Readers and Their Kitchens Archives

Category: Readers and Their Kitchens

So many great stories about readers and what they have done with their kitchens! Definitely shows there's more than one way "to retro"!

Very importantly: Always remember to Be Safe / Renovate Safe!

Can Annie Sloan Chalk Paint transform these kitchen cabinets? Jessica’s retro kitchen before and after

After purchasing her 1960s split-level house, Jessica wanted to dial up the retro in the relatively plain kitchen. Owner of J. Paris Designs, a furniture refinishing and repurposing business, she..

Retro kitchen before and after: More Betty Crocker, less laboratory

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..

Ideas to decorate Alan’s vintage green tile kitchen – Vitralite ooh la la!

“We have been told that the kitchen is a cross between ‘Betty Crocker’ and a morgue,” reader Alan says, adding a “haha” in his email to us. But..

Patti and Darin’s yabba dabba DIY kitchen makeover — more thumbs up for Wilsonart Betty laminate

Patti writes: Hi, Pam! Oh my, where do I begin? A few years ago you featured my pink bedroom with the silver starbursts wall and Heywood-Wakefield..

Thomas creates a genius retro modern eclectic office / guest house

Retro, modern, eclectic, colorful and unexpected, Thomas Welles — owner of TG Architecture — has blended old and new together in surprising ways in his 1930s garage turned..

Carolyn’s gorgeous 1940s kitchen remodel featuring yellow tile with maroon trim

Earlier this year, reader Carolyn asked for our help — how best to repair and decorate her 1947 kitchen. Since her original kitchen was in rough shape, we suggested..

Frances and Doug’s warm and inviting restored 1950s wood kitchen

Frances and Doug became caretakers of a 1950s time capsule house two years ago. The couple already appreciated vintage style — Frances writes about vintage fashion on..

Kara Vallow’s Bicentennial Chic kitchen: That’s what it’s all about!

“I am just not a cocktail chic girl, nor am I a spare and stark Dwell dweller at heart. I’m more hokey pokey than Swingers,..

Diana opens her 1963 kitchen nook to her family room — and gets new Marmoleum, too

Do you recognize this kitchen? It was one of the first reader kitchens we ever featured on the blog, back in the wee early days..

Tammy’s fabulous 1961 ranch house for sale — “The Lady is a Tramp” is hitting the road!

Tammy is poised to launch an exciting new chapter of the American Dream: She’s quit her job, scheduled an estate sale, and this week put..

Create a 1940s style kitchen — Pam’s design tips — Formula #1

Want a checklist of key elements to create or recreate a 1940s style kitchen? Reader Carolyn recently wrote to us asking for ideas to help repair..

Elizabeth’s red and white kitchen and Cath Kidston cowboy wallpaper

Reader Elizabeth and her husband have been hard at work fixing up their 1920s era farmhouse in Texas — most recently completing their retro red..

Mike and Lindsey gut remodel the kitchen in their 1965 midcentury modern house

In this sixth edition of the series, Mike and Lindsey have called on the help of their friends at L&D Construction — the same guys that custom built..

This house flipper goes retro — with immediate success

We’re now — often painfully — accustomed to house flippers whose first step is to strip charming original features to create a ‘blank slate’ that..

Maile remodels a dark 1970s kitchen into a sunny 1940s delight

Maile’s tiny 1970s galley kitchen was dark, narrow and covered with years of grime — but that didn’t stop her from seeing its potential to be delightful...

Amber’s 1961 knotty pine kitchen before and after Retro Renovation

Remember Amber’s pink toilet trafficking antics during her quest to retain the vintage charm in her retro pink bathroom while also meeting current day water usage requirements? Well, she’s..

A family rebuilds and restores a 1953 kitchen to its former glory

Reader Luke’s parents’ admired the 1953 ranch home next door to their house for 18 years, and the day it came up for sale, and they decided..

LuRu’s midcentury sci-fi dream kitchen — with art tiles she makes by hand

Reader LuRu, a ceramic artist, has been a lontime a fan of midcentury design in its many forms — from tiki to atomic sci-fi. When it came..

Molly’s cross country kitchen cabinet crusade

“…I knew it’d either be an expensive disappointment or a way cool kitchen with a great story. I’m happy to report, it’s the latter.” Fasten..

Meghan and Will’s midcentury modern ‘Jetsons’ kitchen remodel

Take a look back at all of the reader home remodeling stories we’ve covered and you’ll notice one common theme often surfaces: Unless the renovation..

Retro Design Dilemma: Choosing colors for Michaela’s knotty pine kitchen

Reader Michaela needs no convincing when it comes to loving her knotty pine kitchen — yes, knotty is nice! However, she’s at a loss when..