Nathan recently purchased a 1962 time capsule home. He truly appreciates the beauty and history in this blonde wood kitchen full of pristine, museum-quality appliances not to mention a fabulous pink porcelain drainboard sink. But, he is himself a craftsman and furniture maker, and has his own creative vision for a mid-century inspired kitchen of his dreams. So, now he is trying to find the right buyer for this mint, unused 1962 kitchen including a pink General Electric combination wall mount refrigerator, a pink GE automatic electric built-In oven, a pink GE cooktop, a pink GE dishwasher, and a pink cast iron double bowl sink.
UPDATE: As of Feb 2015 — this kitchen HAS BEEN REMOVED AND SOLD.
UPDATE Jan. 2018: I was first with this story in 2010 — EIGHT years ago — and to this day, other blogs are still rewriting the story and promoting it as if it’s new. Yikes.
Nathan purchased the home late last year from the original owner, who built the house but for personal reasons never lived in it. Oh my, the kitchen is a real beauty.
Once the shock wears off, be sure to notice also the mosaic tile on the floor, and the four-inch tiles on the backsplash, on the soffits, on the wall in the dinette. I’ve never seen tile on soffits, for example. The cabinets — the pink countertops and appliances — the tile — and the light — all combine to make this a luminous kitchen indeed.
Oh, and I’ve never seen scribing (I think that’s what it’s called) of the ‘vents’ underneath the sink and cooktop like this before. The atomic cabinet pulls are gorgeous, too — note, Nathan plans to keep the cabinet hardware.
Nathan for sure is selling the appliances and the drainboard sink. The kitchen, he fears, will not demo well, because it is built directly into the walls. But it’s a possibility that it could also be removed intact.
Finally, I want to forewarn: No chest beating, please, in Comments, over Nathan’s decision not to keep this kitchen. I have never ever said this site is all about having to keep everything original. At its heart, in addition to identifying resources, I’m about just helping people understand what they have in their homes so that they can make informed decisions. Nathan knows what he has, and wants the kitchen to go to someone who will truly be able to love it. (The gorgeous vintage light fixture – stays.)
Click on the gallery shot above to go to Nathan’s flickr photostream to see more photos. You can also see some of his custom furniture by Nathan Chandler — I’ll feature some of his mid-century inspired pieces shortly. Thank you, Nathan, for giving us the opportunity to see your kitchen and potentially, to help find it a good home.
Chris Christensen says
Hi,
According to GE, we have a 1962 GE pushbutton cooktop in white just like yours (but the button control is in the wall), with pink countertops, a GE built in oven and a crappy, new GE dishwasher. We had water damage from our ceiling 6 weeks ago, and currently doing some light remodeling in our 1930 home. Is this still for sale? Do we need to buy everything? I’m wondering if the sink will fit our space.
What part of Illinois are you located? We are in Indiana.
Thanks,
Chris
pam kueber says
Chris – this is a very old story. Kitchen long gone, I am sure.
shirley says
Our house was built in 1957 and we have the same built in oven and counter top elements and push button controls built into the front of the cupboard. They are still being used daily. We had a 1960 Frigidaire refrigerator up to last year and it was replaced by a stainless steel and it spoiled the look of the kitchen. All the appliances are in turquoise and the walls of the kitchen are pale pink. I have the original sales slips – oven $180.50 stove top $104.00 Aug.11/58. (Cdn $)Cupboards were custom built on a slant with sliding doors in natural wood stain,The counter tops are copper fleck arborite. The oven & stove top are the same model as in your pictures and I also have the direction booklet that came with the appliances.
Modspell says
How funny, I have those exact same pulls and knobs in my house, 4 point star backing included. This place is a treasure, how could he improve it?
KakiMack says
I can’t imagine what he will do—hope he posts pics of the finished room. If my 50s kitchen was this fab I wouldn’t change a thing. Hopefully mine will look wonderful once the reno is completed. Are your pulls and knobs original?
KakiMack says
oh dear god this is the most beautiful thing I have ever seen—the wall frig, the dishwasher handle that says “dishwasher”, the hardware, everything!! I need hardware like that for my kitchen re-do. swooooonnn
diane says
I would like to purchase the refrigrator – is it for sale?
pam kueber says
Diane, this is a very old story….
JamieAbe says
I die!!!
Co says
I wish someone had petitioned to get this on the historical register.
Suzanne says
The phrase PINK SINK cries out to be a song. Like BLACK SLACKS. Best of luck removing the kitchen to someone who will adore it. I’m in Illinois but not in the market for a retro kitchen. My childhood home, with the kitchen removated in the late 60s, had that gingerbread and side shelves over the sink too.
KathyJB says
I would like to see what he does with his new kitchen since he is a craftsman. I was upset at first, but I’m glad he is selling to mid century enthusiasts. Will you be able to show after photo’s when he is finished with the remodel?
Rango says
I grew up around most of those appliances, in turquoise. Our house had been built in 1958. We looked forward to getting rid of all that old stuff back then.