Retro Renovation » 60s kitchen

Vintage countertop laminate from GE Textolite

pam kueber — Tue, 12 May 2009 11:59:21 +0000

How is this one, Retro Renovation readers? I recently scored a full box of est. 1960-65 era GE Textolite laminate samples, absolute mint condition unused. This is the first bunch — the others aren’t so over-the-top FABULOUS, but still are great gauges of what to look for. OMG. What else do I need to say. We can all eat our hearts out, together, on this one. This post originally ran on Jan. 4, 2008

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6 interiors with great ideas from the late 1960s

pam kueber — Thu, 22 Jan 2009 08:00:07 +0000

A look at 1968 – yes, the era of avocado green, harvest gold and other very distinctive designs. I have to say, I really am growing to adore 60s and 70s kitchens, bathrooms and interiors. These people were having a lot of creative fun. Imagine owning a 1971 split level and outfitting it with a red and black rumpus room… bedrooms with multicolored shag carpet…a Nutone intercom throughout, a Drexel Mediterranean dining room set. Hey! That was my house in 1971! A triumph. Cut to the chase: 70s decor is back – big time. Avocado Oak ad: Georgia Pacific.

Isn’t this Moenique bathtub/shower faucet terrific? Those are “persian” tiles behind – very popular in ‘68, as far as I can see. Ad: Moen.

In the kitchen, it’s Andy Warhol pop colors all the way. That’s wallpaper on the fridge. This kitchen is so well done. Ad: Armstrong.

Those panels lining the tub and shower are Formica laminate. I don’t think the stuff turned out to be very waterproof. Pretty, though. And I really like the mirror and framed print arrangement above the sinks. Tip: Look for unusually-shaped mirrors like this – they can work in so many possible spaces. Ad: Formica.

I really have a hard time believing that many women put wallpaper on the front of their appliances. But, it certainly is an idea…. Ad: Frigidaire.

I adore this style of wallpaper. The gold, green, orange colonial motif – just makes me so happy. And this is a wonderful Frigidaire. I am quite partial to side-by-side refrigerators. They are particularly good when space is tight. Note, they are not as energy efficient as fridge-on-top styles, I believe. Ad: Tappan.

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1960s inspiration kitchens

pam kueber — Mon, 13 Oct 2008 08:00:46 +0000

Speedway Ron is on the lookout for ideas for really terrific 60s kitchen designs, so we will be on the lookout, too. My goodness, these are chock full of ideas!!! Ad:Vintage Hotpoint.

These designs today showcase some of what was going on about 15 years into the postwar era. Ad: Texboro

Click thru for 5 kitchens in all, along with a little primer….

Longtime readers who have been learning about 40s 50s and 60s kitchen design along with me will know that in general:

The 40s featured white kitchens with a lot of primarily red-white-blue accents. White – because it was sanitary, and this was also the first wave of fitted kitchens across America – so the design shock was already enough to handle. Red-white-blue because it was patriotic. You saw other primary-color accents as well…Kitchens were sweet, cheerful.
In the 50s, kitchens were chock-full of innovations: Appliances, dishwashers, new flooring and countertop styles… Color started out white early on…but by the mid-50s the pastel revolution had taken hold. In addition, there were plenty of knotty pine kitchens, don’t forget.
By the 60s, even more changes took hold. There was more open concept design in homes, and as a result, kitchen cabinets started to take on the look of furniture. Also, contemporary styles finally became more popular, so you saw cabinets lifted off the ground with danish modern-style legs. Again, though, don’t underestimate the popularity of simple wood cabinets – many families still preferred “traditional” styling and not to mention – wood was affordable. Back in these days, people were still thrilled — to have the basics.

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Another delicious vintage system by Sunbeam to organize your appliances

pam kueber — Wed, 17 Sep 2008 08:00:29 +0000

Longtime readers will recall my fixation with 50s and 60s electric plug-in devices to organize all the wonderful wife-saving appliances on the top of your kitchen countertop. Remember these previous posts?:

This time around — a whole cabinet! Yummy! Anyone have one of these, I wanna see it live! Image: Vintage Sunbeam.

Source: American Home, April 1959.

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60s kitchen: Restrained use of shape and color creates a timeless, modern look

pam kueber — Sat, 21 Jun 2008 12:00:24 +0000

A timeless 1964 kitchen to celebrate the weekend. Reasons to like this one:

Beautifully put together – an airy white background graphically punched up with wood cabinet doors, cone-shaped light fixture, seat cushions and even napkins. Meanwhile, you see right through the wire chairs, continuing the airy and open feel.
The large-scale wallpaper on the door to the laundry room is fabulous. What a great touch – to take something old fashioned – a botanical fruit, in this case – and treat it in an iconic way to bring it solidly into the modern era. So Andy Warhol. I am going to see if I can find a wallpaper like this.
Notice the painted paneling over by the phone, and yes – the Pennsylvania Dutch (or Scandinavian?) style placemats. Either way, you know that I love this country kitsch thrown in. You simply cannot take your room too seriously.
Finally, is that terrazzo on the floor? Yum.

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Retro looking appliances – at closer to retro prices, too

pam kueber — Tue, 25 Mar 2008 14:26:46 +0000

In working with one reader to solve some kitchen issues, I came across this company — Summit, out of New York metro – that makes several appliances that have a real retro feel, at prices that are not so horrific as most “specialty” items like this.

For example, their 36″ range has that second storage drawer to the left that mimics the 40″ stove so common during the 50s and 60s. The wall ovens are pretty simple, too, not all stainless steel commercial. Maybe they’d even give you chrome handles from the wall oven – to put onto the range, much better than those white plastic ones.

This company seems to specialize in smallish appliances. Take a look at their narrow refrigerators, and dishwashers. And, they have those cool all-in-one kitchen units like Dwyer, too. Sorry, I can’t vouch for the quality. When I’m next down near the city I will try to go visit. summitappliances.com

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Vintage 1966 kitchen — St. Charles mixes wood and metal, and harvest gold and avocado arrive!

Pam Kueber — Sat, 22 Mar 2008 13:35:19 +0000

How about this fabulous 1966 St. Charles metal and wood kitchen?

click to enlarge photos especially the first one!

Cool how it combines wood with metal. And French Provincial wood, no less.
This was part of the transition to kitchens that looked like furniture – like the rest of the house, which was now encroaching as ‘open concept’ design truly takes hold.
Awesome oven and range. So Samantha Stevens!
Great mix and match of colors and materials as you move from space to space – showing that your retro kitchen does not have to be all matchy-matchy – works especially if you have a large space to work with, keeps the eye moving.
Peek at the wonderful green patterned sofa, and painted panel walls in the adjacent family room.
And here we have — harvest gold and avocado together! By 1966, the 70s have arrived!

One change that I would recommend: I think it’s much smarter to have the working sink positioned between the fridge and the stovetop, rather than at the far end. Much better for working efficiency.

Want to start re-inventing this look for yourself? There a large set of St. Charles cabinets, in Denver, just posted this week on the Postwar Steel Forum (top nav bar) that has a similar look. Snap them up, and you are well on your way to funky town!

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1961 stove/fridge/cabinet/sink – today’s craigslist find – courtesy Florida Leslie

Pam Kueber — Tue, 18 Mar 2008 12:20:58 +0000

Florida Leslie sends this very excellent 1961 stove/fridge/cabinet/sink combo. I’ve seen these before, but never in this great shape. Someday if I make an apartment in my basement, I will install one of these. Hey – from the day when someone thought people might actually like COMPACT kitchens. Haha, that’s a good one!

San Diego, $1500. Manufacturer: Dwyer. With original paperwork. Thanks, Leslie!

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60s kitchen – a colorful example

Pam Kueber — Sat, 08 Mar 2008 05:44:09 +0000

Okay, I admit that I really may be losing my mind, but I love this kitchen! There are so many elements that come together so nicely:

The white French Provincial cabinets.
Of course, the fabulous wallpaper enveloping the room in color.
The window shade – a version of which you can still order today.
The vintage embossed linoleum/sheet vinyl floor.
And be sure to enlarge the thumbnail to see the Frigidaire Flair (or imitator) range – very very cool.

The laminate countertop is what pushes this kitchen design into kitsch (especially when combined with the wallpaper.) If you used something more neutral — a white washed woodgrain would be great — I think the room would be more timeless. That said, so ‘66!

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What fun – my kitchen was featured on Apartment Therapy

Pam Kueber — Wed, 05 Mar 2008 06:05:55 +0000

This past weekend my kitchen was featured on ApartmentTherapy.com’s Guess the Decade. This feature shows a photo, then gives readers the whole weekend to ponder – then vote – to guess what decade the room/photo came from. The vast majority of readers were on the mark, detecting the modern clues. Take a look – and be sure to click through to the original post as it contains many amusing — often scathing — comments. Although, I must admit the jury is out on whether I am OCD or not – about retro reno details, at least!

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