Once upon a time, in a land far away, and that land was called mid-century America, the kitchens were all red, white and blue, or aqua, pink and sunbeam yellow, or other happy *colors* and most certainly not greige. Moreover, the ranges were all mostly 40″ wide, a very pleasing size indeed. Not too big, not too small, just right for Mama Bears in the 1940s, 1950s and 1960s to cook their families’ porridge. Alas. What happened to those 40″ ranges? They disappeared, slowly but surely, to be replaced by mostly 30″ ranges, we know not why, and may have to do some *real* investigative journalism at some point to find out. Fast forward to that same land, America in the last days of the first decade of the 21st century, and there are only two-ish 40″ ranges. Yes, vintage 40″ stoves are out there. But sometimes, you just want a self-cleaning oven already, not to mention Not Another Project. But. Wait! Did you know? In Britain — that fairytale land of handsome princes getting engaged to beautiful commoner girls whose hairdo I could actually pull off — it has been discovered: 40″ ranges still made today!.
And not just one. Not just two. But many many makers of 40″ ranges. Well, 39.37″, according to the nifty website that I found to convert those pesky centimeters into much more civilized inches. 100 centimeters = 39.37 inches, I hope I read that right or my whole theme is shot. And, these first two screen shots from my search still aren’t ALL of the 39.37″ ranges available in the land of endless drizzle, butter tarts and slow pints. There are More.
Some of the “cookers” — as those amusing Brits so amusingly call their freestanding ranges — have plaid on them! (You know how much I have been into plaid lately)…
Some kinda look like Viking ranges….
Some look like vintage Chambers ranges, imagine that!
Some look like Agas.
They come in lots of colors.
Even Hoover have cookers <– catch my ‘british-ism’ there? This is $1295 Euro’s, not *too* bad. The other ones above are bloody expensive.
This Fisher-Paykel model is nice looking, too. I am not really sure if all these single screen shots are 40″ but you get my drift. Note: I think Fisher-Paykel have a 36″ model like this in the U.S. but as I recall, it does not have the important and critical (for retro aesthetics) double doors.
This one isn’t retro – but you gotta admit, it has a kind of space-age style that is admirable. And that range top exhaust: Beam me up, Scotty!
I was actually in London this summer. I went to the big John Lewis on Oxford Street — and that’s where I first spied these cookers in all their shining gleaming 40″ majesty. It was mesmerizing, I tell you, just mesmerizing. You can ask my husband. I was seriously muttering senselessly and otherwise acting like a lunatic right there in the store, and it would have been embarrassing except that by now he’s kind of proud of what a nut I am. He also recalls the days of self-cleaning ovens in the house and knew this discovery was Big.
Also, I didn’t realize it til I bumped into this humongous John Lewis department store, but John Lewis is a humongous department store. And John Lewis of Hungerford — which is another location in London — on Hungerford — is where they market the reproduction English Rose steel kitchen cabinets. Duh.
Oh, and guess what else the John Lewis store was buzzing with: Pinch pleat draperies. A Whole Entire Department just to take your order and help you with measurements and with like 118,642,904 fabrics to choose from To Turn Into Pinch Pleat Draperies. I am seriously impressed by those Brits and their respect for cookers and windows and reproduction vintage steel kitchen cabinets.
Here is a single link to a place with lots of 39.37″ British cookers to complain are not sold here: Range Cookers in the U.K.
Lynn-O-Matic says
Wow, some of these stoves are amazing. Very fun to gawk at. Thanks, Pam! Maybe someone needs to start an import business.
We have a 40″ electric pushbutton GE that’s from around 1950-52 and I love it. It’s so great to have all that work space in between the burners. However, in the meantime I have acquired a 36″ Wedgewood which is now in storage. I have not yet made the commitment to trade all the storage drawers in the GE for all the broilers and bread warmers in the Wedgewood. I would love to have gas, but we’d have nowhere to store pots and pans if we switch. Everyone should have such a dilemma!
Mark says
As a very proud owner of a 1951 Chambers, 40 inches I might add, I fully understand the need and the desire to have a large stove. Why we stopped making them is strange, they are very nice to work with, lots of elbow room as it were.
While these fancy new stoves are all pretty and what not I would never, not in a million years trade my Chambers for one of them, never.
Chambers and other vintage stoves can still be had, and even with full restoration, they would come in at half the cost and out preform these, these….invaders!
Thanks for this BTW!
Trouble aka Shane says
I dun landed me a 1949 Maytag gas range this last weekend! Forty inches and no scratches or chips in the porcelain. Drop dead gorgeous and in my house.
How do we get our avatar on the posts here? I got it on the Forum but it won’t work here… 🙁 I need to show my handsome face!
pam kueber says
Get your gravatar here: http://en.gravatar.com/
Lindsey Cota says
Pam,
You have no idea how you just rocked my world… My husband (indulges me) and we always talk about things we will do when we get a house.
He wants newer stuff and I try to win him over to mid-mod.
These modern-classic stoves… they just… it’s so… they are B-E-A-utiful.
– Lindsey C.
pam kueber says
Thank you, Lindsay, rock on!
Gavin Hastings says
Every kitchen I ever visited in the U.K .is; for some unkown reason, Royal Blue and Orange. Every single one.
Gavin Hastings says
BTW-
Today’s rate of exchange is $1/L1.60: these cookers are roughly a wee bit more than one and one half of the listed price in US dollars.
Shane Walp says
“wee bit more”….a little UK lingo thrown in there by Gavin!
johnny dollar says
there is a place near us in baltimore that carries many british/euro appilances including AGA – http://www.stitchesetc.biz/index_files/Page1572.html really beautiful and bloody expensive. the odd thing about these british stoves (AGA) is that they stay warm continuously – the range tops have to stay covered or else your cat will fry its paws. very cool, but again, a bloody fortune, wot?
MrsPitcher says
Here’s my theory…Over time, people have opted for a more compact design to make for more counter space. You know to make room for fancier gizmos such as bread makers and cappucino machines. Somewhere along the way, asthetic taste and appreciation gave way to cost-effective sterile design. Also, more and more women have entered the workplace, without much time for puttering around the kitchen, as housewives usually do. I puttered just this morning, in fact. I have a 40″ range in my kitchen, but it also screams late-20th century blandness. It looks sadly out of place with my decor and ’49 Philco refrigerator. I don’t know what I’m going to do if either one dies unexpectedly.
Elizabeth Mary says
Pam — thanks, I think. Wish they were available here. But, since they aren’t, I guess the only way for me to get gas in white is to go with the 30″. In my decision framework, white matters more than size, I guess. Has to be white!
I have been looking for years and you are right that there are only two 40″ made — by Frigidaire. Well, there is a Kenmore 40″ but that too is Frigidaire. White is only in electric. Gas is only in stainless, YUCK. So, just this week I finally found a white gas range that is OK. It has the most chrome trim of all I found. Price is OK and some features will be fun. The downside is now I have to have cabnet work done to use up the “leftover” 10 and a a new counter top to “absorb” the 10″. Happily the boomerang in charcoal is still available.
Anyway, if interested in the 30″ I find OK, with as much chrome as possible, here it is:
http://www.frigidaire.com/products/kitchen/gas-electric-ranges/fggf3076kw
dcgrl says
I’m disturbed that this range has a “chicken nugget button.” What has the world come to?! Could I please have a salmon veloute en croute button instead?
I like the chrome on this, though…
Elizabeth Mary says
OH, me TOO!! Pretty bad comment on what has happened to our eating habits.
I have never cooked chicken nuggets in my entire life, so will never have the occasion to use that button if I do finally buy this range. Might try the pizza button but then again, maybe not.
CindyD says
This is why I come here everyday. I love that you get loopy over ranges, and plaid, and spatulas! Why DID standard ranges shrink? Any mid-century kitchen-dweller (avoiding any gender reference) would be delighted with the selections above – so many opportunities to personalize the kitchen! Now pardon me while I drool over the six burners…
John says
Hi Pam, Love the stoves and I noticed a lot had one burner that was huge which I’m assuming is for BIG pots for making large quantities of porridge for us bears!!
John aka AtomicHipster