Let’s hear it for well-made, wood kitchens in mid-century homes. There’s virtually no name bigger in wood cabinetry than Wood-Mode. Their website says they have been in business about 60 years — that puts their start right in the heart of the postwar boom. This catalog from 1961 shows cabinetry made in three woods — oak, maple, and knotty pine. There were four door styles — Colonial, Contemporary, Provincial, and Classic. (Compare that to the dozens of door styles available today. Another example of how, “Life was simpler back in the day.” And, there were 22 natural finishes and 12 enamel finishes. (Okay: Complexity here.)
If you have original wood kitchen cabinets… and they are in good shape… please think twice about repainting them. Over time, and as we continue to get our heads around this mid-century look, I predict that “original patina” cabinetry like this will become even more desirable.
Enjoy the slide show — these are also great fun to scrutinize for design ideas and accessories.
Kae says
Thank you for posting the brochure! Our cabinets are Coppes-Napanee but have many of the same specialty features as the Woodmode ones. Our home was built in 1969 and these cabinets are still in great shape.
Rachel says
My house has coppes contessa cabinets as well! We have the pull out shelves in a few of the cabinets, a bread drawer, and a vegetable drawer. All of the cabinets are still in really great shape.
Happy Daze says
My aunt and uncle lived in a house with a brick surround around the oven, like in slide #7. Anyone know the story behind this design feature? It was very common in kitchens of that era. Even the Brady Bunch had one!
Jenny says
Happy Daze, I’d be interested to know the story behind the oven in brick, as well. Our 1956 ranch has this feature with the fireplace on the other side in the living room. I really love the way it looks, however, with all the rain we’ve had, there is a new leak around the chimney and water dripped down into our oven. I suspect it shorted something out because my oven is not heating since this happened. Another project to tackle…
Greg in La Mesa says
I still have my original knotty pine cabinets from 1954!!!! At one point, I am going to enlarge my kitchen, but not until I find another complete set of cabinets.
Elaine says
I love that dress in #4! They made skirt and blouse sets like that too, starting in the late 40s and on into the mid-60s.
The builder of our 1964 colonial stopped by to review the house with a new girl friend. He was upset that our kitchen had been redone. Apparently there was a kitchen fire in the early 80s. He had hand built the cabinets in the French provincial style and they were painted ivory with gold trim, similar to #6. In fact, our kitchen is very like that kitchen except the burners are on the opposite wall, and we have a bit less space. We still have the original cabinets in the powder room, but the gold trim is long gone.
Valencia Bathe says
My grandmother had the exact same dress as the lady in slide #4, except hers was turquoise (mostly everything in her world was turquoise, including her kitchen)…but it’s the same dress! Thanks!
Kirsten says
Thank you, Patrick and Pam!
Pam: I thought the drawers might be warming drawers but couldn’t be sure.
Patrick: The washer-dryer combo was/is so much smarter, don’t you think? They’re very common in Europe. I live in a mid-century modern high rise and I would kill for one of those today. I know they make them still, but they are prohibitively expensive, due to the rarity, I suppose. I don’t know why they fell out of favor, especially for apartment-dwellers.
Here’s where I leave: http://capitolparkii.org/information/archives/cpbrochure1.pdf
pam kueber says
That is a very cool brochure, Kirsten. Lucky you!!
pam kueber says
Which style is which?
Photo #4, woman at sink, slab door: “Contemporary”
Photo #6, ivory paint, pink fridge: “Provincial”
Photo #8, beamed ceiling, planked doors: “Colonial:
“Classic”? I cannot see it explicitly identified anywhere in a photo in the catalog. My best guess: There is one photo (small black and white, I did not include it in this story) with a slab door – but it looks like there is less of an overlay. I am not sure, though.
effika says
Check out that asymmetrical table/planter combo with the yellow chairs in photo 7! Our house is from 1963, and I can just see a smaller version of it in our dining space off the kitchen.
Harriet says
Give me pastels any day. I find all that brown wood, especially combined with brown appliances and brown walls, dreary and depressing.
Patrick Coffey says
Kirsten,
Yes that is a top of the line RCA Whirlpool Washer-Dryer from circa 1960. That basic design was introduced in 1957 and was made until 1961 when RCA Whirlpool went to a standard 29 inch cabinet for both their and Sears Kenmores washer-dryers (as usual Whirlpool made them for Sears as well). The 1961 and later models looked like a dryer with a window in the door.. After 1961 RCA Whirlpool stopped marketing them under the RCA Whirlpool name but kept making them for Sears until sometime in 1970.
Ann-Marie Meyers (Skylark_ says
I grew up in a house that had a Sears unit in the kitchen. My dad removed the pantry cupboard and ran the plumbing and electricity into it. We had the only house in the neighborhood where you didn’t have to run down to the basement to do your laundry.
It was lots of fun to watch colorful rugs and towels spin.