Retro Renovation » kitchen illustrations – 50s

Vintage 1954 yellow kitchen designed by Armstrong

pam kueber — Thu, 18 Jun 2009 08:00:38 +0000

IT’S TIME FOR ANOTHER INSTALLMENT of a vintage Armstrong interior from my large collection of Batten, Barton, Durstine & Osborn, Inc. advertising comps. This one: a small, very efficiently designed 1954 yellow kitchen. And the cabinet style shows that authentic retro doesn’t have to be all radius-edge slabs — this is an important reference / proof for even me! In fact, except for the floor and appliances, this kitchen could have been put in place by a designer today… I’m guessing that in 1954 this would have been considered a formal Early American kitchen…today it would be called “country” not particularly “retro.” The kitchen also shows how careful use of accent colors – white, black, red – can make such a difference. Not too much, not little, just right.

Note how the stove is built into the backsplash. What about that wonderful looking washing machine tucked into the adjacent laundry room – with a box of Lux! And don’t miss the baby’s high chair with its little stuffed toy in the left/foreground. My goodness this photo was well staged.

If you’re new to the blog – know that there are two great Armstrong books full of great vintage interiors to ogle and learn from…our anointed retro renovation “bibles”:

And everyone, be sure to check out my Pamazon (tee hee) store now along the navigation bar at the top. Unlike this kitchen, I have not jam-packed the store. These books really are my favorite.

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Vintage 40s and 50s kitchen drainboard sinks

pam kueber — Thu, 23 Apr 2009 08:00:30 +0000

In response to Friday’s post on the patriotic 40s kitchen, Josh writes:I’m in love with that sink. Do they still make any like that? Thanks for the question, Josh. Unfortunately, not that I know of. But, I have some recommendations:

These porcelain-enamel-on-cast-iron or steel drainboard sinks were UBIQUITOUS in the postwar period, so you can find one if you are patient. Watch your Habitat for Humanity/Restore or local Re-Sell type place, Craigslist, my Postwar Steel Forum, and ebay. The one at the left (no drainboards, though, and in reality a ‘farmhouse sink) was recently on ebay – mint in packaging, never used and it went for about $400. Honestly, if I were looking for one of these – I would hold out until I found one in near-perfect shape.

In addition, watch historichouseparts.com, one of my favorite places. The first sink (below) was for sale on their site for $725, and count on a hefty shipping charge, too. Others shown are sold for the most part, check in frequently and I’m sure they’ll be glad to help:

I also recently found a site, thisoldtubandsink.com that says it specializes in vintage porcelain-on-cast-iron pieces, including refinishing. Honestly, I cannot vouch for the refinishing work – and from what I know about this, it can be truly tricky. But this merchant certainly also seem to have a number of as-is pieces in good shape such as this 42×25 double sink at $635. There are other pieces with drainboards as well:

Finally — I recently saw a couple of vintage drainboard sinks in Rejuvenation’s salvage yard, for those of you in the Portland, Oregon area.

And, don’t forget – that another very viable alternative, are the Elkay Lustertone stainless steel sinks made in the 50s and still available today. While they may not be as “sweet” as the white porcelain, they are probably in reality – more functional, as stainless steel does not chip, is very sanitary, and is easy to keep clean. I’ve done a number of posts on these in the past, click here for the most recent.

If you are looking for a vintage drainboard sink, be sure that the length and width will fit your space – and that the height of the integral backsplash will work for you as well. You’ll also need to “mate” the sink to the adjacent countertops, I don’t have any advice on this…

Again – there were millions of these made. For example, in the immediate (and less affluent) postwar period from 1946-early 50s, the sink cabinet/drainboard sink combo was marketed heavily as a standalone piece to be integrated into farmhouse kitchens — the Mrs. would keep her wood cabinets, only buy the steel sink base and complementary sink/drainboard. There were big names all over this action, too — Kohler, American Standard, Youngstown. That’s why you see so many sink bases ONLY (as in the photos from historichouseparts.com, above) for sale.

Finally, in further researching Josh’s question, I found two reproduction sinks that are made currently – both are very pre-war and are really meant as farmhouse style sinks to stand on legs or freestanding. Note, most cabinets today and in the 50s on, were 25″ deep.

Here’s the Nottingham Brass Sandford sink, it’s 42″x21″ and $969 free shipping from signaturehardware.com:

And here’s a Strom sink sold as Clarion by plumbingsupply.com (and others) at $1599 plus $175 shipping:

This Retro Renovation post was originally published on March 24, 2008.

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In praise of vintage Daystrom dinettes

pam kueber — Fri, 13 Mar 2009 08:00:25 +0000

These days I am quite in love with cozy vintage dinettes — like this 1953 Daystrom model. Daystrom, along with Arvin, seem to have been the two really big names in dinettes back in the day – and both seem to have disappeared from the screen altogether today.

This lovely green dinette – amidst the aqua-pistachio kitchen with its wood and white and wallpaper – has the feel of the coziest place in the world, don’t you think?

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Vintage stoves to love: 1957 Philco Citation range

pam kueber — Mon, 16 Feb 2009 07:59:07 +0000

Vintage stoves were my first true love, so it’s ironic that it’s taken me this long to launch coverage of them. We’re off! Everyone seems to love Bewitched’s Samantha Stephens and her Frigidaire Flair. So I think I’ll start with some quirky pretenders to that famous model. How about this 1957 Philco Citation? Interestingly, in stainless steel, which I don’t see all that much featured in advertising. Note also – laminate cabinets, and stainless steel edging on the countertops just like we still get today at New York Metals!

Below: The refrigerator that went with this lineup in ‘57. Looks like you could cover it with any laminate you like. Hmmm. I think today that this use-a-laminate-panel also should work with a number of dishwashers and a refrigerator like the Sub-Zero. In particular, with so many people wanting to blend their modern-day dishwasher into a retro style kitchen, I think this might be a brilliant question to delve into further. Stay tuned.

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From vintage farmhouse kitchens to “the new kitchen of tomorrow”: Television footage from 1956, 1957 and 1958

pam kueber — Sat, 14 Feb 2009 08:00:59 +0000

1950s &60s Kitchens(The New Kitchen of Tomorrow Today)

Grab a cuppa, retro renovators, and watch this wonderful set of kitchen videos from 1956, 1957 and 1958 – selling us straight-edged electric appliances and in charcoal, it seems. Thanks to Barbara in Ohio for this excellent find! I particularly like the first sequence, showing how older, farmhouse kitchens could be updated for the modern way of life. That old, patched-together “before” kitchen is like the one my grandma had on the farm in North Dakota. A little bit of counter, a stove that also provide heat, a small icebox – and a kitchen table where all the work got done and nine people ate every meal, too.

Remember, it wasn’t until the post-war period that the idea of “fitted kitchens” – with built-in cabinetry, long uninterrupted countertops, and integrated stoves and fridges — all based on “scientific, efficient, step saving” (and “wife saving”) layouts — really took hold. It’s so interesting: As a nation we are such believers in technology… science… progress. We are optimistic — hard working — and innovative. It’s something to remember in these economic times. A good thing, a hopeful thing.

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“The Television Kitchen” by Kitchenmaid

pam kueber — Mon, 03 Nov 2008 08:00:47 +0000

Mom will not be isolated here….

This 1953 advertisement for wood KitchenMaid cabinets illustrates the effort and innovation that went into making the modern housewife’s daily chores seem easier…glamorous, even.

In fact, many historians now point out that, while ‘labor-saving devices’ indeed made individual chores easier… the cumulative effort of all the chores was as much or more than ever… because in earlier eras, a housewife (or some percentage) had more outside help. For instance, grocers, milkmen and pharmacists used to deliver to your door – one reason that households only needed one car. In addition, the pressure was on, more than ever, for everything and everyone to be 100% tidy and clean – this was part of ‘fitting in’ in America – so Mom was constantly on the go.

All that said, I am not of the school that looks at these 50s achievements as evidence of women’s oppression. Net net, it all reads positive to me. My kinfolk came from hardscrabble – farms and coal mines. They had “enough” but holey moley, they were on the edge. The last 50 years – no question, an amazing leap forward.

The Television Kitchen by Kitchenmaid

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A 1956 yellow-pink-aquamarine Youngstown kitchen – so sweet

pam kueber — Wed, 22 Oct 2008 11:59:07 +0000

Several readers have asked about color combo’s for their yellow kitchens, including what I thought of a turquoise/aquamarine floor. Hey – this works fine, don’t you think? Aquamarine actually has more yellow than blue in it. And how about the pink walls – including the butterfly wallpaper.

Another readers asked about installing boomerang/chevron pulls on cabinet doors vertically. This looks great, too!

Finally, re the floor – notice the three stripes of darker green vinyl tile interrupting the mass of floor… nice, without overdoing it.

Altogether… such a well-designed kitchen!

Thanks to Java1888 from flickr for the photo — he has TONS of great vintage images on his photostream, he’s one of my very favorites! Image: Youngstown Kitchens.

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A recessed GE kitchen or bath fixture – clock, plugs, light

pam kueber — Tue, 14 Oct 2008 07:59:52 +0000

Another recessed fixture aimed to torture Speedway Ron. Or, bankrupt him! Image: vintage GE.

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Another delicious vintage system by Sunbeam to organize your appliances

pam kueber — Wed, 17 Sep 2008 08:00:29 +0000

Longtime readers will recall my fixation with 50s and 60s electric plug-in devices to organize all the wonderful wife-saving appliances on the top of your kitchen countertop. Remember these previous posts?:

This time around — a whole cabinet! Yummy! Anyone have one of these, I wanna see it live! Image: Vintage Sunbeam.

Source: American Home, April 1959.

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Alice lusts after…a 1950s wall-mount dishwasher

pam kueber — Thu, 05 Jun 2008 11:59:03 +0000

Speaking of Sleeping Bee Alice, she sent along this comment and photo recently:

“I wanted to pass along this graphic that is the bane of my kitchen decorating planning… I love this dishwasher and want one!!”

Sorry, Alice, the only solution I know of…is to build an existing dishwasher in this way. Either jimmy something using pantry cabinets or stove insert cabinets … or maybe now that you’ve put your vibes out, the piece will come to you. Of course, it will have to fit into your lovely yellow Geneva kitchen layout….Thanks for the luscious photo, though!

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