We took a detailed look at Alan’s Vitralite kitchen “Before” yesterday. Now it’s time for our “After.” Our goal with this Retro Design Dilemma was to unify two key, original elements — the vintage Vitralite green wall tiles and the wood cabinets — while also making the room feel warmer and less sterile. Remember: Alan told us yesterday that with all the green glass tile, the kitchen sometimes felt like a combination of Betty Crocker and morgue. Ouch! Fortunately, we think that our design concept shows that, with with the careful addition of warm color and soft surfaces, it is totally possible to bring out the Betty and bye bye the laboratory — transforming this space into a home sweet retro home sweetheart of a space.
Job One: Bring warm color and softer surfaces into this deco-meets-the-1950s kitchen
First of all: If you touch one inch of those green Vitralite tiles — we do not want to hear about it! They are a treasure. Ditto-ish: Your original wood cabinets are beautiful. Keep ’em — we love the warm wood with the tile. If the varnish needs work, okay, restore them, but very very carefully. ‘Might be nothing to really compare with the original finish if it’s still in good shape.
In yesterday’s comments, reader ineffablespace said this:
In a general sense, the green Vitrolite is not something that can be “compensated for” or apologized for, in the re-design. It is *the* salient design feature of the kitchen, and as a relative rarity, I would want to highlight it, not downplay it. I don’t think you need to create a 1953 museum, but on the other hand there are very few common/popular 21st century finishes that will do this kitchen any favors.
We very much agree with this assessment, so our mood board doesn’t touch the tile. We’re going with the deco-retro flow.
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Flooring: Sheet linoleum: The first order of the day: Bring in colors and softer surfaces and accessories that will help ensure the kitchen doesn’t feel like a laboratory. To start, we tried this cherry red Armstrong Marmorette sheet linoleum floor (update: not sure this is still available, check other manufacturers like Forbo Marmoleum) and loved how it looked. It instantly adds warmth to the space — and the red complements the green walls and looks like it will work well with the color of the cabinets too. And hey, it picks up the red in the clock hand! We chose linoleum rather than ceramic tile or wood, because it’s “resilient” — bouncy — countering the hardness of the wall tile. (Wood is a warm soft surface, too, but we wanted color and and even more softness, as possible.) We decided to use linoleum sheet rather than tiles in order to avoid repeating the grid design already in the wall tile.
- Countertops: Black soapstone-like laminate. When Pam and I discussed this kitchen on the phone, we agreed that the existing white countertops not only contributed to the overall feeling of sterility but also created an overall harsh contrast. Alan mentioned that he was thinking about a solid surface countertop like soapstone, but we caution about adding more laboratory-like hard surfaces. So we went to see what we could find in laminates. I fiddled with some other options in Photoshop — including a solid to match the wall tile and to create one clean line — but when I put in this Wilsonart Black Alicante, golly it just looked great. This makes sense because the kitchen has a fundamental deco feel to it — as you recall from the “before” story, there is black trim tile in the laundry room. That said, if Alan wants to try this laminate, he for sure should get a sample, we are not sure it is really dark enough. We do like the veining, which breaks up the mass; reminds us of Cusheen. Another option: Use black sheet lineoleum in a similar veined colorway. The addition of stainless steel metal edging, similar to what Pam used in her kitchen, helps mesh the countertops with the existing chrome cabinet pulls and add a bit of bling to the space. You also could go for ribbed aluminum edging in this kitchen — it would probably look really great given that this kitchen is streamlinefeel.
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In comments yesterday, reader Diane in CO was thinking alike and recommended Wilsonart Oiled Soapstone. She said: The smashing laminate is Wilsonart “Oiled Soapstone.” It reads “black” in the room but is much softer and has “shadowing” – hard to describe. I liked the look so much I used it for the vanity top in a small black-and-white bathroom redo. It’s so good-looking!
. - Exhaust fan: We suggest that Alan keep his vintage stove, but get a new vent hood in white to match. For our mood board purposes, I’ve just recolored his harvest gold range hood in white to match — yes, you could also likely just spray paint your exhaust fan white, if it’s still serviceable.
. - Stove: Alan had mentioned thinking about swapping out his white stove for stainless steel. We would say: No. Again, stay away from anything that says “laboratory” — and that includes stainless steel. Either keep what you have — that stove looks fine — or how about getting a vintage stove — talk about Betty Crocker — you will surely have the neighbors drooling over that! For vintage kitchens from this era, we usually suggest a Kohler Delafield sink with hudee ring instead of that stainless steel sink. Ditto the new fridge, we probably would have went with white.
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Window treatments:
- Wood blinds: To continue to soften the space, we think that Alan could get some 2″ wood blinds like this style from Blinds.com in a shade that matches the original cabinetry and window trim. These will get more warm wood up onto the wall area and cover the glaring white vinyl replacement window frames. Covering the white window frames also reduces the number of grids that can be seen — at least when the shades are closed — further calming and softening the room’s hard edges. If and when you ever decide or need to replace those windows, well, you can guess what we have to say about the white vinyl. And remember, we now have good advice on whether and when to turn the blinds up or down 🙂
. - Patterned fabric valance: Adding the fabric valance over the wood blinds creates another layer of decor that helps to soften hard edges in this kitchen. Pam and I each searched for about an hour (we are power users of Google chat for sharing ideas in rapid fire succession) for a “just right” fabric with the right colors, right pattern and a retro-deco feel compatible with Alan’s kitchen wall tile and cabinetry until we found some coordinating vintage barkcloth fabric on Ebay (alas, sold a while ago) that could have been used to make fabric valances for the windows. The fabric picks up the red from the floor, black from the countertops, white from the range and adds another level of green to coordinate with the wall as well as inserting a pop of yellow. We were careful to find a pattern that was not grid-like to continue our efforts downplaying the strong gridlines found on the wall tiles.
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Reader Melinda agreed: With the abundance of tile I do feel like choosing a color opposite, such as red or pink will balance things out. Plenty of fabrics such as curtains, decorative towels and throw rugs will do a lot to soften this space.
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- Wood blinds: To continue to soften the space, we think that Alan could get some 2″ wood blinds like this style from Blinds.com in a shade that matches the original cabinetry and window trim. These will get more warm wood up onto the wall area and cover the glaring white vinyl replacement window frames. Covering the white window frames also reduces the number of grids that can be seen — at least when the shades are closed — further calming and softening the room’s hard edges. If and when you ever decide or need to replace those windows, well, you can guess what we have to say about the white vinyl. And remember, we now have good advice on whether and when to turn the blinds up or down 🙂
- Paint color for the ceiling: Next we turned our attention to the ceiling, which Pam thought she might paint a light beige to bring down the contrast.
- Ceiling fan: We presume you have a ceiling fan with a light for a reason, so we went and looked for one that could provide the functionality you need but that lookedTo continue adding warmth in the space, we found the Minka Aire F1000 ceiling fan — you can get it on Amazon (affiliate link) in three colors. We like the streamline look, and we liked it in bronze to coordinate with the wood tone of the cabinets. Note: There are a lot of reviews also on Amazon, which can be helpful to a degree. One commenter says you can also get this fan, $70 cheaper, at Home Depot, it’s the Petersford. But there’s only one brite metal finish, and the design is a bit different; nah.
- Ceiling and pendant lighting: Alan had mentioned wanting can lights, but Pam has become wary of this idea ever since reading Martin Holladay’s 10 Rules of Lighting. Holladay wrote, “The U.S. is cursed by a plague of senseless recessed can fixtures…. Recessed cans do a great job of illuminating the floor, but they keep your ceiling dark.” So, instead of cans, we went looking for a ceiling light fixture — ambient lighting — that would get the light out and about more successfully. Then we found a matched pair of Hudson Valley Lighting light fixtures from lightology — the Odessa flush mount style and coordinating Odessa pendant light — both in a warm, gold-tone which continues to add visual warmth (bringing the gold of the cabinets up to the ceiling) — and light — to the kitchen. We quite like these Odessa lights for a prewar or sweetheart 1950s kitchen or a kitchen with deco lines.Reader Robbie Kendall added this helpful tidbit about being mindful with the lighting: First things first, I would start with the ceiling kitchen and work my way down: rather than the two hanging fixtures and fan that are there now, I would replace these three items with three identical up-light fixtures that bounce the light off of the flat (or eggshell) white ceiling using spectrum corrected bulbs. And if these fixtures were copper, so much the better. Also, I know that Pearl Paint, in New York, used to carry a white paint imported from the Netherlands that had a very slight blue tint to it so that as it aged, the yellowing counteracted the blue and the white became purer over time. My point here is that with these, beautifully, overpowering walls, it is best to let the look be highlighted by pure spectrum lighting and not degraded by standard yellowed tungsten or too ‘clinical’ compact fluorescent bulbs.
. - Vintage dinette: ‘Most nothing makes a kitchen homier than a vintage dinette. There looks like there’s room so how about obsessing to find something like this deep green table and chairs from our uploader. Alternately, reader Heidi Swank chimed in with this tip: Kitchen Table: The one end of the kitchen with the cool radiator/vent cover calls out for a high kitchen table with two stools. A high table wouldn’t obstruct the heat flow but would give that end of the room something to do.
. - Accessories: Finally, adding homey accessories that repeat the main colors in the space — red, green and even the yellow pulled from the valances — will help finish off the look and create a cohesive space. We found delightful vintage fruit canisters on Ebay, classic FiestaWare in Scarlet Red and Sunflower Yellow and of course, everyone’s favorite — the red KitchenAid mixer.
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And reader Dan had these two good points regarding the decor in Alan’s kitchen: It looks like that sash window opens onto another room. Let’s fill it in with display shelving….I’d love to see the figures on the clock used somehow. Perhaps similar figures could be silk screened on fabric for window treatments!
ineffablespace says
There is the “Exhale” bladeless ceiling fan, that looks kind of like a louvered drum crossed with an angel food pan. It also cools without blowing on you so it could work over a table.
pam kueber says
so…. how does it cool without blowing on you? i always learned that the only thing a fan does is push air on to your skin, which your skin then evaporates, making you “feel” cooler. it doesn’t actually cool the air
ineffablespace says
It seems to draw the air up into the fan and push it along the ceiling and down the walls. I was in a house that had one and the room was definitely cooler but you couldn’t feel it blowing specifically although you did sense air movement. It says right on their webpage that if you like the feeling of a fan blowing on you this is not the fan for you.
LuAnn says
I actually love the red. I agree with the grounding effect. I had been thinking to suggest red countertops yesterday, but that didn’t seem quite right. I like the softer surfaces juxtaposed with the cold shiny vitrolite tile. The color combo says late 1940s early 1950s to me.
pam kueber says
A number of folks yesterday mentioned pink. Check out Neryl’s green glass tile with pink flooring and fixtures in this archive story, absolutely DREAMY: https://retrorenovation.com/2009/06/17/meet-neryl-walker-representing-retro-australia/
pam kueber says
Thread followers: I put in a vintage photo – a 1940s Hotpoint kitchen showing the green and the red together, with yellow accents. White steel cabinets, but you can see the colors together… I am sure this image, from the very earliest days of the blog, is deep in my DNA at this point…
Diane in CO says
Yes! The great appeal in that rendering is the PAINTED cabinetry. No raw wood in that kitchen! The red floor proposed for Alan is not attractive in conjunction with the orangey cabinetry.
lynda says
A lighter and brighter look. http://artsandcraftshomes.com/kitchen-in-mint-condition/
I keep thinking about the owners’ description of the house–a white cap cod with black shutters. Maybe kitchen needs to have a bit softer look. The Hillsdale Butler’s pantry used an off white and soft green on floor if you want to google a picture. I do think the entire house decor should be considered when remodeling the kitchen. you do want the design to flow through the house. A softer look could also use the black soapstone with green and white veining, a lighter floor.
Carol says
What a treat! Thank you for the link.
Maria says
I love, Love, LOVE this, but I’m a real sucker for white cabinets. 🙂
ineffablespace says
I’ve been in a house that had two Vitralite sheathed bathrooms and kitchen. It was this Jadeite sort of green paired with dark green Vitralite and dark green linoleum and leatherette wall coverings, and lots of metal trim. I am picturing a blush color in one of the bathrooms as well, maybe on the wall covering, maybe the fixtures in that bathroom. I don’t really remember exactly I was in that house most in elementary school.
pam kueber says
Yes, I think the Jadeite with the Emerald is a classic combo — I am not an expert on color terminology but it’s like the emerald is the Jadeite just with more saturation of all the inputs or something; I am sure Kate could describe; this is why they harmonize. I think I would accent these two colors with a rich coral / salmon.
Retroski says
Yes, Emerald and Jadeite are cool greens (ie more blue) and if you mixed white into Emerald, the resulting light green (okay, tint of green) is like jadeite.
Or if you’ve ever noticed the charming effect of salmony pink depression glass mixed in with medium green glass–they’re natural partners in hue/saturation and red/green offset each other, being complements across the color wheel.
depression glass displayed by green depression glass, something about their hue
pam kueber says
Thanks, Retroski.
Dan says
I like your look very much. If the fan must stay, I ‘d consider the simplest white flushmount I could find to simplify the ceiling. I love the idea of a counter against the radiator wall. Even if there isn’t room for a dining size counter, one about 18″ deep would still provide welcome extra counter area.
pam kueber says
I’m feeling like our red floor is under attack. Must defend!
(1) Visual gravity supports notion of a darker floor, and I would say all the more so given all the “weight” on the walls created by both those cabinets and those very dramatic and domineering tiles.
(2) Red a natural complement to green and red / green /yellow — totally classic 1940s, early 1950s palette.
(3) I was just reminded by another commenter — the red in the clock hands! See! This kitchen was meant from the start to include red!
(4) As I recall, we chose the red linoleum we did because it was an available color. That said, even if there had been a more candy-apple vs cherry red floor, I would have chosen the cherry we did. It just has a richness.
(5) We wanted to make this space less like a laboratory and more like a homey cozy kitchen where cookies could be smelled baking. To do that, it needed more color, and the red — perfect!
(6) Kitchen is large. It can handle a dark floor.
Note: If the cabinets had been white steel kitchen cabinets — I would likely have gone a different, that likely would have swayed color choices. But we also wanted to work with those wood cabinets and their lovely vintage patina. Red.
And, I think this emerald green linoleum floor would also work — then, switch to red or yellow dinette — but then, the whole kitchen would be more monotone what with all the green. Red more fun.
Tom says
If the red is under attack it probably means the majority of people see a different vision of this kitchen. If the owner is joking about it having a “Betty Crocker/Morgue” feel I don’t understand why the warmth of cookies and the color red don’t make this kitchen seem more Betty Crocker than before?
This kitchen has so much potential and I see it in a very different way not saying my way is correct. I can say that the red flooring,brass fixtures, bronze ceiling fan and black laminate counters are not something I would have chosen.
The choice of a a red second hand on a clock to validate an entire room of red is a fun concept but not the color I would have chosen.
It’s fun hearing everyone’s design ideas!
pam kueber says
Yes, it’s fun hearing everyone’s ideas.
I actually took the homeowner’s mention of morgue-vs-Betty Brocker as worried about morgue, not so much Betty Crocker! So, as I discussed we aimed to up the Betty factor!
Yes, it can be made more “elegant” with less color, but my concern is that those midcentury modest cabinets fight that very idea. Also, the modest 1953 ranch style of the house.
Final note: Yesterday, there were lots of folks who suggested red.
Maria says
I totally agree the red floor is vintage appropriate, my concern is it’s a color scheme that one might tire of quickly, so wouldn’t use the red in such an expensive permanent part of the design.
Have to say I smiled when I saw those canisters though, I have a set of these from when I had my kitchen done in red and thought something like those might look good in there. It’s like you channeled them, lol!
Like mine: https://cdn-img-1.wanelo.com/p/502/ff1/92e/269077a9c142bfb971f390b/x354-q80.jpg
pam kueber says
Yes, that floor is definitely a statement!
I think we will do some more mockups next week. This one has been interesting. Lots of good ideas from everyone.
Tom says
The red makes sense now that I know the owner wants to lean towards the Betty Crocker feel. I had no idea he wanted to add more Betty! The red totally creates the Betty Crocker feel with the cookies, brass fixtures etc.
I will keep quiet now that I know that the owner wants a Betty Crocker feel in this kitchen.
*Owner could carefully remove and salvage enough to do a backsplash or powder room and sell the tiles to someone who will not see any morgue in them, I would buy them!
pam kueber says
I honestly don’t know if I read it right! You may have read it right! So let’s say: We both are right!!!!!
Retroski says
Agree with Pam–the red is not the only choice, but a good choice. The scheme is gorgeous in the 40s Hotpoint kitchen. Rich brown or Cobalt blue could be other options. But would have to be the right blue, as to not fight the tile and orangey wood. (Think the old Cobalt Fiesta)
Blue would be less “Betty Crocker” and it would be interesting to see boards with other twists on the design.
Right on with balancing the shiny glass with matte textures and retro classic Fiestaware.
Bette Jean says
Pam, I love the red and green combo. But I am intrigued to see cobalt blue with that beautiful green tile. Pretty please, Kate!
Diane in CO says
I agree with visual gravity and the notion of a darker floor. I actually love red and have lots of red in my own home!
BUT, if you look at the picture, those cabinets read “orange” and it’s the red against the orange that I find jarring. Paint the cabinets and I’m in with the red floor. 🙂
Diane in CO says
But still NOT in with the dark green (window shade, table), canisters, fan and brass light trim as I said earlier….
pam kueber says
Yes, with any of these Design Dilemmas, we are very limited in the sense that we are not in the real room with real color samples to work with. Also, if the lighting is changed out to something less yellow, that will change things.
So these are all just educated guesses and opinions ’til the homeowner starts getting samples — and torturing over all the combinations of possibilities!
🙂
Lisa says
As soon as I saw the “after” mock up I fell instantly in love with that red floor! I feel like it is just perfect for the space and really grounds it AND gives it life. We have the same cupboards in our kitchen (that I restored with amber shellac) and we are just finishing up installing red countertops. I am going with a green floor so same effect upside down. Red looks awesome with the warm glowy cabinets and his seem in wonderful shape.
Oh, and that Wilsonart Black Alicante is spectacular in person. I got a sample of it because it reminded me of that black Cusheen in that new old stock kitchen featured a few weeks ago. It is more black in person than on the monitor. And it’s SHINY, too. A gloss finish that I wish were on the more colorful laminates.
I think the suggestions are spot on. Love it all.
pam kueber says
Nice to hear about the Black Alicante, Lisa, I need to get a big sample. Send us photos of your kitchen when it’s ready for prime time!!!!
Lisa says
Will do on sending pics of finished kitchen. It’s all done except the flooring. Saving up for that. I learned so so much from this blog and my kitchen will look familiar. It’s based on one of your 40s design boards. 🙂
pam kueber says
🙂
Jay says
Nice suggestions, Pam and Kate. Your ideas help soften the hard surface of the tile. Glad to see resilient flooring was recommended – keyword is “soft” vs. “hard” VCT with grid lines. Those light fixtures were featured in an earlier post and are a great match for the streamlined glass tile. Hope Alan responds to your ideas. Would like to know his thoughts on the fan, which like others bothers me in this otherwise great kitchen.
Diana says
I’m also not so sure about the red floor. The whole room seems dark. I love Marmoleum but I think I would choose something lighter. Also wondering if cabinets are original. Would hate to see them painted but agree with other readers about the deco streamline diner look. And yes, lose the fan!