Here on the East Coast the days are getting shorter and the skies, darker. Unless I want to sleep all day, I need to push myself to get outside when it’s sunny — and inside, to expose myself to colors that energize. Thankfully, readers keep sending me photos of their kitchens and bathrooms and other rooms infused with happy. With their exciting pops of red, these 11 kitchens sure do keep me alert, and smiling. Lauryn and Dennis’ remodeled Iowa kitchen is just so darn sweet.
Notice the downsized refrigerator — Lauryn says stuff still gets lost in the back, hehe. See 20 more photos of this kitchen, courtesy Radim Schreiber.
Above: Just this morning, we featured 23 photos of JoAnn and Mark’s stunning 1930s-meets-1950s-meets-2012 kitchen remodel. The pops of red are what make this kitchen… well… pop!
Above: I was so honored to feature the Michigan kitchen of Bonnie Jo Campbell — she’s an award winning novelist — I read her latest book, Once Upon A River, and it just blew me away. Of course, we’d expect a writer to give us a good story, and, yes, she also blew me away with her wisdom:
I call it a swamp house, and my husband and I bought it in 1987 for $24,500. I always tell my students that if they are serious about writing that they should live in a very modest house and try to keep expenses low so that they don’t have to work themselves too hard to pay the mortgage. They think I’m kidding, but I’m not. It’s very hard to make time to write in any case, and so if there’s a way to spend less time earning a living, then follow that way…
Above: We showed David’s sunny old fashioned kitchen. Those red gingham cafe curtains are so wonderful. This kitchen went a little viral on our Retro Renovation Facebook page.
Above: Greg and Tammy gave their 1980s kitchen a retro country look, mostly with paint and decoration. Oh, and everyone loves that big red Kelvinator refrigertor, for sure!
Above: I am declaring that red is the lead color in the kitchen of Cullen Meyer, the Crown Prince of Kitsch.
Did you see Kathy’s instructions on how to make your own custom dishwasher panel. Her kitchen has a history related to the Betty Crocker test kitchen so she used this image — I love it. Kathy has red touches throughout her kitchen.
Susan, too, gets props for the energetic dose o’ red in her vintage kitchen remodel.
And for our archive, here’s a vintage kitchen from the U.K. — English Rose brand steel kitchen cabinets with a Revo oven. It was for sale on ebay, but it looks like it didn’t sell. You can buy reproductions of English Rose cabinets today from John Lewis, I don’t even want to guess how pricey they are.
Roses are red,
Violets are blue,
I love red kitchens,
How about you?
Frieda says
Red kitchen are my favorite! My grandma had the best 1940’s post-war red kitchen and that is where I fell in love with them.
carrie marshall says
o my gosh i love these kitchens. the use of color and imagination is so amazing. it takes me back to time when i would eat captai crunch at my grandmothers tabel.love those memories.
Shelley says
I love red kitchens, too!
http://shelleyshouse.blogspot.co.uk/2010/05/kitchen-english-part-i.html
Yara says
I know it’s not red, but the set designers for the latest season of “Big Brother” here in Australia have created an amazing 1950s style kitchen!
http://www.yourtv.com.au/slideshow/249490/sneak-peek-inside-the-big-brother-house.slideshow
A few other areas inside the house are very 70s retro, particularly the lime and avocado bathroom, and the outside of the house is classic 50s Australian.
You can probably Google for more images and video. Kudos to the designers and set dressers here, perhaps more people will be inspired to keep their vintage kitchens!
pam kueber says
Wow! I love that kitchen, thanks for sharing!
Katie says
I love the floor color in the first kitchen. We recently stained the concrete floor in our living room almost the same color.
Deborah Burstyn says
Red and white is all right! Thanks for these. I have been collecting vintage red and white kitchenware for several decades (I’ve had to stop now. Clutter control). I too have original white 1940s cabinets, red and white gingham curtains and an old white Wedgewood stove.
Chris says
Hey Pam! I love this feature — so fun and happy! Thank you for putting all the red kitchens together in one delicious article!
PS — I am in the South. We will undoubtedly – as usual – be putting up our Christmas decorations in shorts and tee shirts and I will be BITTER about it! I will be envying you your seasonal weather. I won’t be able to enjoy a mug of hot chocolate without a serious hot flash!
🙂
pam kueber says
Well thank YOU for saying so! You’re welcome!
TerriHD says
Love these! My kitchen is morphing from a close cousin to the author’s (I have that same cabinet hardware, but it’s going bye-bye) to a close cousin to the Betty Crocker one. Pops of red will be fewer but more judicious.
Jessie SP says
My kitchen walls are now “chili pepper”. People love it (most importantly, my husband and me.) Don’t fear color! 🙂
Here’s what it looks like…one of these days we’ll get that trim up.
http://53masonstreet.blogspot.com/2012/05/kitchen-painted.html
carrie marshall says
yes mam i love color. my renovation is aqua and white. along with some yellow and a few splashes of pink. silver and gold with a little black and lots of chrome. diamonds are this girls best freind in my kitchen
nina462 says
As many of you know, I love cherry red. My kitchen also has red accents (curtains, canisters, cabinet, chalkware etc). Even my outdoor window shutters are cherry red (these were posted on your website awhile ago).
I love cheery cherry red 🙂