Retro Renovation

Remodeling, decor and home improvement for mid century and vintage homes

We help you remodel and decorate your home in mid-century and vintage style. Renovate your kitchen... or your bathroom... tour a time capsule... and share in a like-minded community passionate about their old houses. Read More.
  • Home
  • Be Safe!
  • Kitchen Help
  • Bathroom Help
  • Other Rooms
  • Decorate
  • Exterior
  • Culture
  • Pam’s Kitchen
follow retro renovation on facebook

  • Home » Kitchen Help Category » readers and their kitchens » Catherine & Jonathan revive their vintage Geneva cabinets in this retro fresh remodel

    Catherine & Jonathan revive their vintage Geneva cabinets in this retro fresh remodel

    Share on Facebook Share on Twitter Email Newsletter

    Posted by: Kate • August 26, 2013

    Vintage-kitchen-steel-cabinets

    Jonathan and Catherine

    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.

    kitchen-remodel-beforeCatherine 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.

    butcher-block-counter-topOur 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.

    azrock-floor-tilesThe 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.

    vintage-kitchen vintage-retro-modern-kitchen vintage-modern-kitchenThanks for all the wonderful suggestions on rehabbing we’ve received from your site.  It’s been an incredible resource of ideas for us!

    cabinet-pull-vintage(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

    vintage-modern-kitchen-whiteCatherine 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.

    Related stories

    1. kitchen in mies van der rohe apartment Mies van der Rohe apartment gets Retro Renovated with a “new” GE Wonder Kitchen
    2. retro kitchen Ann recreates the look of vintage steel kitchen cabinets — in wood
    3. retro-modern-white-kitchen Melita uses steel laboratory cabinets to create her retro dream kitchen
    4. rental-truck Molly’s cross country kitchen cabinet crusade

    Ad

    ​
    Comments 67
    Be-Safe-graphic2.3

    Comments

    1. Danielle says

      November 29, 2016 at 10:00 am

      Just for clarification, what color are these cabinets exactly? Are they grayish? If so what color? Love it!

      Reply
      • Jonathan says

        January 11, 2017 at 1:47 pm

        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

        Reply
    2. sherry lear-park says

      May 16, 2017 at 8:50 am

      Is there a resource in St Louis for the recessed plastic plates behind the door pulls?

      Reply
      • Pam Kueber says

        May 16, 2017 at 9:06 am

        No source — anywhere — that I know of. You need to salvage vintage… Or, you now might be able to make them with 3D printers.

        Reply
    3. John Dejac says

      April 12, 2018 at 10:51 pm

      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!

      Reply
      • Pam Kueber says

        April 13, 2018 at 5:50 am

        The backplates are unobtainium.

        Reply
    4. carol says

      July 29, 2018 at 1:18 pm

      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.

      Reply
    « Older Comments
    Note: All comments are moderated, generally within 24 hours. By using this website you are agreeing to the site's Terms of Use, which include commenting policies. Before participating, read them here in full.

     

    Leave a Reply Cancel reply

    Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

    This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

    • Midcentury-Marketplace-Ads3
    • BE SAFE / RENOVATE SAFE!
      Get informed and be aware about the environmental & safety hazards in old homes, materials and products. #1 RULE: Consult with your own properly licensed professionals. More info: See our Be Safe/Renovate page... EPA asbestos website ... EPA lead website ... U.S.F.A. – fire safety, etc.
    website-bottom-banner-pam-kateFINAL

    Important Reader Information

    • Terms of Use: By using this website you are agreeing to the site's terms of use. Read them here in full.
    • Privacy Policy
    • Disclosures: How I make money
    • Contact

    Copyright 2019 © Retro Renovation®, all rights reserved. Please do not use any materials without prior permission.