A kitchen island can be fantastic, for seating and especially for expanding useful prep space. But in my mind, there is nothin’ more cozy, comfy, homey than a kitchen table set close at hand. There’s just something… egalitarian and *grounded*… about sitting together around that most basic piece of furniture. Mid-century America was boom times for kitchen dinettes. It seems there were a gazillion possibilities to love — and in my mind, the quirkier, the better. I’ve been grabbing screenshots from ebay for the past several months, now collected into a gallery of 46 examples. Heck yeah there is more →
Carrie writes:Pam,I was wondering if you have ever done any research on Shelf Edging and if so where could I get some. I don’t think that I ever mentioned that the previous owner had placed shelf edging in the linen closet and also in certain cabinets in the kitchen. Since I have lived in my house for almost a year now the shelf edging is starting to tear and I would like to have some more on hand when I am ready to put more up. Heck yeah there is more →
George sent in these photos of his retro renovation kitchen — he very ingeniously “built in” his wall oven by creating a brick veneer surround. I’ve definitely seen precedents for this idea, and am so pleased to see a reader do it. George shares his experience, and a bit of the step-by-step his contractor and mason used to get the job done. And we get to see more of the adjacent vintage GE stove — a dumpster-dive! –> Heck yeah there is more →
Lara Jane writes:
Hey, Pam!
Sorry to bother you again, but I have a question I couldn’t figure out while reading through the site: When you buy a set of vintage steel cabinets, how do you configure them so they fit your space? What if there are a bunch of small, “chopped up” cabinets and you have a long galley? Or conversely, what if you buy a long, galley’s worth of cabinets but your walls are “short?” I know the pieces are all separate but how do you get that “finished” look when you put your own kitchen puzzle together? I’m imagining all kinds of gaps in between!This has baffled me and made me pass on some fabulous sets because I wasn’t sure how to make them work for my space! Any info you can offer is appreciated!
Lara Jane
I AM AN ADVOCATE OF KITCHEN SOFFITS, or as some readers call them, bulkheads. The postwar era was all about the introduction and spread of “fitted” kitchens. Long runs of base and wall cabinets and countertops, with an integrated stove and sink and fridge. This “scientific” design was an outgrowth of the efficiency movement earlier in the century, married to the postwar industrial economy that needed to find consumer outlets for the built-up wartime production. To me, while they are an additional hassle and expense if you are renovating, soffits are a no-brainer for a 1940s, 1950s or 1960s kitchen.
