“…low level of … orders … in this difficult economy
makes it unfeasible to maintain
such a small volume of production,” Viking says
Viking Range Corporation confirms that, in the first quarter of this year, it discontinued the manufacturing and sales of its St. Charles steel kitchen cabinet brand. The “original” St. Charles brand — launched in 1935 — was the creme-de-la-creme of vintage cabinets. The brand was purchased by Viking in 2001; they discontinued sales of the legacy design in 2004, and they launched their newly engineered designs for sale in 2008. I reached out to Viking, and they provided this statement, which they said was made to dealers in Q1:
As the economy continues to struggle, it is important that companies commit their resources where they have the most long term impact. With that in mind and after much contemplation and review, Viking Range Corporation has decided to discontinue manufacturing St Charles cabinetry.
Viking has a strong emotional attachment to the St Charles brand and has supported it for six years; however, the low level of St. Charles orders we are receiving in this difficult economy makes it unfeasible to maintain such a small volume of production.
Viking remains committed to supporting the network of St Charles dealers and their current customers as we work through this shutdown transition together.
– Viking Range Corporation
Two readers first alerted me on Feb. 15 that St. Charles cabinet dealers told them that they could no longer buy the cabinets. Comments came in this story about the lovely array of colors that Viking offers for its refrigerators, stoves and other appliances. One of the commenters, Dave, said:
I recently tried to buy cabinets and all sales have been put on hold while Viking tries to find a buyer for the brand. You can’t buy new St. Charles right now for any amount of money. Sad really, we are back to the drawing board for our 1951 re-do…
Earlier, a spokesperson for Viking would not officially comment on whether the St. Charles brand was for sale. The St. Charles website has been deactivated, and we’ve recently spotted three dealers selling their showroom displays on craigslist or Facebook.
St. Charles was a longtime, iconic steel kitchen cabinet brand, and derived its name because the company was based in St. Charles, Ill.
During all this time, as far as I know, St. Charles was considered “top of the line” — the gauge of the steel was very, very heavy. According to my research, it was the very last of the iconic brands to endure in the marketplace. The 21st century Viking/St. Charles cabinets were the only premium steel kitchen cabinet widely available in the U.S. market, as far as I know. More info on the history of steel kitchen in midcentury America here.
I will let you know if / when there is more information on the status and potential future availability of new manufacture St. Charles kitchen cabinets. Viking told me in an email, “Should there be any updates regarding the St. Charles brand, we will certainly communicate that to you in a very timely manner.”
Other stories about the new-generation St. Charles kitchen cabinets that I have featured on the blog:
- I reported that Viking had purchased and would relaunch the St. Charles brand in spring 2008.
- A few years later, I followed up with a story on the use of the St. Charles kitchen cabinets in the Frank Sinatra house, Twin Palms”, in Palm Springs.
Moving to opinion — mine:
I would love to see the St. Charles brand endure and succeed. I have not seen a lot of vintage St. Charles kitchen cabinets in person — but the few I have seen were gorgeous, and definitely superior compared to any other vintage brands I’ve seen. HEAVY DUTY.
I never saw one the “revival” St. Charles kitchens in person, although they sure looked nice online. They certainly seem to have been marketed to the high-end consumer. When, a few years ago I asked Viking for pricing, they could not give it to me — prices were not even published.
Now that the brand is being sunsetted by Viking, we’re starting to get some clearer indications of how expensive they were, as dealers list their display models for sale. One set of seven kitchen dealer showroom cabinets spotted was for sale for $8,950. Moreover, the dealer says the MSRP retail price was $23,000. That’s more than $3,000 per cabinet. Another showroom display, spotted by participants on our Forum, indicated a similar, hefty retail price: $48,300 for 14 cabinets, which averages $3,400 per cabinet. Again – these are full-retail prices; the price as sold by dealers may have been discounted. For example, I recall that on the (now defunct) Forum, we had another commenter say she’d been quoted around $800 for a 36″ base cabinet.
Even so, I’m not saying this pricing was crazy or anything: I bet for sure, that for Viking, manufacturing steel kitchen cabinets and also maintaining a dealer infrastructure was very costly. Buyers would have been very high end — this market would have demanded custom sizes, features and service to the nth degree. I really think that selling kitchen cabinets and selling stoves must be vastly different: The stoves and appliances are almost like commodities at this point; the kitchens, on the other hand, are “high touch” custom. Very labor intensive to deal with. And we are talking: Powder coated steel. I am sure that must cost much more than wood, MDF and particle board — key components in wood kitchen cabinets.
Not to mention, and as Viking pointed out in their statement, there is the economy: The Great Recession hit just as Viking was launching the St. Charles brand — that could not have helped either, *understatement*.
What to do if you want steel kitchen cabinets for your retro inspired kitchen?
Some tips:
Carlos says
My wife and I just purchased a late 1940’s era home with some St Charles cabinets in the kitchen. These however are skinned in white laminate but they still have the St Charles Labels on some of the doors and the Hinges all say St Charles on them. I don’t know if they are original to the home but I can’t find any history on any laminate kitchens made by St Charles. Does any one know where i might find some info on the possible dates of these cabinets and some tips on relaminating some of the door edges and faces?
Kate McLeod says
Hi Pam, I pulled a set of old St. Charles cabinets out of the basement of a NY City building. After a wall in my kitchen collapsed, I was forced to renovate but I didn’t have the resources to go whole hog. I took the cabinets upstate, stripped them of exterior layers of paint and took them to an autobody shop and had them painted a graphite gray. The interiors are getting a bright red paint, which I’m doing. The knobs on these cabinets alone weigh a half a pound. And this kitchen costs about an eighth of what it would have cost if I’d gone the “everything new” route. I was fortunate to have friends looking out for me and a contractor who can figure anything out and doesn’t want to skin me alive. Kate McLeod
pam kueber says
Sounds great, Kate! Send me a pic when you are ready for prime time!
Leah says
I found a St. Charles kitchen for sale on Craig’s LIst. Does anyone know about this line? From what I read, this isn’t an “vintage” cabinet, but the newer line.
pam kueber says
Leah, use the Search box — I have many many stories about this line. Also see our forum, https://retrorenovation.com/forums, which is all about vintage steel kitchen cabinets.
PerfectCircle says
We salvaged almost all the St Charles vintage cabinetry for our kitchen (had it shipped to Seattle from Indiana). We needed just one area to be custom and new: cabinets above the fridge with an adjoining tall skinny pantry pullout alongside the fridge. We had it priced for new St Charles and it was over $3k (actually sounds pretty good in comparison to some of the prices quoted above), so ended up getting Ikea cabinets for about $700 instead. We just couldn’t swing the expense, and once we put the same hardware on them, nobody notices that the Ikea units aren’t metal units. I’m really sad to see this line discontinued, and sorry that we couldn’t support them while they were still around. St Charles are indeed incredible; we love all the features of the ones we salvaged.
Faith B. says
This brand of kitchen cabinets is so classy that Frank Lloyd Wright installed them in Fallingwater — the famous house that he designed in rural Pennsylvania, which is now a museum. They’re fabulous!
Adrienne Sabato says
I have a galley kitchen and want St. Charles cabinets…white w/glass tops…..i know they have discontinued mfgr’g them….is there any other company that u could possibly recommend?…….i’ve had wood and want to go back to steel/metal……any assistance u can provide would be greatly appreciated….Thanks muchly!
CC in Virginia says
In my never-ending search for a company still producing metal kitchen cabinets, I contacted Linda Bergling, Owner of Stainless Steel Kitchens (a woman-owned company, btw). After my inquiry, she told me she has actually been thinking about it for some time and is considering starting up a “retro” type line of metal kitchen cabinets. She is trying to gauge actual interest to see if it’s financially viable and would like to hear from anyone & everyone! Please send her email at stainlesssteelkitchens@hotmail.com – include “retro cabinets” in the subject line so she’ll know it’s not just a random inquiry.
Jane Wolford says
If you are still interested I have 14+/- St. Charles cabinets that are leaving my kitchen and in need of a good home. We are in Colorado
pam kueber says
Jane, if you include your craigslist link, that would be helpful.
kim/reluctantrenovator says
When we bought our midcentury house last year, the kitchen had three St. Charles buttercup yellow cabinets in very good shape, the rest were generic wooden ones. I sold them through your forum–thanks!!I think they went for about $45 each + shipping.
Just another Pam says
That first kitchen is just wonderful, dare to dream.
philq says
I am fortunate to have original St Charles cabinets in my kitchen, butler’s pantry and breakfast room. They are in good condition for their age and include specialty cabinets like flour bin, flour sifter, bread drawer, mixer cabinet, lazy susans, slide-out shelves for pots/pans, locking silver cabinet and linen drawers. I even have original correspondence between the owner, architect and builder regarding the choice of cabinetry for the house. The owner spent over $1.1 million (in today’s dollars) for his dream home in 1957. I had fantasies of replacing the cabinets with the new Viking line, keeping the same Buttercup yellow, if I ever updated the kitchen. Oh well! Sad to see the line discontinued.
pam kueber says
WOW! Your kitchen — and house — sound amazing!
Jane says
We have an original St. Charles kitchen too, in a custom mid-century modern house built in 1951. There are many specialized and interesting drawer fittings as well.
My partner and I have been disagreeing though, about what to do with the kitchen. It definitely needs an upgrade in terms of space, functionality, and appliances (still have the original double wall ovens!). Our compromise solution was going to be to renovate using contemporary St. Charles cabinets and reconfiguring the adjacent family room as a new kitchen, while turning the old galley into a butler’s kitchen, or possibly a laundry room keeping most of the original cabinets as they are.
Totally bummed that this will no longer be an option. I hope some company picks up the brand. Wolf/Sub-zero? Better appliance manufacturer anyway… please take up the challenge!
Patty says
Do labs and hospitals still install metal cabinets? If so, where do they get them?
pam kueber says
Yes, I’ve seen these companies in my online travels. They cabinets often have locks and an… institutional look. As I recall. There also appear to be some very ‘low end’ metal cabinets available for … apartments maybe? Again, as far as I know, Viking/St. Charles the only retail-for-consumer steel kitchen cabinets that I was aware of.
Laura says
Dura Lab Corporation sells to the scientific and hospital type clients. They’re not interested in dealing with home owners with small needs.