by pam kueber on May 3, 2008
This 1957 Youngstown kitchen has such a California look to me…the sky blue, the wall of windows. To be sure, the California design aesthetic took on new importance in postwar America. It was not until then — when incredible growth occurred on the west coast due to ramping up for the Pacific theater conflict — that California really came on the map as a U.S. economic center. Here are some tips from this sunny naval nautical kitchen:
- The wall of windows looks out to a patio. In reference to this fact and to play up the view, the designer painted this wall all white. Kind of “blanked it out” so what you see and feel is ‘window.’
- The accent color in this kitchen is kind of a warm coral-tinged brown. Warms up the cool blue of the cabinets.
- The vertical Venetian blinds mirror the stripes of the wallpaper and also play up the view. Over the last few decades we have been so focused on horizontal blinds in our U.S. decorating. Maybe it’s time to go back to giving well executed verticals consideration.
- The windows above the cabinets make a huge difference. Again, though, I acknowledge this is a very modern, west coast look — and not so good for cold climes where we need to stay warm.
- The countertop appears to be pretty neutral. Moreover — notice how the backsplash extension of the countertop appears to be a shiny chrome. This was done.
- Clearly the vertically striped wallpaper is a huge statement. Appears to be a dark navy rather than black – part of a progression from the light blue of the cabinets… to the medium dark blue of the floor.
- Putting wood on the top of the soffit here was a Great Touch that, along with the accessories, keeps your eye dancing around the room.
- They used stainless steel appliances and a white sink, looks great. Note, though, that the dishwasher is blue – maintaining an unbroken line of blue along the base cabinets, and ensuring a ‘grounded’ feel; I really prefer this to introducing white or SS and did it this way in my kitchen.
- The lighting fixture above the table has vertical black line detailing in the globe – mimicking the wallpaper and blinds. It’s little touches like these that truly take a kitchen over the top in terms of design success.
- Wood table. Great. Warms up the kitchen.
- Floor – a medium dark blue, again grounding the kitchen and providing the right level of counterpoint/balance to the strong wallpaper.
I realize – these are ‘advertising’ kitchens. But I find them chock-full of great tips anyway, as designers thought so carefully through each and every detail. Redone your kitchen lately? I certainly found that when I did, weighing the details quickly became an obsession — so much so, that it led to this blog! Great to have designers help us through potential landmines.
If you have the time, take a look at other flashback kitchen designs:
by pam kueber on March 18, 2008
Professor Pam here. So don’t you all feel like BETTER PEOPLE for having read about Philip Johnson’s kitchen? I do! In fact, I am going to re-read Monday’s story right now!
Meanwhile, here’s a pop fun, 1957 (the mega year!) kitchen for you. One of my favorites – which shows that yes, you can pickle/wash your 50s cabinets. Love the organic kidney- shaped table, it’s a very nice ‘end’ to the kitchen and useful in that it sticks out (I am not a fan of dinky tables that squish you into the wall). Notice also the climbing plants, chartreuse plates, lacquer black, and of course, the spotlight pulls (that’s their official name!) dead center on the cabinets.
Where in the heck do those chickens come from? I mean, design-wise? Some Aztec revival?
by pam kueber on February 12, 2008
It’s funny, writing this blog, at how it becomes so easy to fall in love with kitchen after kitchen, bathroom after bathroom – in styles that I never would have imagined liking before. I think it’s because, when an idea is well-executed, it … well, works… and is appealing for exactly what it is. You simply have to appreciate it.
This is one such kitchen – my week’s infatuation. It really shows how modern can be merged with colonial for a timeless look. The secret: The black and white color treatment is a sophisticated one — applied to an old-fashioned idea. It’s this twist that really takes the kitchen out of the realm of colonial cliche. I even love love love the colonial soldier wood carvings – again, their size and stark placement sets them up as modern art. Very cool.
It is completely possible to replicate this kitchen today. Use:
- Planked, stained cabinetry from Omega or Cabico
- Forged iron hardware from Acorn or Amerock
- Matte 1″ black tiles for the counter – a great touch that brings the kitchen into the modern
- Black ceramic tile, Armstrong Imperial Excelon black vct tile, or probably the best — commercial sheet
- Heat lamps from ? — I’m sure you must be able to get these from restaurant supply places
- And, if you have the ceiling height – dropping the wall cabinets from them, as in this kitchen, also is a definitive modern touch
Alas. If I only had house after house after house to renovate. But hey – I’m living vicariously through YOU! Send me photos of your latest projects!
by pam kueber on October 30, 2007
This week’s flashback kitchen is a riot! Takeaway design tips:
1. Well, the color combo’s of course. Similarly deep hues of pink, orchid/lavender and blue. Note how the pink is picked up throughout, to keep your eye “dancing” through the kitchen.
2. The display shelves built into the soffit are extraordinary. This would take some doing, but you can see how it is possible. The class looks to be rimmed in chrome – and don’t miss the can lights tucked into the shelves. Wow!
3. The window treatment – a bamboo style shade but incorporating the colors throughout the kitchen, really ties things together. I am adding this type of shade to my research list; stay tuned.
4. Notice how they have built out the corner with drywall, then tiled it – rather than trying to fit the cabinets together. This is a great solution if you’ve got the steel cabinets but not the corners. It also adds visual dynamism.
5. The blue tiles appear to be glass, rather than ceramic or steel. Glass tile was used during this period, especially in bathrooms.
6. Note the cabinets here are both pink and orchid colored. In reality – this fixture is really a Refrigerator! Companies like GE made refrigerators to fit like wall cabinets. You can still find these now and then, I presume they can be renovated. This goes on my list for the future, too…
7. And last, notice how the floor is relatively neutral, it appears to be cream edged by the cabinets, and a beige edged by black in the center. Clearly, grounding this color riot kitchen into more earthy floor colors is wise. However, they have not totally chickened out by making the floor all one color. I think it really works.
by pam kueber on October 16, 2007
I’ve always loved this St. Charles kitchen taken from a 50s magazine ad. There are at least 11 ideas you can take from it, first up: Noting the mix of cabinet styles – pink steel coordinated with wood-toned. This works really well to break up what otherwise could be an excessive amount of pink. BTW it’s interesting that today’s kitchen designers think THEY invented the idea of mixing cabinet materials!Ten more tips:
1. Countertop materials also are mixed. This appears to be the basic laminate color (also spotlighted in 9.) but without the steel edging. It’s used in what appears to be a decorative buffet spot.
2. The wall bumps out here to differentiate the stove top area. Doing these kinds of drywall bumpouts is a great solution if you’ve run out of cabinets and need to introduce a new element.
3. Stainless steel countertop on stove top area. SS gets scratched – but it’s a nice patina and you can’t beat the functionality.
4. Really great use of laminate to define a backsplash for the stove top area and to add visual interest.
5. Awesome custom stove-top exhaust fan, and in general, design element. Adding copper or coppertone elements works really well in retro kitchens – warms up all the steel.
6. Soffit ends before it hits the window – allowing window to be even taller.
7. Ceiling beams create visual interest in what appears to be a pretty big kitchen.
8. Very interesting window treatments. I’m not sure how functional this really is – would seem to block the view. But certainly cool! For stability, I think these would need to be made out of metal. Wood would to0 flimsy?
9. Here we see the “traditional” countertop set up – laminate edged in three places with stainless steel.
10. Floors are awesome. At the far left bottom of the photo you can just barely see that these are regular VCT tiles, with diamond pieces cut into them. I can definitely see this totally glossed up to a high shine!Okay, another item: Note the patio furniture used for a dinette. Seems kind of uncomfortable to me, and glass topped tables are a bear to keep clean – but the look is great.
And finally: Note in the wall cabinets – how even one glass-fronted cabinet can add visual interest and break up the wall of pink. If you don’t have a corner cabinet, you can replicate this look easily, by constructing a corner shelf – make it in ¾” MDF and use your ¾” stainless steel edging.
