Tracy wants our ideas on how to perk up her knotty pine kitchen. What do you think, Retro Renovation Squad? Tracy writes:
Hi Pam! My husband and I bought a 1962 ranch house in Nashville about 3 years ago and I’ve been wanting to somehow “update” the kitchen but still keep the mid-century feel. It’s a knotty pine kitchen with aqua formica countertops and a sort of aqua, peach, and ivory speckled linoleum floor. Everything is in really good shape and functional and the layout works for us. The thing we’re having some discussion about is the knotty pine on the walls and cabinets. I’m not a huge fan of it. I mean, I like it, but I just don’t like so much of it. Honestly, I’m not really sure what direction to go with it. I was wondering if you or your readers could make some suggestions of things we could do to kind of brighten the room up without changing the character, which we appreciate and love.
Thanks,
Tracy
Tracy, you may be new and not quite know it yet, but we are generally nutty for knotty in these here parts. So be forewarned. See this post about Eartha Kitsch’s knotty pine kitchen. And, you might like this story on “heart pine” — the expensive stuff, which I tend to believe you have in your kitchen, given it still looks so great.
In our email back-and-forth to get prepared for this post, I ask Tracy some more questions. First, with the pics, she says:
Yay! Thanks! Here are some pics. The area with the microwave/cart/mess of rubbermaid storage containers is the bane of my existence. Storage is an issue for us in the kitchen and we want to get some sort of behind-doors storage instead of that open microwave cart with all the pet food/crap thrown in the bottom. And the red/green/clear rubbermaid containers are for recycling, but we need to figure out another solution for the recycling/garbage that is functional and sort of funky and visually pleasing at the same time. The ceiling fan hasn’t worked since we moved in – the light is broken on it, so lighting will have to be addressed as well. Thanks again!
Then, I ask her to tell us more about how she and her husband (as yet unnamed, along with the doggie) got into the house. Ahhh! Ford is involved again. They should sponsor my blog. She writes:
Sure…we live in Nashville and bought our house about 3 years ago after an EXTENSIVE house search. We were looking for over a year before we found the house actually. In the beginning of our search, our agent was taking us to newer subdivisions, I guess because that’s what most people she works with want, but we didn’t really care for any of the newer homes. They all seemed the same….didn’t have any character or any sort of story to tell. Then we stumbled on this neighborhood called Charlotte Park and totally fell in love with it. All of the houses are mid-century ranch homes, built in the early to mid 60s for employees of the now defunct Ford Auto glass plant. Ford built a plant here in 1956 to provide glass windshields and windows for their cars and our neighborhood, Charlotte Park, grew up around it for employees of the glass plant. I believe that Ford even provided some money to help build some of the homes. The streets are all named after Ford products….Cougar Drive, Edsel Drive, Thunderbird Ave. and, our personal favorite, Mercomatic Drive. Our street is called River Rouge Dr., named after the original Ford River Rouge Complex in Dearborn Michigan. Anyway, we love the story of this neighborhood, we love the people, and we love the homes. We particularly love our home – it’s not too big (we love the “not-so-big” home ideas), it’s solidly built, and it has a lot of character and just feels warm, if that makes any sense! We knew it was perfect for us as soon as we saw it.
So, gentle readers… whatcha got for Tracy?
Amber says
I am a knotty pine lover so I would not touch it. Instead, I would get rid of the rest of your wood furniture to minimize the ‘wood-look’. You could paint your table and get an armoire and paint it. Not only will the armoire introduce color and storage to the room but it would also cover a section of the knotty pine, lessening the ‘wood-look’ some more. Since your appliances are white, I would paint the table and armoire white with some nice sheer white curtains over the sink and sliding door, then accent with peach and turquoise knick-knacks on the built in shelves and a nice white platter or artwork over the stove. Also, declutter!
Pat says
I want to endorse the idea of taking off some cupboard doors. We did that in a heavily wood kitchen, for our everyday dishes and glasses, and it lightened up the wood and increased efficiency. I really get tired of opening and closing all those cupboards. A professional kitchen is much more open. Plus, with more lighting, you’ll get reflection off the dishes and glasses, too. You have a wonderful house!
m in minnesota says
You are sooooo lucky to have a kitchen that has such large nooks for the appliances!….You’ll be really surprised at how much light you have, once you replace the broken overhead fixture …plus is there a light over the sink? I’ d difinitely have a light there – you have such a nice wide window ( enjoy it). I would coordinate the light fixtures in the kitchen area, over the sink , and the dining area…. not too matchy-matchy but something that would blend or marry well with existing copper hardware on the cabinetry. Before you install the new light fxtures, you can put a fresh coat of semi-gloss white on the ceiling which will reflect more of the light in the room. I ‘d remove the traverse rod over the sliding door and carefully repair the holes with stainable filler disguise with stain and a suitable oil finish. If you absolutely need a curtain on that door, hang it at ceiling height – rods that attach from the ceiling would be a good choice because if you do want to take it down at a later date it’s easier to fill and paint the ceiling than to restore the knotty pine….. A nice crisp tablecloth, coordinating chair pads, and demi panels on either side of the sliding door, and a short valance just peaking out from under the cornice over sink. (use a tension rod for the valance to get it right behind the cornice – no drilling and easy to remove when it needs washing). If you use an aqua fabric that goes w/ your countertop at the windows, sliding door, and on the table, it will break up all the brown of the wood . It looks like the floor has some nice colors to pick from as well. As for additional storage…..it looks like there is not enough room for a microwave over the oven. I would recommend a buffet a long your wall that is fitted for your specific needs : recycle stuff, microwave, etc. — then you gain more counter area for serving or baking (if you have a butcher blok top on it ) — I’d put the bucks $$ here – not on moving appliances or changing cabinets that are in as great of shape as your’s. If you go w/ something that buffet or counter height you have a more open feeling than w/ a tall cabinet or amoire. Hope this helps……..you really do have a great kitchen to work with………
Zoocrewmom says
One thing that really helped me out with my kitchen cabinets was giving them a quick refinish. You can use one of those products that restores furniture finishes or floors quickly. Once my drab cabinets were lightened up (and cleaner), I could enjoy my kitchen more! And there’s nothing like gleaming kitchen cabintes to get the creative juices flowing!
RetroSandie says
Congrats Tracy on your beautiful home! The knotty pine looks gorgeous-it looks to be in super condition! I think adding some light with under-the-counter lights and maybe several matching ceiling fixtures would help. I love the idea that Eartha Kitsch and her DH have of a long cabinet with counter top along the wall. It would help with storage issues and give you extra space on top. I love the aqua with it and also the floor is very pretty. Using those color touches in the room would also brighten and tie it all together. Good luck with whatever you decide. Hope you have many years of happiness there on River Rouge Drive!!! 🙂
Caffeinated Katie says
Here are some neat tile ideas:
http://www.homedepot.com/Flooring-Tile-Stone-Tile-Glass-Tile/h_d1/N-5yc1vZ1xg1Zbo1x/R-100659948/h_d2/ProductDisplay?langId=-1&storeId=10051&catalogId=10053
http://www.homedepot.com/Flooring-Tile-Stone-Tile-Glass-Tile/h_d1/N-5yc1vZ1xg1Zbo1x/R-202022658/h_d2/ProductDisplay?langId=-1&storeId=10051&catalogId=10053
These two are a bit pricey, but they sure are cool!
http://www.homedepot.com/Flooring-Tile-Stone-Tile-Glass-Tile/h_d1/N-5yc1vZ1xg1Zbo1x/R-202070529/h_d2/ProductDisplay?langId=-1&storeId=10051&catalogId=10053
http://www.homedepot.com/Flooring-Tile-Stone-Tile-Glass-Tile/h_d1/N-5yc1vZ1xg1Zbo1x/R-202070522/h_d2/ProductDisplay?langId=-1&storeId=10051&catalogId=10053
Angela says
….and your doggie is the cutest. 🙂
Angela says
WOW! gorgeous kitchen! It’s so beautiful.
#1. I too am totally loving the idea of getting a chrome & formica dining set to offset the wood. You could get white/pale gray, which is easier to find, unless you are very lucky to find an aqua set. With white you could then get a big aqua bowl or vase for the center, or get some aqua placemats. But aqua is my favorite color so I always say MORE AQUA! 😀 I love the combo of the aqua with knotty pine.
#2. Also, getting some vintage cafe curtains in a light color….white or the pale aqua for your window.
#3 I think the idea of a plain chrome/silver/stainless JUST on the back splash is intruiging. If you put in some under cabinet lighting (another great idea), it would reflect off of the silver nicely and just glow!
#4. I guess in summary, the above have some great ideas! More aqua/lights/chrome. no more wood, and you don’t have to paint anything.
Mary Tatum says
I think it could be updated through color, lighting, appliances, counters and flooring…leave the cabinets pristine. The contrast with the pine and white appliances is pretty severe. The light over the dining table is a great jumping off place for color and style. If she wants to reduce the knotty pine a little bit, change out the backsplash for something bright – like moaic. What about a natural color quartz counter (not bright white), a fun backsplash, and stainless appliances? Bring some greens in with wall color, towels, etc. Lighting is always the most overlooked element in a home, and does the most to make a room feel (literally!) lighter and brighter. Get some good under the counter lighting, and maybe recessed lighting on the ceiling- take out the ceiling fan. Drop a fun pendant over the peninsula. I think a darker floor would actually help “ground” the space…that floor feels a little “free-floating.” It reminds me so much of my grandmother’s kitchen. She had Carthage (Missouri) Marble countertops in the 1940’s!
Frank says
The pine, really-cool-stove, hood, floor, counter tops, are awesome. Here are my suggestions. I’ve mentioned this before for another reader–think of the Lucy and Ricky Ricardo’s Connecticut home.
1. Remove the fan and replace it with a simple light fixture along these lines:
http://hidden-valley-antiques.com/photos/kitchenfixtures.JPG
2. For storage, have you considered an antique dry sink like this:
http://www.laurelauction.com/0602f%20Pine%20Dry%20Sink.JPG
You could paint it a complimentary color if you think the added wood is too much.
3. The white fridge is very prominant. This may not be practical, but a vintage fridge would be really cool. Or, if you’ve go money to spend, a new copper color fridge with tie in with the stove hood. I saw copper color appliances (I think Kitchenaid) at a local store. Here is a picture:
http://www.google.com/imgres?imgurl=http://www.atticmag.com/wp-content/uploads/2008/11/ka-jennorbovens21.jpg&imgrefurl=http://www.atticmag.com/2008/11/oiled-bronze-appliances/&usg=__fJWfnZ2LCSIyhoEpCVjZTB20IKM=&h=555&w=400&sz=108&hl=en&start=53&um=1&itbs=1&tbnid=Y5M-LZYSOOnyRM:&tbnh=133&tbnw=96&prev=/images%3Fq%3Dvintage%2Bcopper%2Brefrigerator%26start%3D40%26um%3D1%26hl%3Den%26sa%3DN%26ndsp%3D20%26tbs%3Disch:1
Good luck.
Frank says
Sorry for the typos. Also, a oval country rag-rug would add a nice touch.