Grab a cuppa, retro renovators, and watch this wonderful set of kitchen videos from 1956, 1957 and 1958 – selling us straight-edged electric appliances and in charcoal, it seems. Thanks to Barbara in Ohio for this excellent find! I particularly like the first sequence, showing how older, farmhouse kitchens could be updated for the modern way of life. That old, patched-together “before” kitchen is like the one my grandma had on the farm in North Dakota.  A little bit of counter, a stove that also provide heat, a small icebox – and a kitchen table where all the work got done and nine people ate every meal, too.

Remember, it wasn’t until the post-war period that the idea of “fitted kitchens” – with built-in cabinetry, long uninterrupted countertops, and integrated stoves and fridges — all based on “scientific, efficient, step saving” (and “wife saving”) layouts — really took hold. It’s so interesting: As a nation we are such believers in technology… science… progress. We are optimistic — hard working — and innovative. It’s something to remember in these economic times. A good thing, a hopeful thing.

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