Appropriate Kitchen and Dining Room Lighting for 1930's Colonial
sergeantcuff
15 years ago
Featured Answer
Sort by:Oldest
Comments (8)
golddust
15 years agoRelated Discussions
appropriate kitchen flooring 1930'3 colonial
Comments (1)I believe wide plank floors are for much older homes. Our house was built in 1825. We have "replacement" floors from 1915 and they are not wide plank. We have quarter sewn 2 1/4" oak in the formal rooms and 3 1/4" fur in the bedrooms. In our attic where original floors are located there are wide plank pine in the servant quarters. I want to redo our kitchen floor in wide plank but my flooring guy is trying to talk me out of it. It won't match the rest of the house. We will probably go with the oak to match the living room and dining room....See Morebump-out kitchen of 1930's tudor revival
Comments (5)I love your kitchen!!! You did such a beautiful job. I noticed that you have Holiday cabinets. Are you happy with them? How is their quality and finish. They look beautiful in the showroom. I'm just planning my new kitchen and the KD that I spoke to carries this line. He said it's a custom line. Do you know if the cabinets come framed and frameless? Thanks for your help....See MoreSpanish Colonial Revival - 1930s
Comments (4)Oldalgebra - Hi. I live here in LA also. I design and build custom furniture and cabinets and living out here I've done a lot of work in the Spanish style. I see you didn't get a lot of response to your post so I'll rant on a bit about Spanish style if you don't mind. I guess the first question I would have is how true to period they want to stay. That, and of course the budget, are the first determining factors. The space, the size and how much light the room gets also come into play. I agree with you about the tile counter tops. They are the worse to clean... not to mention to work on. One solid surface is the only way to go. However I do love vintage Spanish tiles. The real ones "cuerda seca". There are some good reproductions but nothing bets the patina of the real thing. Used as accents in the right places they can add an authenticity and really pop a design. Counter tops... soapstone like in the picture can be OK. It shouldn't be too busy though. Honed black granite or slate. Any natural stone on the plain side can work. The key is the finish. Nothing shiny. Limestone with a antiqued textured finish if you want something lighter. On the center island you can go with oiled wood. I did a copy of an antique French, end-grain butcher block with metal brackets on the corners that would work really well. I made top top slightly wavy to give an appearance of age. Cabinets... hardwood. Subtle distressing. Oil/wax finish. Rustic alder is used often. For a more sophisticated look Wm Ohs does something called "Spanish Revival". It's glazed with stepped detail, light distressing and rub-through. And believe it or not, green/blue painted pine(but it has to be done really well). Also white like the picture with the right elements works. Floors... of course terracotta pavers are traditional. Here again smaller accent tiles mixed in can really add to the look. I'd also through some heat strips under it to warm it up. Reclaimed wood or really well done distressed wide plank hardwood flooring works well. I've seen antique natural-edge limestone tile used and there some very good imported new antiqued ones but both of these are going to be at the higher end of the price scale. Maybe if there's not a lot of square footage. Other elements like rustic beam ceilings, coffered wood ceilings and the right wrought iron lighting fixtures really add to the look too. I could go on. I have a ton of pictures. You really have to narrow down the design first. One doesn't want to go off looking in the wrong direction. The taste of the people who are going to live there, what they imagine it to be, and how they respond to pictures of different looks is what I would go off of. John...See MoreHelp a (Clueless) Guy Decorate his Small 1930s Living Room
Comments (13)Hi, and welcome! Those floors, and the stairs, what a great space you have. I see that the two windows flanking the fireplace are reminiscent of Arts and Crafts. So any builtin cabs you make, put doors with the four-square look to them. And of course a flat panel if you do a TV. Hide it behind a pair of doors.TV to the LEFT of fireplace, since traffic will be walking or stranding in front of the RIGHT side of the fireplace. If you do decide to lower the cabs adjacent to the fireplace, relate the top height of them to the height of the firebox, so the eye makes a straight line across that wall and it will be much more satisfying. Long lines can add size to a small space. You decide, low or high, but make the line long and continuous. I think the sofa really needs to be very small scale, and you might find a loveseat like one I got from Boston Interiors. It has plain legs, but think about the furniture not being large, and chairs not having skirted bottoms, so that more of the floor shows. It tells the eye there is more open area. I would consider a modern looking wingback chair or maybe two. Stay away from the Queen Ann style dining chairs, which is what the former owner had. It is not suitable for a younger male resident. Too really old fashioned. More appropriate for your grandma, don't ya know. I'd say if you got parsons chairs for your dining area, then two of the chairs could serve in the LR by the windows. It is easy to pick up different colored slip covers for parsons chairs, with or without long skirts. If you are the kind likes to entertain formally, then a special set of slip covers for such occasions might be worth considering. If you go with the smaller table beneath the larger window, make it a type of tea table. That could serve as a breakfast or coffee spot, and give you a chance to observe what is going on outdoors on your street....that is, if you are facing a street with a sidewalk? Pretty interesting way to become acquainted with the style of your street. Make your dining area work hard too. Do not forget to put at least ONE storage piece in the dining area. But no big buffet. A skinny 60" long parsons table against the wall with a floating shelf arrangement above it would be a good way to create display space without restricting yourself to a set wall hanging. Such a table works as a serving space in the dining, or any number of ways in the LR. If need be, a nice place to also use baskets beneath it for hidden storage. Look for a skinny vertical piece with or without doors to display artwork or pretty large serving bowls in it. We will wait while you give us a tour of the other floors, where are the bathrooms. I bet two baths, right? Do they have original ceramic tile? Wainscoting up high or woodwork like at the mantle wall? How cool your new house must be. And is the upper floor, the third level, where you have a master? Does it have small closets and a bath on that floor? Is it tucked under the eaves, or are ceilings full height? If you have a space with slanted ceilings, then that is a good space for a headboard, or a chest that can fit with it. Or, a desk and book shelves or a console. Whatever you do, enjoy the experience. The first house I bought, I had only a pair of wicker chairs and a cypress coffee table. I rattled around in that place like a bee-bee in a washpot for a long time. So many options. Do not buy a lot of stuff just to fill it up. That will happen soon enough. And if you have a lot of friends, watch out for them.....they will want to feel GOOD about giving away their old stuff so they can feel GOOD about buying NEW for themselves. :) Enjoy. We realize how much fun it is to begin with a blank slate. Oh yeah. No recliners in the living room. That goes in the study or den. If you are single, it will favorably impress your dates. A second thought here. It might be a good idea to locate that 20" TV in the kitchen, or somewhere in the dining room that can be seen from the kitchen. Also, think about mounting it on an articulating arm that can be swiveled toward the LR, or made visible from the kitchen. If you have friends over to cook and watch a game, will they be in the kitchen with you? Is there room for that? How many of them will there be USUALLY? And do you need to have a counter space devoted to kibitzing guests with stools that can be tucked away? Is it possible with the current setup? Is the kitchen unfitted enough that you could have a rolling tall island with space for 2-3 stools and a second person helping with cooking chores? Enough already. Glad you dropped in. See ya later....See MoreSallyP123
12 years agoburningmustard
12 years agoheatheron40
12 years agoUser
12 years agomarcolo
12 years agosergeantcuff
12 years ago
Related Stories
KITCHEN MAKEOVERSRoom of the Day: A Period-Appropriate Kitchen for a Tricky Style
Restoring a kitchen in a Minnesota Foursquare uncovers secrets and captures the spirit of the original
Full StoryTRADITIONAL HOMESHouzz Tour: A Family-Friendly Home Keeps Its 1930s Charm
This updated Los Angeles home is full of cozy nooks and period details, giving it lots of vintage appeal
Full StoryHOUZZ TOURSHouzz Tour: Updates Honor a 1930s Cottage's History
The facade stays true to the original, but inside lie a newly opened layout, higher ceilings and 600 more square feet of space
Full StoryHOUZZ TOURSMy Houzz: 1930s Outside, Midcentury Modern Inside
Saarinen and Noguchi furnishings in a traditional home? A Dallas decorator went for it, with beautiful results
Full StoryREMODELING GUIDESRenovation Ideas: Playing With a Colonial’s Floor Plan
Make small changes or go for a total redo to make your colonial work better for the way you live
Full StoryBASEMENTSBasement of the Week: Warm Modernism in a Notable 1930s Home
Wood, leather and warm browns give the basement in this Keck and Keck home in Chicago an inviting air
Full StoryECLECTIC HOMESHouzz Tour: Rebooting a 1930s Bungalow in 3 Days
A design team mixes old and new to upgrade a computer science teacher's home in a flash
Full StoryHOUZZ TOURSMy Houzz: Reinventing a 1930 Fire Station for Family Life
Don't sound the alarm because the fire engine is gone; this remodeled station now happily hosts fundraisers and two generations of a family
Full StoryBOOKSBook to Know: 'Long Island Modernism 1930-1980'
Photographs mix with social history from the architectural highlights of Long Island's suburbanization
Full StoryDINING ROOMSRoom of the Day: Traditional Dining Room Shaken With a Twist
This home's colonial architecture inspires formality, while the room's bold color, a mix of styles and a glossy bar update the look
Full Story
sergeantcuffOriginal Author