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18 colors for 1960s St. Charles steel kitchen cabinets

by pam kueber

1960s kitchen cabinet colorsToday, from my archive of vintage marketing materials: A tri-fold brochure showing the 18 paint colors available for St. Charles steel kitchen cabinets in the 1960s. I will estimate that these kitchen cabinet paint colors are mid-1960s because of the Harvest Gold — which I have seen before in St. Charles cabinets, dated 1966. But, hey, there is still Carnation pink — so Mamie’s sway had not completely diminished. 

1960s kitchen cabinet colorsavocado green harvest gold

st charles kitchen colors 1957
1957 kitchen cabinet paint colors for St. Charles

We’ve seen quite a few of these colors in the wild… A few are “close” to some of the colors in my 1957 St. Charles Kitchens catalog… but now we have more to look for. Apricot? Antique Gold? Black Pearl? Capri Blue? I would sure love to see these before I head to that big retro party in the sky.

st. charles kitchens catalogst charles kitchen catalogsst charles kitchen cabinet brochureThe graphics are just too fun.

See all our stories about vintage St. Charles kitchen cabinets by clicking here. 

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  1. Sarah says:

    I have 1952 st Charles metal kitchen cabinets. Can anyone tell me how to remove the doors? Thank you!

  2. Esther says:

    My blue St. Charles cabinets are stamped “H Blue” on the back side (we took them down to install the backsplash). My guess is that they are circa 1957. The blue is not as rich as the Horizon blue in the photo above (I’m sure they faded over 60 years) but the kitchen is awesome — the slide out shelves, lazy susan corner cabinets, spice racks. So ahead of their time.

  4. Scott Peters says:

    I need a St Charles white drawer face 29 3/4 x 11 3/4 vintage preferred but if someone is making these that would work. Thanks, Scott

  5. Cyndi says:

    St Charles leather finish (Duralon?) cabinets were specified by the architect in the home we live in. They were installed in 1969 or
    1970. The original kitchen had at least 4 colors: one wall was a light blue, one wall was Yellow Chiffon, another wall I believe was Yellow Chiffon with Plum, and the forth wall was Mellon Green. The laundry room was Avocado and Harvest Gold. Yikes!!! We had them all repainted white when we purchased the house in 1998.

    The painter used a BM satin alkyd and they looked great but now need painted again. I’m a little concerned about loosing the leather finish if another coat of paint goes on. Does anyone know if the leather finish was applied to the steel or was it a paint treatment?

    Also, Retro Renovation, could you please post the 1970’s ad from your twitter feed on your website so it may be easier to read? Thanks for a great site!

    1. pam kueber says:

      Cyndi, I don’t know what image you are talking about. All our images are loaded into the stories.

      Regarding your question, I am not an expert. That said, most brochures from the period suggest the paint was applied at the factory. Also be aware of the environmental and safety issues — such as lead paint — and consult with your own properly licensed professional to assess what you have so that you can make informed decisions.

      Finally, do you have any photos of the original kitchen and laundry room? Sounds AMAZING! I’d love to see color photos !

    1. pam kueber says:

      Nancy, there are a variety of ways to get this done — see our category Kitchen Help / Steel Kitchens for our stories. You are going to need to find your own vendor….

  7. Matt says:

    I have a client that installed the St Charles Harvest Gold and Melon Green cabinets 50 years ago. Half of the doors are walnut with a fabric insert, the other half are painted embossed steel.
    I need to purchase several pairs of hinges for the walnut doors. If someone has a source I would greatly appreciate it.

    Thanks,

    Matt

    1. pam kueber says:

      hi matt. this is tough. i don’t know if readers have found any new parts solutions. you can hunt for vintage – for parts. keep an eagle eye on craigslist and your Re-Store. Also you can try here but I’m not optimistic — https://retrorenovation.com/2013/08/14/replacement-kitchen-drawer-rollers/

      I’m guessing you’re looking for something called a “knife hinge”???

      The cabinets sound FAB! Fabric inserts!!!!! I’d LIVE to see photos of the project!!! email us at retrorenovation [at] gmail [dot] com. Good luck!

    2. kelly says:

      I finally pulled my drawers out to remove 3 layers of contact paper. The bottoms are stamped m.green. now i know it’s melon green. Upper and lower boxes are metal, L.doors m.green and U.doors maple? Maybe? With a raised molding air brushed m.green.

  8. Kirsten says:

    Does anyone know where I could find an upper 1960 St. Charles Black Pearl cabinet to complete our set. My husband has these in the house that he bought before we met and there is space for a single door upper cabinet 23″ or less in width. What would be the best resource to track one of these down?

    Thanks.

    Kirsten

    1. Kate says:

      Search on Ebay, your local Craigslist and if you have one — Salvage yard or Habitat for Humanity ReStore. Good luck!

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