Maribeth’s kitchen points to another excellent idea for retro styled kitchen cabinets: Have your kitchen cabinets built out of MDF, then paint them.

I’ve actually mentioned this idea before, and it’s listed as a way to go with bathroom vanities, but I’ve never done a full blown post about it for everyone considering kitchen cabinets.

All about painted MDF kitchen cabinets:

• Resists moisture: MDF is the acronym for Medium Density Fiberboard. I think that means wood particles and glue all melded together really solidly. Don’t be put off. The stuff is heavier than wood, and the beauty part in particular, is that it resists moisture. I have MDF cabinets in my bathroom for that reason.
• You can paint MDF slab doors: You can paint MDF slab doors — but you cannot paint all-wood slab doors. Real wood, when it is pieced together, expands and contracts when exposed to moisture or humidity. The paint chips/cracks along the joints. MDF, on the other hand, is manufactured in big pieces, 4′x8′ pieces, if I’m not mistaken, so it can be cut to size — even pantry doors — then painted any color. I’m telling you, you will not know it’s not wood.
• Versatile: As you can see from Maribeth’s photos, a slab style door is very vintage, yet also very classic — you can dress it up either way.
• Specs for an authentic retro door: Vintage steel kitchen cabinets all have slab doors with what is called a “radius” edge, and the doors are installed as “full overlay” — that is, you don’t see any of the cabinetry behind the doors or drawers. This set up – full overlay – also gives you the biggest drawers.
• Virgin adhesion: There’s more: You can paint these guys any color, and since you’re going straight onto a virgin MDF surface, you should get great adhesion.
• Retro and custom touches: Under the sink cabinet, carve those horizontal ventilation slats… paint your cabinets a glossy color…and install retro or vintage pulls…
  

  A good cabinetmaker can replicate these ventilation slats in MDF

  and people won’t know they aren’t metal. Add a cookbook shelf. Build in a desk. If you get the right cabinetmaker, he or she can craft these things. It’s flat wood – you can do anything. Scour all my vintage galleries and posts for ideas.

• Affordable: As Maribeth points out, these cabinets can be built very affordably. She had her entire kitchen and laundry room done for $6,000, including painting. And she has A LOT of cabinets. But note, before I found my metal cabinets, I had my kitchen also specked out for MDF cabinets. I bet I had as many cabinets as Maribeth, and the store wanted $14,000, and painting was not included. So, shop around, recognizing of course, that getting a quality, reliable craftsmen is another story altogether…
• Be conscious of cabinet construction, too: The construction of the cabinets (what you don’t see) also matters. When we were shopping, I bought an online subscription to Consumer Reports to get their tips.  Tips I still remember are: Dovetailed drawers. Slides and glides matter. And so does the thickness of the “box”.  Thicker plywood is better. As Maribeth pointed out, she originally was just going to repaint her old cabinets. But when they took off the countertop, the boxes were in such bad shape, they were not worth saving. That was the state of my 70s cabinets, too. The boxes were, like, one step above cardboard…the doors were basically falling off them within 30 years. Even if you don’t think you are going to be in your house 30 years, I think it is wise to save up and pay for better constructed boxes up front. It’s probably better for the environment and for your house karma, too.

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Oooooh, look at this great color chart – for Motorola television consoles in 1956. Click directly on the photo to get to the flickr photostream of What Makes the Pie Shops Tick – who has some additional images of vintage Motorola’s straight from the 1956 catalog. But back to the color chart — I liked this in particular, because it provides a good reference for paint, stain and finish options for anything wood – furniture, cabinetry, even paneling. Thanks, Pie Shop!

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I LOVE KNOTTY PINE KITCHENS. They were very popular in the postwar era — they fit with our interest in both western ranch and early American interiors… they were were affordable… and the material was available.

In fact, in researching this post I read a 2001 story from the New York Times that said knotty pine has its fans again today – and also appeals to fans of the Scandinavian tradition.

And of course — Betty Draper’s kitchen on Mad Men is knotty pine!

As far as I can find, there are not too many mainstream cabinet companies making knotty pine cabinets today. Luckily, one company that does is: Cabico. They are a large Canadian company, and I had a positive experience with their product when I  retro renovated by bathrooms a few years ago.

Their knotty pine – honey finish – is shown in the first door.. This honey colored finish looks pretty good, I believe, for a retro renovation knotty pine kitchen. But something even more amber/orange could be even better.  Note the image above — a 1952 Formica ad — for one reference for door styles.

I’d also recommend a planked door like this traditional (3/4) overlay design from Dynasty/Omega. Reference only, I do not believe that Dynasty/Omega offers knotty pine. Cabico also says that they can make a full-overlay plank door.

My concern about a slab style like the third door (also a reference from Dynasty/Omega), is that pine might split from expansion/contraction as it is a pretty soft wood.

Best, if you are truly interested in pursuing this look, to consult with a cabinetry professional.

Final note: I recently saw “knotty cherry” cabinets at the Eugene Home Show. They were really nice looking — definitely had the knotty-pine groove going on — and cherry is a harder wood, an even better material for cabinets.

Want to see more knotty pine interiors? Check out this slide show linked directly to the flickr group that I started, Knotty Pine Interiors:

This post has been updated from the original, which ran Dec. 26, 2007.

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ARMSTRONG  — THE FLOORING COMPANY – also sells kitchen cabinets — and I really like the look of their Moderno line. These maple slab doors with a “slight radius” look like pretty good modern day proxies for classic vintage styles from the 50s and 60s. The finishes — including “natural” above and “toffee” and “cafe” in the gallery — are also quite nice. Replace those Euro-style cabinet pulls with… spotlight pulls from Rejuvenation… and you have a lovely and appropriate retro renovation kitchen. 

Moderno kitchen cabinets at Armstrong.
Cabinet pulls from Rejuvenation.

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I WAS EXCITED TO SEE AN ALL-NEW DOOR STYLE from Omega/Dynasty: “The Lodge”. Who doesn’t want a cottage with a warm, cozy, rustic-style kitchen? Fortunately, there are a lot of great products today to pull one together. How about starting with:

• A refurbished vintage Magic Chef stove circa 1930, from The Good Time Stove Co. This is not inexpensive at $10,500 – but what an heirloom. I’m going to visit this company within the next few weeks – they are right up the road from me in Goshen, Mass.
• The new Lodge door is from Omega/Dynasty. Honestly, I’m not sure what kind of wood that is – at the home show in Oregon I saw “knotty cherry” available – it looked like this. Cherry is a harder, more durable wood than pine, which makes it better for kitchens. I like!
• But: Use a vintage Youngstown steel sink cabinet with porcelain-enamel-on-cast-iron drainboard sink for your sink. Yes – you can use JUST the steel sink base and surround it with cabinets – this is a great look! The vintage Youngstown sink cabinets (or similar brands) are arguably the easiest vintage steel cabinets yet to find today – as they were sold by the piece starting in the 40s. You see them stand-alone in ads from the period, surrounded by wood cabinets (presumably made by pa) just as I am suggesting.
• And I’ve suggested a bundle of other features and accessories to add color and interest: Wonderful Scottish- plaid wallpaper from Thibaut… Adirondack-style barkcloth for drapes from Full Swing Textiles… a schoolhouse lighting shade from Rejuvenation… wrought iron cabinet pulls from Crown City Hardware… Marmoleum flooring… a Capel braided rug… laminate countertops … and more.

http://www.goodtimestove.com/kitchen_ranges/retro_cook_stoves.html

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Do you love prewar bungalows and cottages and want to update your kitchen in that charming style? I bumped into this wonderful Clarion farmhouse sink again – an exact reproduction of a stand-along pre-war sink. Oh my goodness, wouldn’t this look fabulous with Bradbury Sunnyside wallpaper… yellow straw linoleum from Armstrong… an Elmira Stove Works range… a vintage dinette… subway tiles… and… hmmm, how about oak Arts & Crafts style cabinets? The daydream of waking up to this sweet sweet kitchen makes me want a prewar bungalow!

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Midcentury kitchens started out “any color you want as long as it’s white” in the immediate postwar period, until about 1953. Why?  Materials were still tight after the war – and the war in Korea stretched capacities, as well. In fact, did you know that there were actually rules that made it difficult to add a second bathroom?  Something called Regulation X. I keep seeing reference to it — must do more research.

Seen “Pleasantville?” Social repression aside, the limits…the material scarcity… that people had been living through for 20 years makes it understandable why the demand for color exploded in the 50s.

This 1959 advertisement for Fashionwood Kitchens by Curtis – a big national retailer of wood kitchen cabinets – shows a delightful variety of colors available, on a number of wood doors. Readers have asked before whether there is precedent for staining their 50s or 60s birch doors. The answer presents itself here again: Yup.

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Glamorlux Nancy in Fairfax, Virginia, is updating her 50s kitchen and has her inspiration photo all ready to go. The kitchen is already quite nice looking – the overall feel of the space is terrific, and the cabinets are well-made. Nancy’s chosen her countertop and has her hardware… but she still is pondering what color… or colors… to paint her original 50s cabinets…and the accent – or not – for her new Azrock Cortina floor tiles.

Nancy writes:

Hi Pam,

I’ve seen on your site where you and your readers provide ideas for “remodeling” vintage kitchens and baths… Well, here is our kitchen, pre-restoration.

As far as I can tell, a lot is original – cabinets, GE Textolite countertops (golden beige twilight), and plastic “copper” tile backsplash. However, it is very late 50’s, and we prefer a “prettier” early 50’s look. I want our new color scheme to include: aqua (turquoise), pale yellow, red and white.

The original Textolite counters are sort of beat up and lack the metal banding, so we are planning on replacing them. We’ve already purchased the aqua boomerang Formica laminate and stainless steel banding to make the new countertops. Since the copper tiles are only over the range, we are planning on removing them, and then making a taller backsplash on the countertops.

The flooring is obviously not original. I ordered some samples off of the Azrock website, and they came within a few days! My favorite is called Cirrus V-785… (and I want to use this) for the majority of the floor, with a diagonal or random pattern of Azrock’s “Spearmint”, “Honey” and “Coral Reef”…. But, my husband said that might be too much with the boomerang countertops. Our kitchen will have a Mexican theme, so we’re going for a festive look. …

As I mentioned in another email, we’ve been going back and forth on whether to paint our 1959 wood cabinets. I’m really not into the wood look, although I know it was very desirable in the 50’s. Do you think we’d regret painting them? They are worn and slightly water-damaged in areas, so if I kept the natural wood, I’d have to refinish them anyway (which I don’t particularly relish doing). We are now thinking about painting the cabinet “structure” white, but then having the doors and drawer fronts yellow and/or coral. I’ve seen this done in vintage magazines… Do you like that look? The original Amerock cabinet hardware is gold, so I found the same style in chrome on eBay. Oh well, one thing I’ve learned from pouring over vintage “Better Homes and Gardens” magazines is that really “anything goes” when it comes to decorating a 50’s kitchen!

And, thanks for the compliment about the kitchen. It is definitely not a “chef’s kitchen” and the counter space is practically nil. We’ll be adding some shelving on the wall where the Cosco cart and microwave are now. Ha, ha – I wonder how many potential buyers took one look at the kitchen (and the pink bathroom) and decided the house wasn’t for them! I’m including some “inspiration” pictures I’ve collected, to give you an idea of what feel we’re going for. Any ideas are welcome!

Thanks so much,
Nancy

First of all, Nancy, I am so impressed with all your hard, focused work. You are someone who Gets Things Done. You go, girl! My thoughts on your questions:

• Remember how Jerry Seinfeld used to joke that when you have a bad headache, you want to take just enough aspirin to kill you – but then back off a tad so that you don’t? That’s the way I tend to feel about decoration and color…. Lay it on, but then edit it back some and you will be happier. In that vein (if that makes sense): I vote with your husband. That Cirrus floor will look beautiful and has enough going on in its own right that you don’t need to add diagonals or other color punches. I also believe your eye needs somewhere to rest as it dances happily around your happy kitchen.
• Regarding the cabinets: Go ahead and paint ‘em and never look back! Another idea: Base cabinets one (darker) color, wall cabinets another (lighter) color.
• And Retro Renovation Peanut Gallery: Be sure to chime in with your ideas, too!

All that said — Nancy, you seem to have great instincts and have really thought a lot about this. So don’t get too stressed out and ultimately – trust your own heart. We can’t wait to see the finished job – thanks for sharing!

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You can recreate this kitchen – easily. Image copyright AMC

And if you’re not into scouting for vintage items – don’t worry, you can do it with all-new products and materials available today.

Yes – if you love Betty’s knotty pine, 50s kitchen – you can recreate one for your own home.

The keys to this kitchen are the knotty pine cabinets, of course…the laminate countertop with metal edging…the cabinet hardware…and the wallpaper. Pull them together with new or vintage appliances – and a goodly number of knick knacks — and you’re in business. Supply your own lechery, heartache, intrigue and backstabbing. Here is the checklist:

Here are links to previous posts with more detailed information about a number of these resources:

• Knotty pine cabinets from Cabico
• Amerock pulls and cabinet hardware
• Green nevamar marrakesh laminate for the countertop
• Stainless steel edging three piece installation
• Streaky floor tiles from Azrock

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Anne and Gary’s 1959 ranch home in Oregon is a wonderful work in progress and I love checking in with their blog as they settle into their new old classic and continue to make it their own. Currently, they are planning a kitchen update. When I saw their existing kitchen and its layout, I thought immediately that it had “Mondrian” potential. Mondrian = color blocks, like the famous artist. This style had a following from about 1955-1965.

Anne is sort of interested…and I know she’s already working a plan. Whether she goes with this look or not, it’s fun to know about this kitchen design.

Even so – isn’t Anne and Gary’s kitchen great already? I love the picture windows, the brick wall, the way the wall cabinets look built-in and the overall open concept.

Here is some additional Mondrian inspiration:

Notice how the oven is used as one of the color blocks:


While this is a woodtone kitchen, a bit of Mondrian is added with the combo of pain and shelving:

A 1966 color combo with a colonial (!) feel:

And even – today’s modern fashion, in this snazzy Yves St. Laurent number!

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