Retro Renovation» cabinets

Amazing transformation: Suzann’s bungalow kitchen remodel using Ikea kitchen cabinets

pam kueber — Wed, 01 Feb 2012 09:30:03 +0000

1940s bungalow kitchen before:

1940s bungalow kitchen after:

Wow, Suzann’s 1940s bungalow style kitchen remodel is — fantastic. So bright and cheery, I know this transformation is going to excite a lot of readers. And, after five years of doing no stories at all about Ikea kitchen cabinets, here’s a second one in a row — using different cabinets than the Akurums that Jerry used. Read on for Suzann’s story and the list of resources she used to design and construct this happy space.

Suzann writes:

This is a kitchen in our detached 540 sq ft in-law suite, where my mother is moving in. We’ve revamped the whole place. We wanted to make a cutesy, cheery kitchen that would align with the era of the home- 40′s bungalow style.

The cabinets are Ikea. The floor is Armstrong VCT, special order from Home Depot (same price as the ones on the shelf, but takes 2 weeks) to match our apple green Caesarstone countertop (ordered at Ikea, subbed out to a local installer). I made all the curtains from gauzy linen with lace trim to soften up all the subway tile (American Olean 2×4″ in “biscuit”).

We drove 4 hours to pick up that GE fridge in the next state. It is late 30′s-early 40′s.

The previous single owner bought it during WW2 with cash rations and used it all her life. She kept in tip top condition for 80 years.

Next to that is a little vintage metal enamel table that we found on the roadside while out walking one evening, same story on the Eames chair. Together, they make a little desk area. Any other questions, just let me know! Thanks again!

Suzann, this remodel is so sweet — thank you! Your mother surely will love it, but stop calling her surely. haha. Little joke there. Things I luv in particular:

54o s.f. Yowza. I am telling you, there are many days now, that all I want to have to clean, heat and pay taxes on for is: 540 s.f.
Bisquit-colored subway tile. I think this is a great way to do it… Back in the day, the whites were not so white. I adore the aged look of the bisquit.
The door style you chose for a bungalow kitchen is the “right” one.
Love the basketweave floor. Lofe the apple green. Love the fridge.
But most of all, love the dumpster diving enamel table, and that you gave it a happy new home.

Resource list for Suzann’s bungalow kitchen remodel:

Ikea kitchen cabinets – Adel door style.
Countertops from are Apple Martini from Caesarstone.
Kitchen sink: Ikea Domsjo.
Armstrong VCT, ordered from Home Depot in White Out, Kickin Kiwi, and Lunar Blue
30 patterns from 1955 for arranging vinyl floor tiles
American Olean Starting Line wall tile, bisquit gloss from Home Depot. Suzann notes: “It comes in a 12″x12″ sheet, but I still put a spacer in between each one to straighten them.”
Rebuilt windows: Woodwindowmakeover.com in Tampa, Florida. Suzann says: I’d like to credit our window craftsman (Woodwindowmakeover.com); their replica sashes for all three windows in the kitchen made all the difference in keeping with the period. They sell parts, etc for old wood windows, or can rebuild the whole window sash if the wood is too far gone (like they did here).

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Ikea kitchens — cheap & cheerful midcentury modern design

pam kueber — Tue, 31 Jan 2012 09:30:39 +0000

The 1963 remuddled kitchen "before"

You know I am the world’s biggest proponent of doing things “the hard way.” But sometimes, I see these Ikea kitchen makeovers, and I think: They look pretty darn good and would be so easy, especially compared to spending five years hunting down vintage steel cabinets. Case in point, above: Jerry has embarked on a new project — buying midcentury homes in Pittsburgh and renovating them, as required and in period-sympathetic style, for rental. I like to show lots of different ways to go after your home remodeling projects. I have never shown an Ikea kitchen before. I think this could be a very practical and relatively affordable solution for many people. Read on for Jerry’s story, for more photos, and for more discussion of The Ikea Option. Do you have experience with these cabinets? Please share!

Yo, Jerry -- at Pam's Diner in Pittsburgh!

Jerry writes:

Hi Pam,

I have attached pictures of my first Mid-Century Modest Renovation. The house is a ranch built in 1963 that I renovated to rent to retro appreciators. So far that has been a bit of a tough sell in Pittsburgh, but I am not giving up. In fact, I am looking at a second property to rehab in the same manner. Many of the resources I used to refurbish this ranch came directly from info I obtained through Retro Renovation.

Actually, aside from the kitchen not much is new. The kitchen was gutted, everything is new except the doorbell cover (Nutone). The pattern for the floor tile came from Retro Renovation.

Ikea cabinets, glass back splash and fixtures (new). Boomerang Formica counter top. The only color still in the line (gray). I have also attached an image of the kitchen (before). The old metal cabinets are still down in the garage, but I am afraid this kitchen endured a bad 70′s makeover.

Bathroom does have new sink, toilet and medicine cabinet. The cabinet came from Retro Renovation. The sink in a house brand, but I thought it looked a lot like some of the Crane models you showcased.

The black and white tile is original as are the chalk fish above the shower (attached). The floor tile was original. It was hard to believe that the whole first floor was covered in this sherbet green sculpted carpet, even the bathroom. When I pulled up the carpet in the bathroom there was this beautiful white tile with black and grey specks. It took a bunch of stripping and scrubbing to get the old wax and carpet residue off, but it came out really beautiful.

The drapes either came from companies you listed on RR (living room) or from cloth purchased at a local thrift store, thanks to my wife Mary Jo. All the furniture is mid-century, mostly purchased from two local stores Mostly Mod (no longer in business) and Retro on 8th both in Homestead, PA right down the street.

The Lane bedroom came from Craigslist. The hardwood floors were refinished. Oh, and the house numbers came from Home Depot through information from one of the blogs you link to. All the light fixtures are new except the swags and the side-table lamp in the living room.

Jerry

More info and more photos on this rental house in West Mifflin, Allegheny County, Pennsylvania can be seen at:

www.pittsburghranchrental.com

Thank you, Jerry — what a lovely remodel, and way to go for your love of the midcentury modest and your desire to preserve and restore these homes.

I really love the way you rearranged the appliances in the kitchen — the refrigerator looks great at the back now. The floor is terrific, and I know that many readers will love how you incorporated the glass tile backsplash. You also finished out the bathroom perfectly, and omg, that original floor! I sure hope you find an appreciative renter for #4201 — and for a long series of fixer-uppers to come. P.S., Go Steelers!!!!

Resources for this remodel:

Let’s talk about the long-term quality
of Ikea and other stock kitchen cabinets today

Okay, peoples, now on to Ikea. It is pretty amazing, the selection of cabinets this company offers, including the many door styles and colors. The basic white sink cabinet I showed above is: $58. My gosh, my family can spend that much on dinner at an inexpensive Italian restaurant.

Their Akurum kitchen cabinet offers doors covered with birch veneer….

Glossy red over MDF — sliders in the case of the wall cabinet, above.

Hey, the door above ain’t too far from Avocado, so Ikea gets props from that. There are many colors and woodgrains, glass-fronts, too….

Honestly, I’ve never written about Ikea cabinets before, for two reasons. (1) Because I always felt like other blogs had that territory well covered, and I wanted to plow new ground. And (2) Because I have these qualms about the longterm quality of these cabinets. Hey: I have my qualms about the longterm quality of Almost All stock cabinets you’d buy today “at low prices” from Big Box stores… and even qualms about “not so low priced” cabinets from a variety of sources.

I am not an expert on all the different kitchen cabinet manufacturers or even, exactly what to look for to ensure good long-term quality. When I was doing my aquamarine kitchen, I bought a Consumer Reports online subscription to see what they recommended. As I recall, key issues included looking for: Solidity of “the box” that that doors and drawers to screwed on to. Indeed, the doors and drawers on our 1975 cabinets were all falling off their cheap (clearly) particle board boxes.

I have this expectation, and I don’t think it’s unreasonable: Kitchen cabinets should last virtually forever. Well-made 1950s wood cabinets did. My steel cabinets will. How long will these Ikeas — and other “affordable” kitchen cabinets made today — made today last?

This summer, Dear Husband and I stayed at a place on vacation that had an Ikea Akurum kitchenette — I took photos, of course, there it is, above. I just asked DH what he remembered about the cabinets. I knew he would remember, because I was all interested in them at the time and tortured him to look at them with me. His recollection, verbatim: “They were nice, they were stylish… but they were chintzy… you know… thin.”

I don’t want to make anyone feel bad if they have these cabinets in their home. I think they could work very well for many people. They may last a long time — much longer than my fears suggest. And oh my gosh, the price for the style sounds fantastic. But will they last long enough and provide the solid “thump” hand-feel that would it would take to satisfy hard-to-satisfy me? I don’t think so, not to live with for the rest of my life. But for a carefully used single-, couple- or family kitchen, a rental, a mother-in-law apartment, a vacation house? Yes, sounds like Ikea is worth checking out.

Readers: Who has experience with Ikea kitchen cabinets?
We’d love to hear!

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Jon & Trixi create a 1970s avocado kitchen with Rust-Oleum Cabinet Transformations

pam kueber — Tue, 17 Jan 2012 09:25:52 +0000

Jon and Trixi — we’ve seen portions of their project under way – have finished remodeling their kitchen, and are mostly done with the bathrooms. And in a twist that I am sure the folks at Rust-Oleum were not anticipating, the epicenter of their “Retro Renovation story” is that they freshened up their kitchen cabinets by painting them warm brown on the top — and avocado on the bottom — using Rust-Oleum’s Cabinet Transformations kit. No, avocado ain’t a stock color in the Rust-O kit — Jon is intrepid, and had it custom-tinted avocado at his local store. Jon wants me to emphasize that all of the work they did throughout the house cost less than $2,000 — because they (1) used their existing, functionally sound cabinets (2) uncovered the vintage countertop and floor (3) hunted down salvage and vintage fixtures and furniture and (4) did the work themselves. I luv it! Click on through for their compete story along with 21 photos live from the scene. Photos by Glenn Suckow and Trixi Hunt — many thanks!

The "before" kitchen -- original countertops were covered with stone tiles... original floor was covered with another layer of vinyl... cabinets were brown

Jon writes:

Dear Pam:

This here is a folder full o’ photos of our house — kitchen (before and after), living room (before and after), bathroom (before and after) as well as our office, bedroom and exterior — including our next project, the rec room in the basement!

The one thing I’d love to stress if you write about us is that we did this ENTIRE THING — I’m taking furniture, paint, accessories, etc –for UNDER TWO GRAND. Almost every single item is from a thrift store or a salvage yard or a Reuse Center. The hard work, of course, came from me and Trixi!

Some notes, room by room:

[Pam adds: Jon says this 1966 St. Charles kitchen featured on the blog in 2008 was their inspiration. Great job!]

Trixi says it *only* took 15 hours to install the vintage sink with hudee. Not kidding.

KITCHEN: In these photos, you can finally see the finished cabinets, using the Cabinet Transformation Kits from Rustoleum. You can also finally get a good look at the dining area, with our 1967 Chromcraft dining set which we LOVE. There’s also a great shot of the “corner o’ chrome” — our cool Lincoln Beautyware canisters and paper towel dispenser, plus the NuTone food center and cutting board.

Trixi says: Greige walls get a bit of a retro-redo. I could only get 5 yards of the paper (vintage from Etsy), so we had to be creative with how we used it. I looked through a TON of 60's interior pictures, and got the 'framing' idea from there. Also- we have NEVER wallpapered before, so please be forgiving on closer inspection. Because the paper is vintage, we had to make paste. Add that to Jon's list of talents!

BATHROOM: The countertop is a reclaimed counter from the Reuse Center with gold fleck formica which we cut to fit. The sink is from a salvage yard. The American Standard peach toilet (which matches the tub exactly!!) is from Reuse Center, we got it free to take it off their hands. The floor I put in myself, just some cool hex tile from Menards. [Pam corrects: That's call octagon-and-dot -- super affordable and available at most of the big boxes.] The wall has groovy stencils done by Trixi which match the atomic design on our light bar. The curtains are vintage, from Etsy. The wallpaper is also vintage, from Etsy. Still to be done: tiles in the tub area.

LIVING ROOM: Our pride and joy is the vintage Preway cone fireplace, which we haven’t yet hooked up but which we HOPE will eventually work. You can see, in the general shot, our cool surfboard-shaped coffee table. The chair in the one shot is a Jens Risom from 1968, we got it for FOUR DOLLARS from a thrift store. The end table is Adrian Pearsall, and IT TOO was under ten bucks. The only non-vintage stuff in there are the armoire (which is Baker — Trixi used to work for ’em) and the couch, which is a Daffa.

OFFICE, BEDROOM: The office is just the one shot of the main office area, with our vintage stuff, and another of a weird 70s vinyl chair that sits on the other side of it. There’s also a shot of our bedroom, which has the curtains Trixi made with vintage fabric from Etsy.

BASEMENT: This is our next project! We’ve got a full set of JC Penney whiskey barrel furniture from the late 60s and that cool vintage fake fireplace, plus the Shag prints on the wall. We still have to wallpaper and paint down there — it’s a-coming.

OUTSIDE: A couple good shots of our house (PINK AND BLUE!) plus our DIY rock and flower garden. All the materials in the garden were salvaged from various sites in the Twin Cities — we have bricks and such from demolition sites that used to be cobblestones. Even the rocks are vintage — Trixi’s folks got them from the Mississippi
riverbank in the 1960s.

So there you have it! THANK YOU — of course we couldn’t have done it without you!

Jon & Trixi — yay on you! Just yay! I wish I were closer, I’d for sure be over the mix you up some Margarita celebration. And, Jon, thank you so so much for all the sharing you’ve done as you’ve worked on your house. A bundle of stories from last year were all due to you:

The first story about Jon & Trixi – and how they came to Love the House You’re In.
Another update on the un-remodel from J&T.
Jon finds the manufacturer who still makes hudee rims today.
The same manufacturer makes drop-in cutting boards / trivets — hudee-rimmed, of course.
I interview the owner of Vance Industries, the company that makes hudee rings.
Jon finds some inexpensive retro cabinet hardware.

Finally, a Precautionary Pam reminder: Be sure to consult with licensed professionals before you start ripping old stuff out; there can be vintage nastiness like lead and asbestos in materials and layers of old houses.

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