In late October I had a kaffee klatsch with reader Clare, who is British and lives in London, but oh so coincidentally also has a second home in Lee, Mass., just one town over!
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In late October I had a kaffee klatsch with reader Clare, who is British and lives in London, but oh so coincidentally also has a second home in Lee, Mass., just one town over!
Wow, Alice. You have a beautiful kitchen, bathrooms – and house to wrap all around them. What a classic! Readers, note that Alice is in Richmond, VA. Alice, you asked about suggestions for your kitchen, so here are a few thoughts:
- How about putting a picture window with two sidelight windows (double hung) in your kitchen – above the sink. It seems to me that your kitchen is big enough to handle this addition. Putting in a big window would really open it up and make it truly spectacular. I did this in my kitchen, and it made a huge difference. Of course this has to make sense given the façade of the house, and I don’t know the exact orientation. If you do put in a window(s), you can take out some of the cabinetry to the right and left, and add corner cubbies. Also, bring the base of the window down to about 4 inches above the sink. That, too, would open up the space to the maximum possible.
- I know that, right now, the wallpaper seems much. But, I would recommend living it for a while before you rip it out. In reality, it is really great and certainly speaks to a time and place – very classic 60s. Also, I wonder if you got more light in the kitchen with the window set, would the wallpaper seem lighter, too? Less “in your face.” Bottom line: GO SLOW, once it’s gone, it’s gone.
- Ditto – the countertops. Be absolutely sure of your path before you gut. To me, the countertops themselves look nice. I don’t care for the laminate all the way up the backsplash, though. Too homogenous. Maybe….just take the backsplash out, salvage that laminate (hopefully) and use it to make and install a 4” backsplash instead. Then paint the drywall. Also, if you install stainless steel edging on, I think that would perk up the countertops, too. Define them. You have one mighty STRONG kitchen. Any elements that are too subdued look…measly. Stainless steel edging would empower those countertops.
- I very much agree that the floor (from what we can see of it) looks like it can go. How about, the ‘brick’ vinyl from Armstrong – a nice, modern look. Or, a new favorite of mine, the Armstrong royal sheet; it is available in widths of 6’ so there would likely be a seam somewhere (can be filled with a weld rod). The seams, I don’t like – but boy, how I like the look of this stuff overall! Finally – how about VCT tiles. Personally, I like all of these in the white versions for your yellow kitchen. Sunny and bright!
- Okay…one more thought: That sink isn’t impressing me. Looks dinky. How about putting in an Elkay stainless steel with drainboards (the drop-in style, not the countertop style) to give the space more anchoring, heft?
So….there you go, Alice. Thank you so much for sharing all these photos with us. Hey, where’s the aqua bathroom? The living room, the dining room…and do you have a knotty pine or wood-paneled rumpus room hiding in that gem? We want more. We can never get enough of fabulous time capsules like yours!
Readers – as usual, all of your comments and ideas are welcome as well! Keep the wallpaper, or not?
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Sleeping Bee Alice writes:
Hello, I am a novice retrorenovator…and am loving your website.
My husband and I are leaving our modern, brand-spanking new customized kitchen for a charming 1950’s yellow Geneva kitchen in a home that we have fallen in love with. I’m having trouble thinking through the “enhancement” of the kitchen…the cabinets are in great shape and we really like the look…we have to replace the outdated wallpaper, bad flooring and yellow countertops. The fridge was gone.
I really enjoyed all the pink kitchens pictures…any such resources for yellow kitchens? (Pale, maize yellow.)
For future thought, we are also inheriting three fabulous tiled bathrooms…one pink, one blue, one aqua…will be looking here for complimentary design ideas for those as well…no gutting going on here!
Thanks!
No — thank you, Alice! For all the wonderful photos — and for letting us know, another sweetheart of a middle class mid-century home is being saved. Hallelujah!
Since this is already a long post, what with all the photos, you’ll get some suggestions tomorrow!
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So earlier this month, I had some back-and-forth emails with Dana. It included one of the funniest things I’ve heard yet — about coffee-clatching girlfriends trying to stop a true-at-heart retro renovator….It all started with:
Dana: Pam, How can I tell what cabinets I own? They are metal and in great shape, but I have no clue about them. I have a few photos… 
Pam: The easiest way to ID the cabinets is if there is a 
label. But if 
there is not – yes, send me a few photos, and we may be able to make a good guess based on the design, handles, etc. Many thanks!
Dana: Ok – you are amazing! And your husband clearly finds your obsession adorable! Well, I’m off to do more research as well. I have to salvage / spruce them up, but can’t afford the powder coating or that crazy car-enthusiast technique! I’m hoping some steel wool and car wax will do the trick.
I truly have a “blank slate of possibilities” with this home. It is *so* 1953 it makes me giggle. And the more I’m in it the more I love its mid-century / homey feel.
I’m glad to know you are out there as a beacon for us. In fact, my two closest gal-pals staged a bit of an “intervention” over coffee this morning where they “had to tell me the truth” about the kitchen cabinets: “NOBODY would want to keep them or use them or re-condition them; rip them out and move on. You just have to face it that they are ugly and gross.”
Well, I’m not going to do anything except fix the cabinets and revel it their glory. So there!
They are a bit rusted and beat-up. My handyman said paint them with a gloss paint. That doesn’t feel right to me. Can’t I just wax / buff them like you did yours? Mine are off white and the pulls are shiny chrome. Any idea who made them?
The kitchen sink is placed on a different kind of cabinet – you can see the pulls are different. I was thinking a black and while 12 x 12 laminate tile on the floor, a la “diner” look. I see your appliances are white. Should I go all-white appliances or stainless? What about backsplash?And take a look at these bathrooms…. now that is going to be fun making them authentic!
Any help is appreciated.
How to clean up your cabinets with auto body compound and turtle wax:
Pam: Thank you, Dana! I am so impressed and happy that your resisted the intervention! Oh….yes, regarding your question about sprucing — I just basically treat the cabinets like an old car:
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DON’T use steel wool — it will take off the paint!!!
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If you can, take off the cabinet pulls.
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Then, start the clean up process by rubbing FINE white auto body compound into the cabinet… using a soft rag… working in a small area (like, 15″ x 15″)… in a circular motion.
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Be careful how much pressure you use. You can and will take off the paint if you use heavier duty auto body compound – or if you apply too much pressure. The key is to just take off a very very thin top layer of paint along with the dirt. But not too much! You should test in an obscure area and even then – go slow, as you don’t know what previous owners did. Once paint is scraped off down to the metal — well, it’s off!
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Keep changing rags as needed – you will actually see the paint (if it’s not white) coming off on the rag. You might have go over the cabinet several times.
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When you feel like the color is ”clean”…”true”, rub down the cabinet until you’re sure there is no auto body compound residue. There is no specific way to know when the color is clean and true: One thing you can do is ‘eyeball’ the door or drawer you’re working on versus a dirty cabinet to see the degree of change. You really will be able to see the difference. Having good lighting will also help.
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Once the cabinet door is smooth, apply liquid Turtle Wax (you could try other products) and buff with a very soft cloth, or even better, buy an electric hand-buffer, it saves hours of time. Use the very soft polishing pad or something like a chamois. Work in small areas, go in a circular motion. My buffer cost about $30, and it was worth it.
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After the Turtle Wax is applied, put the handles back on. (No post yet on how to clean chrome.) I’ve been going two years strong with just one clean-up like this and have not needed more. To clean on an ongoing basis, I use a soft damp sponge or even a soft damp dishtowel to remove fingerprints. Then I dry with a clean soft towel.
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This is the technique that we used with our cabinets, and it worked just great! Considering that Turtle Wax is meant to protect cars from environmental pollutants – the cabinets should be able to run on their coat for quite some time.
Dana: It is official: I think I love you!
THANK YOU SO MUCH. Can’t wait to get started!
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Dana, I love you too! It’s a big retro reno love-fest every day! Never so many smiley faces in one post! And here, as promised is a beautiful advertisement featuring Crosley steel kitchen cabinets in 1953 – YOUR YEAR …YOUR KITCHEN, no question! The design, the hardware – and look at the wall cabinets above the stoves – dead ringers, dead giveaways! Apparently a big push on Crosleys’ this year, what with the expensive double-truck (two-page) ad! You have a beauty, to be sure.
Since this is a long post already, I’ll give you some other ideas on retro-renovating your kitchen tomorrow!
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