From the category archives:

steel kitchen cabinets

Youngstown Kitchen cabinet pulls – on the Forum

by pam kueber on November 6, 2009

youngstown-kitchen-cabinet-handles

Need extra Youngstown kitchen cabinet boomerang pulls? There are 10 on the Forum for $26 inclusive of shipping. Link here.

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1955-anemone-cabinets-brochure

Retro-anthropologist Pam here. I spotted my 70th brand of vintage steel kitchen cabinets: Anemone Kitchen Furnishings, a lower price point brand from English Rose. You can read more about it, and see the complete 1955 ad, over on the Forum.

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Deco style metal sink cabinet: An all-new brand?

by pam kueber on October 10, 2009

vintage-metal-cabinets-deco-trimI went to an estate sale yesterday and in the basement gasped when I confronted this steel sink base — unlike any I’ve seen before. The deco-style design in the cabinet door is actually cut right into the outer layer of steel. I’ve identified 70 brands of steel kitchen cabinets from about 1935 onward. I wonder if this is a 71s? How exciting! Heck yeah there is more…

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Are you looking for vintage metal kitchen cabinets?

by pam kueber on September 15, 2009

vintage-ge-metal-kitchen-cabinetsI love this photo posted on our vintage steel kitchen cabinet Forum…and I fussed with it to make it look like an old polaroid. These are 1957 yellow GE cabinets, for sale in St. Louis. How many readers have steel kitchen cabinets — are installing them — or on the hunt?

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st-charles-cabinets-in-pittsburgh-460Reader Jeff spotted these St. Charles cabinets just like Erika’s for sale at Construction Junction in Pittsburgh. They are spectacular. And a terrific price: $600 for this set, and a second set available for $500. That is A LOT of cabinets to work with, with makes it easier to fit into your kitchen — a rare find. Woah, I love these. Love love love love love. Thanks, Jeff!!! You get exclamation points for this one.

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Youngstown Kitchens Monterey cabinets

by pam kueber on August 28, 2009

youngstown-kitchens-monterey-line-4Finishing up my Youngstown Kitchens 1957 mini-series, here is their Monterey line. The unique selling proposition of this line: Sandalwood-colored steel base cabinets and doors…. with wall cabinets with Sandalwood-stained wooden doors on steel bases.  Reading through this marketing material I see: Industry concern about color fatigue, oh no! “Give us a color we can live with for years” and “that goes with everything,” consumers asked, Youngstown explained. Again…as we’ve discussed before…the move away from enamel-painted steel, which was difficult to repaint (and likely getting more expensive), to wood cabinetry (which was easier to re-paint and also had the “furniture look” of adjoining spaces”, was under way. Heck yeah there is more…

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Youngstown Kitchens Woodcharm line

by pam kueber on August 27, 2009

youngstown-woodcharm-lineFollowing up on our recent look at Erika’s St. Charles kitchen that combined wood doors with steel kitchen cabinet frames — here is my vintage marketing material introducing Youngstown Kitchen’s Woodcharm line. Looks like the year of introduction was 1957. And there were four wood species to choose from, for the door: “Mrs. Homemaker will love the warm, blending, tones of these lovely wood finished species of Autumn Birch, Fruitwood, Sandalwood, and Honeywood.” Heck yeah there is more…

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pams-kitchen-on-excelLara 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

Heck yeah there is more…

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Erika’s metal kitchen cabinets with wood doors

by pam kueber on August 21, 2009

vintage-st-charles-cabinet-handlesVintage steel cabinets that have wood doors are starting to surface quite a bit lately. Erika recently purchased these vintage St. Charles’. Yowza, look at the brushed door steel trim and integrated cabinet pulls, these are absolutely gorgeous. Erika is in the midst of her kitchen renovation, but she pulled some cabinets out of the garage and into the house to take some photos to tantalize us. Heck yeah there is more…

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vintage-crosley-kitchen-cabinets

READERS GARTH AND MARTHA from Dallas recently went through the process of having their vintage Crosley metal kitchen cabinets repainted. In this post, Garth recounts the saga. And like most major retro renovation projects – it is indeed a saga…. It includes a drive from Dallas to Ohio and back to get the cabinets…schlepping to nearly half a dozen places to understand the best approach…and doing a lot of the moving and prep work. One thing that’s immediately clear about this kitchen, is that it’s not an exacting “period” re-creation. Garth and Martha have taken very vintage style cabinets and reworked them into a contemporary design — note the stainless steel counters, backsplash and appliances — and yowza, I want an orange Marmoleum floor! Not to mention is that a huge chocolate mousse cake in the corner? A wonderful kitchen, a beautiful job — that really suits the house. Garth and Martha, thanks so much for sharing your experience!

Heck yeah there is more…

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