Laura writes in to ask a perennial question: Is it all right to mix and match mid century eras? Readers — What do you think?
Laura writes:
Pam – I’m at my wits end re: what to do in my kitchen. Over the last 18 months, I’ve collected all the fabulous Morton cabinets I need.
I LOVE the curves on both the uppers and lowers – to me, they really evoke the cozy 50’s look that resonates with me. I also acquired a great ’54 GE combination two-door refrigerator/freezer in beautiful condition, but unfortunately it does not cool and I can’t find a repair service inside 1,000 miles. These cabinets and this fridge are a perfect combination, but with the fridge not working I had to keep looking for something comparable.
Just last weekend I snapped up a great 1957 GE brown fridge with the revolving shelves I love, but it is a much sleeker design with very straight edges. After a little more research I realized that it is one of those that blends right in with the cabinets – it’s only 24 inches deep. It works great and the features are amazing – pull out bottom freezer drawer, rotating fruit & veggie bins, butter keeper, etc…..but the style doesn’t fit with my cabinets!!! I’m really torn, because I love them both, but combining them just feels very awkward.
I’m using the brown fridge now and sold the (non-functioning) white 1954-55 GE Combination to a fellow vintage-lover with a good friend in the refrigeration business. I love the features of the mid–mod brown fridge (1957) but feel it just doesn’t fit the early- to mid-50’s era look that I long to recreate. And mostly, both the cabinets and the fridge make great individual “statements”, but combining them sort of diminishes both, if you get my drift. To really do justice to that fridge, though, I would need to trade in my Mortons and get a set with flat fronts and go for the built-in look with soffits and everything. If the Retro Gods would bring me a left-hinged early-50’s fridge with lazy-susan shelves, I’d snap it up and sell the brown fridge, but it seems those left-hinged ones are about one in a hundred, or thousands of miles away….no luck so far.
I suppose I’ll have to choose between them, but which to give up (and find more appropriate versions of), and which to keep?!?! So, the question is….is it possible to live in two different eras in the same kitchen??? If you have time to consider my conundrum, I’d really appreciate your advice…. and I’d LOVE for you to post it and draw on all that creative energy from your readers. I drool over the photos of the gorgeous vintage COORDINATED kitchens on this site. I don’t want my own kitchen to fall short if I can help it.
“I’m at my wit’s end…” Yup. That’s where Retro Renovating gets us all, at one point or another, Laura. So happy you wrote in. I love your question, because it underscores that there were numerous waves of “mid century” and “mid century modern.” Not one look, but a variety of looks that evolved over the “mid century era,” which most historians bookend from 1946-1963. In fact, your Mortons, I’d say, are quintessentially late-1940s… while your fridge is quintessential early 60s (the GE experts on this site — Patrick? — will know right away.) So, your question neatly juxtaposes “the beginning” and “the end”. Oh and Laura: 18 months to collect your cabinets? A vintage stove (Chambers?) in the pickup truck? YOU GO, GIRL!
Readers: What do you think?
Matchy matchy mid mod? Or mix and match mid mod mad? I’ll pipe in tomorrow after reading your comments — which always give me new things to think about!
Wendy M. says
I hope you are able to get the paint off the fridge! As far as mixing eras, I’m all for it. It shouldn’t make any difference if other people approve or disapprove of your home…if you walk into a room and it makes you happy, then you’re set. If *you* aren’t happy, then it’s time to change it.
Good luck!
Harriet says
LOVE the cabinets!
I dislike the brown, so I think it will be fine white.
And I hope it’s OK to mix eras! I’m putting together a kitchen with a 1950 set of cabinets, a 1959 stove and a 2011 Smeg! Along with a 2011 dishwasher. I like historical accuracy, but you have to be practical in a kitchen.
Just another Pam says
“sold the (non-functioning) white 1954-55 GE Combination to a fellow vintage-lover with a good friend in the refrigeration business.”
Seems very mean spirited to buy your nonworking fridge when they obviously had someone who could fix it and could have helped a girl out.
It takes a lot to make me bitter but that would do it for me.
Janice says
That very thought occurred to me. Why didn’t the buyer offer up his friend’s name to help you out?
pam kueber says
Hey, all, I am sure there is a very logical explanation. Remember: Key rule of Comments is “No one can be made to feel bad for their decisions.” I am sure there is more to the story that Laura just didn’t go into… Okay?
lauramoon says
Pam’s right….what really prompted me to go ahead and sell the older fridge is that my kitchen layout plans changed and I need a fridge that opens on the right, so that ended up being a no-brainer. Oddly enough, once I’d decided on the new layout, I found the brown fridge the next day. (so what’re the VG’s telling me?!?!)
Also I’ll just mention here that the photo of the grouping is actually in my dining room – I can’t install the cabs or the fridge until I decide which way to go. Kee the ideas coming!!!
Trouble says
I feel bad that you didn’t sell it to me! My house was built in ’54
BungalowBILL says
I have one, but you have to carry it up from the basement.
Janice says
I aplogize. I didn’t mean to sound snarky.
Cindy Friday says
Skimming the other comments, I would like to add that it is not just having the same color that is key. It’s more like having the right color family — matching complementary colors, and/or creating a color family where the colors have the same intensity. Ex: pink and orange can be great together in a kitchen, but not 50s pastel pink, and ’60s loud orange.
With the lines of your cabinets and appliances, a very rounded edge paired with very modern, straight edges could be great. But if there’s a slightly rounded edge, then a straight, then a super rounded, then cutouts in a valance on the cabinets, it can just end up remuddled instead of remodeled.
Denise Cornish says
My kitchen and diningroom are done in blends of 40’s 50’s and 60’s. My inspiration was my grandparents home which was built in the 40’s, was updated in the 50’s then had new appliances added in the 60’s. I love it and feed back from visitors is always positive. Keep the fridge and the cupboards.
Just another Pam says
Years ago I took a course on renovating houses and the rule with the architects and designers et al was that anything developed after the date the house was built IS historically accurate if it’s a living home so, as wisely said above, pick a cut off date and go for it.
Love your cupboards (insert envy here) and the ‘new’ fridge is really very cool…no pun intended. I grew up in the 50’s & 60’s, well, got bigger, not so ‘grown up’ and my Mum’s friends would have been aquiver over the ‘new’ fridge though were too cash strapped to have gotten it.
Auto-body shops around here will respray your fridge if it needs it after you’re finished stripping it. Or, as suggested, you can live with it while you wait for your true love fridge, which, in the good old days is exactly what most people had to do so you get the whole mid-century experience. ;o)
Northside CJ says
Those cabinets look so perfect! If you can strip and save the original finish on the fridge, or have it painted, I say keep it.
If you prep properly and have a good hand for painting, you could paint the fridge yourself. I had to redo my range hood to match everything and it turned out great!
I’ve currently got a mix of 1955 Cabinets, and early 90’s appliances. It actually tied together really well, though my search for the perfect vintage appliances continues.
Allison says
I think that there is nothing wrong with mixing eras as long as you are happy with the results. You don’t live in a museum, so no one isn’t going to gasp at the mixing of time periods. 🙂
That being said, the brown fridge might be over shadowing the cabinets. I would try to paint it white, so it flows a bit better.
Rusty says
I don’t know what the “correct” answer is but there certainly many many houses built in the 40’s thus 40’s cabinetry in which during the 60’s owners purchased new appliances. So you can assume in the 60’s that 40’s cabinets and 60’s refrigerators were quite appropriate. Just my 2 cents worth.
rechercher says
I agree that people replace appliances over the life of a kitchen, I’m sure there were many 40s-50s kitchens with new, updated appliances in the 60s. The main thing that is jarring for me isn’t the shapes or details, its the red counter top so close to the coppertone fridge. But the fridge is great, keep its original color and try for a better transition.
Steven Keylon says
Those cabinets are the absolute ultimate in kitchen design, there is NO QUESTION that those should prevail!
I agree that changing the refrigerator to white would make the whole thing more cohesive.
Restorations like this take time, keep this refrigerator and get the color changed… you may learn to love it, and if not, the right refrigerator will make an appearance down the line. You will have make this refrigerator more desirable in the meantime.
When we restored our kitchen, your cabinets are the only ones we considered – other than our historic cabinets. I think they’re the most interesting kitchen cabinets ever designed.