Could you (would you!) rescue this 1930s kitchen?
artemis78
15 years ago
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dana1079
15 years agolast modified: 9 years agostaceyinmaine
15 years agolast modified: 9 years agoRelated Discussions
1930's kitchens-I'll take number 10! Lavanderlass, number 2?
Comments (12)Hi Paulines! Nice to meet another Sharonite here. Did my name give it away? I thought I was being sneaky! ;-) Our house is a Swedish kit house brought over on a boat in the mid 80's. There are a number of them near Ward's farm in town. Construction is solid as a tank, built to Northern Europe specs (triple pane windows, etc.). We love it despite its quirks, like the fact that we can't get extra keys made because U.S. molds can't match them, and in Sweden it's illegal to duplicate keys, as we found out when we tried that route! It's contemporary but not modern in the style sense by any means, and definitely not American MCM. I hope your former house was bought by folks who appreciate it. I love MCM design and am incorporating some pieces in our house here and there (tables, chairs) that we can take with us when we move. Once we are empty nesters, I would love to build or buy/remodel a really modern house, either a contemporary modern design or an MCM house that needs some lovin'. I love the curves of #10. Stay warm!...See More1930's-40's Style Tile Kitchen Countertops
Comments (18)rainierdog, I wasn't suggesting that you do linoleum counters, but to use plastic laminate with a metal edge to repoduce the look of a 30's vintage countertop, with the convienience of easy care laminate, and the lower price that comes with that sort of application. If you have your heart set on hex tile contertops, can't you just use the hex floor tiles that they make, and install them on the counter? I don't see why it can't be done. Of course I am not an expert and maybe a tile guru can enlighten? I personally think tile kitchen counters trap food particles and bacteria making them unsanitary, and would be prone to cracking from use....See MoreStarting Over 1930s - 1980s kitchen
Comments (23)I'll be contrary and say I'm against keeping that cabinet. The "old" cabinet is a hybrid from the (I'd say 50's-60's) previous renovation and the original cabinet. The bottom is original and the top has clutzy replacement doors instead of the (probably) of inset doors, the new doors were probably an attempt to blend the new cabinets with the old. The kitchen probably had one of those long wall sinks with integral drainboards in that area and the photos show the newly improved arrangement with only one small full depth base cabinet - the sink base. If you keep it, I think you can't place the dishwasher where you've drawn it - I don't think you have even 18" for a dw between where a farm sink cabinet would be and the edge of the antique base cabinet. You already know that its height from the countertop prevents you from using that counter space for anything but storage. If you keep it, you might look for new doors for it and a better companion cabinet for the other side of the sink window. The wall cabinet there looks like a replacement ir later addition anyway. Doing the return (making the little "L" on the dining room side) doesn't actually get you much - you lose more of the easy storage in the corner, the upper becomes more difficult to use and you don't really gain USEFUL counterspace because you can't use the counter in the corner. A lot of this will have different charateristics than it does now because you're much further away from that upper when you use standard size cabinets. The "L" prevents changing the dw to the left side of the sink - again I think that's necessary if you want to save the antique cabinet. In what I drew, You can have the ref where drawn free standing or with a small pantry that opens towards the bathroom. If you choose to do a range in that location, the suggestion above for an antique range is a good one - craig's list sometimes has chambers and others listed for baltimore that work and are reasonable. The issue with an unrestored antique range is SAFTEY. They sometimes have problems with gas leaks, rust or ovens that don't work right. You could also maybe do the 40" Frigidaire for something that feels more like an older style. Lots more cash than that gets you a restored antique range. Some more cash gets you something really stylish like this bert. At about that level of pricing, you can just reach a pro style range like an american or blue star. In any event, What you can't do is keep that partly old cabinet and "recounter" it deeper, put a counter in front of the window and expect to be able to reach inside it on either the uppers or the lowers (without crawling). By increasing the depth of the counter, you're increasing your distance from the upper and you won't be able to reach as well as you could before. You also won't be able to use either of the drawers because of the extended depth of the counter. I had to laugh about the wall fan (I have one). Isn't your kitchen greasy? Don't you spend time cleaning the grease off those pipes and the exhaust fan itself? Don't you find kinda gory dust on the ceiling fan - dust that clumps up because of the grease? Little flecks of greasy stuff on the walls and cabinets that are nearly impossible to clean off? Here is a link that might be useful: Frigidaire range...See MoreHow to do the Upper Cabinets -1930s Kitchen
Comments (14)Maureen, If I'm reading your drawing correctly, you only have four feet from the window edge to the end of the counter on the left side of the sink. If you put in a corner upper cabinet and have it come all the way down to the counter, that will only leave you with 2 feet on the left for your working space. I think a useful exercise for you now, will be to list ALL the baking ingredients/supplies/appliances/bowls/etc that you want to store there. I have created a small baking area in my kitchen using drawers- it is such a pleasure opening a nice big drawer and having everything right there! I have a LS in the corner to hold appliances. We were going to have cupboards down to the counter, but there was a mistake with our order, they didn't arrive, and after living with it for a year now, we think it was serindipity- as we love having the extra counter space. Appliance garages are not easy retro-fits, and you have to make sure that your appliance WILL fit in there- our toaster oven would not have. I think a 3 drawer base, minimum 21 inches wide would be great for baking- then ask your kitchen guy if a LS would still fit in there (I don't think so). So you may need to look at a blind corner unit. A corner upper could hold mixing bowls, spices, etc. What I like about the corner upper, is that it brings those items closer to the front, so it's great for big items you can reach and pull out from the front, or items on a lazy susan that can be rotated to the front. I don't think you have to have matching shelving on both sides of the sink, (you don't have it now), I like the charming quirkiness of it. I would also avoid the temptation of bringing down the cupboards on the right. Once you add that extra counter space, you won't believe how much you will use that corner. You will be able to have two cooks working in there at once....See Moreartemis78
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