Reader Nancy recently made an exciting and valuable discovery in a neighbor’s pile set out for the trash man: A set of vintage Caloric kitchen appliances and sink — New Old Stock, still in the original boxes. Including: Built-in oven with warming drawer (?), gas cooktop, splash back, range hood, double-bowl sink, and brochures. Oh: In luminous pink pink pink. Five years into the blog, and I don’t see this too often. Moreover, I became very intrigued when Nancy asked me if I knew anything about Beatrice West, who was credited on one of the boxes for the color styling. I LOVE learning about — and helping to rediscover — once-famous, now forgotten (?) design personalities from the mid-century years. Read on for what I’ve found out about Beatrice West — oh, and see 15 more photos of Nancy’s NOS pink kitchen loveliness — which she is looking to sell.
Hi Pam! This is such a great find! I found them in the garbage!!
Yes in the garbage!
My elderly neighbor died, and her grandson bought the house and basically threw everything in the house out!
When I saw the pile of boxes I had to investigate!
When I saw what it all was I almost fell over!
I got my husband and I loaded our truck! None of it has been used, the oven still has the tag on it! The only thing missing is the part that goes under the knobs of the gas stove top. I have half of the box for the stove (the other half was just crumbling).
I can only find the original ad for the stove on the web.
Have you ever heard of Beatrice West?
On the boxes it says her name. I cannot find anything like this (never used appliances from the sixties).
I do want to sell it all, not sure if I should sell it separately or as a package and what to charge… these type of things usually don’t exist!!!:)
If you have an info on it let me know!
I do have other pics that I could send you, close ups etc. if you want to put it on your web site (which by the way I loooooove!!!) feel free!
I had actually thought of changing my kitchen and putting in these items but my husband wasn’t thrilled!
– Nancy
Thank you, Nancy, for sharing your story and these photos. I am sure you will find a buyer, these are so delicious.
Meanwhile — back to Beatrice West. When Nancy wrote I began to search on google and was able very quickly to find numerous references to Beatrice West from the 1950s, into the 1960s, and as late as 1981. I have to admit, though, that it was frustrating, because while Google books now archives many many publications, it only gives “snippets” — not the full text, for copyright reasons. I totally understand and respect this. Just sayin’ that my research on Beatrice West is mostly parsing snippets until I can get to the original source documents.
From what I could piece: In the early part of her career, Beatrice West worked as an architect in Texas. Ultimately, she became an expert consultant on the use of color in midcentury America, operating a number of eponymous companies such as Beatrice West Color, Inc. at 333 E. 46th St. in New York City, authoring or co-authoring a number of books, and working with big-name housing developers like Levitt, with manufacturers like Caloric and with retail clients alike. She was a charter member of the Color Marketing Group and its president in 1969, and received the group’s highest honor in 1981.
Update: See Comments below, for additional info that readers quickly dug up, which I need to incorporate up here when I get additional time.
A 1955 Popular Mechanics story on exterior colors for the home says:
An incident that happened early in Miss West’s career best illustrates the power of color. It was right after World War II and despite the housing shortage a development of prefabricated houses did not sell. Miss West, who was then working as an architect in her native Texas, was asked by the prefab manufacture to visit the project and tell him what was wrong. There she found row after row of white houses with blue shutters and mottled roofs of red, blue and green. She worked out a color plan for the entire project of 300 houses and fixed up a model for demonstration fixed up a model for demonstration purposes. All the house were sold in a single weekend and Beatrice West had found herself a new career. Soon she was planning the color for Levitt projects and National Homes.
Looks like she did color consulting for American Kitchens (steel kitchen cabinets):
books.google.com1955 – Snippet view – American Lumberman and Building Products Merchandiser
American Kitchens Div. of Avco Mfg. Co., Connersville, Ind., has retained Beatrice West, well-known color stylist and decorator as color consultant and decorator-designer._ Miss West, who heads her own organization in New York, …
She was involved with Charles Goodman:
books.google.com1955 – Snippet view – Tide – Volume 29, Issues 14-27
The 50 homes in Price’s 1955 line were designed by Washington (DC) architect Charles M. Goodman, got their color specifications from specialist Beatrice West
Relative to the Caloric relationship, I found this snippet.. there were others for subsequent years:
books.google.com 1959 – Snippet view – Gas Age: Volume 124
Caloric Appliance Corp. has retained Beatrice West Color, Inc. as color consultant for its products. Miss Beatrice West, president of the consulting firm, has gained national recognition for her design and color work in styling various …
Somewhere there is a film!:
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books.google.com H.W. Wilson Company – 1960 – Snippet view – Educational Film Guide
Bestwall 1968 13min sd color free-loan sh-c-ad Produced by Photo-Arts Productions ‘ The development and use of color styling by Beatrice West, color consultant, in Cer- tainteed asphalt roofing and siding. Shows how color is used to
She was a who in the Who’s Who of Women in 1961:
books.google.com 1961 – Snippet view – Who’s Who of American Women, Volume 2
WEST, Beatrice (Beatrice Adele Wlttrup), color and design cons.; b. Dallas, Oct. 7. 1910; d. … Beatrice West Interiors, Inc., NYC, 1950 — . Recipient House and Home mag. award, 1956; LI Home Builder’s award, 1957; N. Shore Hosp. award …
Note, this book about Levittown, Pennsylvania, calls West an interior designer, not an architect. It also says she was involved in the very first Levittown:
books.google.com Dianne Harris – 2010 – 429 pages – Second suburb: Levittown, PA
Beatrice West, a New York interior designer commissioned to furnish the first model houses in Pennsylvania, gave the Levitts high marks for gracefully integrating the kitchen with the rest of the house: “Levitt & Sons have planned your…I would love to get my hands on this one and to hear her presentation!:
books.google.com American Gas Association – 1960 – American Gas Assoc. Monthly Volume 41
Speakers at Home Service Roundtable were, from left: Marjorie A. Bettesworth, Shirley Pemberton, Beatrice West, … The subject of color coordination in the kitchen was thoroughly explored by Beatrice West, color coordinator for Caloric
By 1969, she may have become a design snowbird down in Florida:
books.google.com1969 – Snippet view – AIA Journal
Completing the jury are George T. Rockrise, FAIA, of San Francisco, AIA vice president, and Jules Gregory, FAIA, of Lambertville, NJ Beatrice West, who heads an interior design firm in Deerfield Beach, Fla., has been elected president.
It looks like she was doing some work with Eljer circa 1977:
books.google.com Making of America Project – 1977 – House Beautiful, Volume 119 — Selected by color consultant Beatrice West to be in tune with the latest color trends. Eljer’s Fashion Colors let you have a change of heart without a change of bathroom fixtures. Repaint, wallpaper, hang towels and you have a whole new …The last reference I can find to her online is 1981, when she received the Color Marketing Group’s Dimmick Award. They called her “Bea”:
books.google.com Color, Inter-Society Color Council, Colour Group (Great Britain) – 1982 – Color Research and Application, Volume 7Beatrice West Receives CMG Dimmick Award In October 1981 , the Color Marketing Group presented its highest award in … Beatrice West, entrepreneur, color consultant, color stylist, and architectural designer, has been a true pioneerBut… This information is so scattershot. What happened to Beatrice West after 1981? Why isn’t there more information available about this COLORFUL woman’s life?! Anything mystery for us to unravel!
Laurel says
Neato!
gsciencechick says
I also don’t understand why there aren’t more color choices in appliances at more moderate price points. Color makes me sing.
Pam, thanks for the info on Beatrice West. Even that small amount was very interesting. We take it for granted that women can do anything and have a career, but working in male dominated fields like architecture in the 50’s was probably not easy!
pam kueber says
yes, these women were pioneers in so many ways. it is a cliche to say it. but it’s TRUE
Jan says
Nancy –
Those are fantastic pieces! Makes you wonder what they’re thinking to just throw it to the curb, but your gain, right? Oh, to have a neighbor who might do that – and of course, let me be the first to spot it! Have fun with your find!
Nancy Clark says
Thanks Jan! I actually enjoyed opening all the boxes and cleaning the dust off, I was like a kid at Christmas! But I need to sell them, DH doesn’t want a pink kitchen!
John Hedge says
What a score!… That will look great installed, I can’t wait for a follow up.
Dennis says
The seller should contact Whirlpool, (who bought Maytag, who bought Amana, who bought Caloric). They may be interested in something like this for its archival value.
Nancy Clark says
Hi Dennis, I did contact Whirlpool, but they only take donations! I would like to sell them! Great idea though!
Sara in WA says
I love how the knobs are color coordinated with the diagram in the center of the range showing the burner positions. Now that must have come from “Bea”. brilliant! We need info on this women’s ideas. And by the way: FIND of the decade for sure!
Joe says
What a great find! If it were yellow or coppertone (they’d go best with my 1955 knotty pine kitchen), I would already be the owner of this set! My question for Pam K. is this: the appliance industry MUST know that there is a tremendous pent-up demand for modern energy-efficient appliances that look like 1960 in all those original retro colors – so WHY aren’t they offering them? They are missing out on a TON of sales to people who are fed up with today’s boring, stainless steel boxes with no style! What can we do to make it happen?
Shyanna says
Joe, Last year when I was looking for a new washer and dryer I so wanted a pink one but wanted a new energy efficient one. Of course there were none to be found. However when we were talking to the salesman at Sears I asked him if he knew if anyone made any in the color of pink. He said not that he knew but that I was the third person that had asked him that week about a pink washer and dryer. And while we were talking another couple, probably in their twenties I would guess came running over to where we were and said they had overheard us talking about pink and wanted to know where she could find a new set. Like me she said she did not care what brand as long as it was the 50’s pink. So the buyers are there if some company would just make the leap!!
Joe says
It certainly would be nice if one of the big manufacturers took the leap and did this. If I worked in their R&D Department, I would pull the old color palettes and reshade them to 30-50% of the original tone, and come up with these new color names: Bermuda Sand (Pink); Surfspray (Turquoise); Buttercream (Yellow); Mocha (Coppertone); Meadow (Avocado). I would give them control panels that have the designer detail like you see on these Calorics, with soft illumination, REAL rotary controls and a splash of brushed metal and chrome. AND make sure to include nice features again like programmable cooking and automatic rotisseries. Those companies would really rake in the sales! The public is starving for the look and features of the old and are really tired of the blandness of today’s so-called modern; I also hear PLENTY of people wishing for the mid-century look. I consider myself extremely fortunate to have the honor of owning my late mom’s 1965 Hardwick Debutante upper/lower ovens gas range in Coppertone with brushed stainless steel and chrome trim. It looks and cooks 3 times a day like brand new (and looks it too), a real testament to how good the quality was back in the day.
Rebecca says
How awesome. Yes, how can we find out more on purchase info. I can be reached at mcmrjr@gmail.com
Thanks for your rescuing efforts and for Pam posting. This is a rare find.
Melita says
How can we contact Nancy for purchase info?
Nancy Clark says
HI Melita, you can contact me at nancy159@yahoo.com
Thanks!
Nancy
75Heather says
Holy freaking cow, what an incredible find!! I absolutely LOVE the multi-colored triangle details on the oven’s control panel. :drool: