have had 4 1968-’69 AMX’s, a ’72 AMX, a ’71 Javelin, ’76 Hornet and Gremlin. Thought it was funny that AMC made their cars in Kenosha, WI and their appliances in Detroit! AMC was always different!
Atomic Auntie says
I absolutely LOVE to see what “regular” people can do to their homes, operating without an extravagant budget! The oak trim repaint on those cabinets is brilliant, and it never occurred to me to “retro-fy” an existing 1980s appliance. GREAT job!
Toni says
I love the Kelvinator Foodarama, the paint job turned out spectacular on it! i really like the idea of making it movable to take it out where visitors and guests could be congregating.
Chris says
Ohmigosh! I am oooo-ing and ahhhh-ing and gasping and squealing!
And that FRIG!!!!!!!
I think I might have passed out for a minute or two!
🙂
Janet Gore says
Your idea for the cabinets jumps out at me as a solution to my daughter’s limited cabinet budget. If, and until, she can afford new doors for her cabinets, this would be perfect. And red is her accent color. The kitchen is fun … and that’s great for a real, working kitchen. Congratulations!
Just another Pam says
Truly beautiful kitchen, welcoming, homely, and a tribute to your talents and the house. It reminds me of the big ol’ farm kitchens down east when I was a kid, such a wonderful place to be I was in my teens before I realized the people even had a living room. Not that it mattered, why would anyone want to be there when you could be in the kitchen?
TappanTrailerTami says
This is a fab kitchen! Tappan stoves are the BEST! Food-A-Rama’s are also the BEST! And to think you have both (insert green envy here).
I also love the re-do on the cabinets, great idea, and what a huge savings of money not having to replace them.
But, my favorite part of this whole post is Greg’s comment about Tammy (in the comment section):
“She is the love of my life and we celebrate our 25th Anniversary this August.”
Happy Anniversary to both of you – I love to hear of people who “made it”!