What a lovely color — burnt blue, I’ll call it — in these vintage Youngstown steel kitchen cabinets for sale on craigslist in metro St. Louis. I don’t think we’ve ever seen this color in the wild. It’s makin’ me feel bicentennial chic. Thanks to ready Wendy for the tip, and to seller K, who gave me permission to capture these photos for our leetle online museum here.
There are quite a few cabinets, and they look to be in pretty good shape…
Above: Corner what-not shelves — we always love to see those.
The stainless steel tiles look good as a backsplash!
Always good to have a pantry cabinet.
And two more for in the corner.
I haven’t said it for a while so it’s surely time to say it again: All The Best Stuff’s In St. Louis!
Link love:
- Youngstown kitchen cabinets for sale
- Jacqueline and Glen have harvest gold burnt-edge appliances
- All our many stories about steel kitchen cabinets — 80+ brands identified so far!
Pamela Grimaud says
Hi There,
Yesterday I spotted two cream-coloured metal cabinets for garbage and thanks to my sister, was able to carry them the few blocks home. I see now they have the boomerang handles and am wondering if this means they were indeed manufactured by Youngstown.
Thanks very much!
Pamela (in Montreal)
John W Taylor says
Where can I buy metal kitchen cabinets?
Pam Kueber says
https://retrorenovation.com/2009/04/09/how-and-where-to-sell-your-vintage-metal-kitchen-cabinets/
Plus new today from Moya Living ala https://retrorenovation.com/2013/06/24/genie-scientific-moya-living-cabinets/
Nina Garfinkel says
Along the lines of a “sunburst” finish, I would call this a “moon burst” finish.
Pam Kueber says
Good one!
Leslie O says
This color is sublime! My aunt had her kitchen painted in this color beginning in the mid 70s, and possibly coincidentally had a Bonneville station wagon in this blue + wood panel. It may have kicked off my longtime love of funky teal blues.
Pam Kueber says
Now I am questioning whether this is truly called Meridian Blue. I found this — and it’s not the same color: https://www.etsy.com/listing/228926856/all-steel-youngstown-kitchens-1950s-ad
Joe says
Hi, Pam! i’m sure you’re aware that during the 50’s-70’s, appliance manufacturers actually worked hand-in-hand with other manufacturers in order to carry color-coordination to the max. For a brief spell in the 1950’s, both Kelvinator and General Electric had a shade of blue called Cadet Blue, and they worked with steel kitchen cabinet manufacturers to coordinate the shade. I remember my fashion-conscious parents and their friends more than once commenting about kitchen colors, stating “blue and pink belong in bathrooms and bedrooms, NOT kitchens!” Poor Kelvinator could never compete against the likes of General Electric, who abandoned Cadet Blue yet made a fortune manufacturing “kitchen units” that incorporated their appliances into freestanding “walls” of those steel cabinets. GE even worked with a paint company to manufacturer wall and trim paint that matched their appliance colors!
Pam Kueber says
Yes, you can see GE’s Cadet Blue in this story: https://retrorenovation.com/2013/04/08/ge-wonder-kitchen/