Jonathan and Catherine
Reader Catherine and her husband Jonathan loved the original steel kitchen cabinets and tiled walls in their 1950 Cape Cod kitchen, but the room was feeling tired and needed some freshening up. After seeing Pam’s story recommending Azrock flooring as an authentic 1950s style floor choice, Catherine knew it was the right fit for her kitchen. After installing the new floor, painting their original Geneva cabinets, and adding new butcher block counter tops and a stainless steel sink — Catherine and Jonathan’s kitchen is ready for its close up.
Catherine writes:
Hi! A while back I saw a recommendation on your website for Azrock flooring for authentic 50s kitchen rehabs. You also stated that you’d like photos of completed renovations using this kind of flooring.
Our kitchen renovation, using Azrock Raw Silk, is complete– and it looks great! We also spray painted our original Geneva cabinets in the kitchen to coordinate, and added a butcher block counter top plus drainboard sink (both from IKEA), to complete that 50s feel.
The house was built in 1950 (a Cape Cod, probably what you might call “colonial-revival”), and I believe all the tile in the kitchen and the bathroom is original to the house. The walls are all plaster, so it would be an incredible feat to even try and rip the tile out to recreate it.
The tile in the kitchen is pure white, and the 4×4 backsplash extends throughout the room. The man we hired to spray paint the cabinets said that the cabinets were originally white in color.
There were one or two broken tiles in the kitchen when we moved in. We weren’t able to find a 4×4 tile the exact same shade of white in the store, but when we moved the cabinets out to paint them, we just carefully removed one of the intact tiles behind the where the cabinetry had been and used that as our replacement.
Thanks for all the wonderful suggestions on rehabbing we’ve received from your site. It’s been an incredible resource of ideas for us!
(Also, we live in a St. Louis suburb, so finding missing hardware for our Geneva cabinets online locally here hasn’t been a problem either…)
Thanks,
Catherine
Catherine and Jonathan — you did a great job breathing new life into your kitchen. Everything looks terrific — including vintage Geneva kitchen cabinets, the counter tops, the floors…. and it is very cool to see those original, ceramic tiled walls — we don’t showcase those often enough. Thanks for sharing your results with all of us.
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COMMENTS WILL RE-OPEN on MONDAY, DECEMBER 2. For the first time in, like, 13 years, I am taking a real vacation from the blog, to spend un-distracted time with family. As part of this, Commenting on the blog is paused. Meanwhile, please enjoy reading all the many stories in our archives -- and come back Monday, Dec. 2 when I will launch our annual giveaway of a vintage ornament wreath made by Georgia Peachez -- and when comments will reopen so you can enter to win! HAVE A HAPPY THANKSGIVING, EVERYONE!
Danielle says
Just for clarification, what color are these cabinets exactly? Are they grayish? If so what color? Love it!
Jonathan says
They are a light blue/light grey color. I’ll try to see if we still have the leftover paint can to give you the exact name. May have been sky blue or something similar
sherry lear-park says
Is there a resource in St Louis for the recessed plastic plates behind the door pulls?
Pam Kueber says
No source — anywhere — that I know of. You need to salvage vintage… Or, you now might be able to make them with 3D printers.
John Dejac says
where did you get the hardware for your geneva cabinets? We have the same metal cabinets but some of the white plastic is broken and the metal handles look rough too.
thanks!
Pam Kueber says
The backplates are unobtainium.
Sandie Becker says
I am in need of the backplates also. Haven’t had any luck.
carol says
Hi
Love the article kitchen!
I as well have the same geneva cabinets in my fifties kitchen and am looking to have them painted. I have the yellow tiles with black trim on 1/2 way walls of my kitchen. Am wondering what peoples’ opinion of painting the cabinets light grey and having the floor and the wall above the tile gray as well. The cabinets are almond now and have some scratches and chips on them especially under the sink as I think liquid dishwasher detergent desintegrates the paint. trouble finding a painter and I also need new plastic inserts and will look into the 3 d copying.
Catherine says
HI Carol! Can I ask how you paint the cabinets? I am looking to do the same for mine!
Catherine
Pam Kueber says
Hi Catherine, if you go through this comment thread, Catherine explains the process she and Jonathan chose. Note, I am not and expert on this subject, and this is not a DIY or fixit site per se. That said, I have a number of stories about readers and their steel kitchens, and some of them discuss the approach they took. So, see that category, Kitchen Help/Steel Kitchens, and also, Kitchen Help/Readers & Their Kitchens. Finally, no matter what, be aware that there can be hazards in vintage products and their layers — consult with your own properly licensed professionals so that you can assess what you have so that you can make informed decisions how to handle. Renovate Safe >> https://retrorenovation.com/renovate-safe/