Retro Renovation

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 — [...]

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This is a beautiful kitchen, cheery yet serene. The designer seemed to be aiming for these qualities - given the Asian touches suggested beyond. The unusual “goldenrod” finish of these Capitol steel cabinets is “the newest thing in kitchens” — one of six new “color-flecked finishes” developed in collaboration with House & Garden magazine. I [...]

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It’s been a while since I did a Tuesday flashback kitchen design - only because I had so many other posts lined up. But I’m reviving them, because they are so much fun.
Holey moley, look at this pink Formica kitchen. I have to admit, I wanted a pink kitchen, not aquamarine. My husband won, and [...]

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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 [...]

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Today: Modern day products to recreate yesterday’s flashback kitchen. My finds include:

Formica microdot laminate in yellow.
Wilsonart brushed yellow laminate.
Sherwin-Williams Pink Flamingo Paint from the Suburban Modern palette.
Armstrong’s Marmorette (true linoleum) sheet flooring in Green Parrot.

Pretty cool! If this kitchen wouldn’t make you happy - nothing would!

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Isn’t this a happy Dream Kitchen? Here are 9 tips for this Tuesday’s Flashback:
1. The quarter-round cubby at the end of the base cabinets is actually set back from the base. That is, base is 24-25” deep, cubby is somewhat less. You can see this is the upper cubby directly above – and also in [...]

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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 [...]

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As a regular new feature, I’ll be deconstructing vintage kitchens - usually from vintage ads. I think there’s a lot to learn about design from these 50s examples — given the era, people were obsessed with design so incredible thought went into it!
This kitchen is a favorite, and led to some of my kitchen’s features. [...]

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