Meh. It looks a bit like a galley on a ship. Not a fan of that particular blue, but if it's functional and the homeowner likes it, it's good. I think the floor looks very dated, and the door / drawer pulls as well. Changing the floor to wood and changing the handles to something sleek in brushed nickel would go a long way towards remediating the look.

I think it looks Northern European with that drawer storage system. Also looks vintage 30s-40s European. I like it.

I think it looks kind of nauseating for a kitchen and too much of the one color. Would tire very quickly for most people and look quite dated in the not so far future.

1920s Frankfurt Kitchen. More examples:

In original house:

From museum installation:

And below a restored kitchen on about 40 sqft:

I like it, but then I have a soft spot for period pieces and between-the-wars modernism.. Sehr Weimar modernisch, nicht wahr?

If it's Going to look dated in the "not too far future" and it's from the 1920s, that means it held up pretty well then :D

I like it. It suits the house/apartment and the era in which it was built. But here in the south, if I tried to keep my puderzucker in a bin like that it would clump up the first day and the bugs would carry it away the next.

Lovely kitchens with character and flair. The first one is rather tight. If it's in an old European city apartment, that justifies it. The color is so vibrant and refreshing after the countless white/cream kitchen pics I've been browsing online lately.

The pull-out bins make me nostalgic. In the 60's my family got a Polish-made kitchen set that included a cupboard with two rows of similar type bins. Now the set is keeping company to my grandparents' 1930's furnishings at our dacha house - appropriately vintage there.

"If it's Going to look dated in the "not too far future" and it's from the 1920s, that means it held up pretty well then :D "

How so? It certainly looks like a new, vintage styled kitchen to me. What are we looking at here? The original 1920's kitchen is shown and looks nothing like this.

But comparing foreign kitchens is apples to oranges. What we in the States would find dated looking or hard to live with is totally different.

If this took off as a current trend, revived features or not, no, I don't think most people would still be liking it years on out. Everything goes around and comes around.

They are all examples of 1920s-1930s kitchens.--Nosoccer says "1920s Frankfurt kitchen, here are other examples"

Most people in the US wouldn't like it Now or in the foreseeable future , because it's not a kitchen with granite counters and cabinets from the big box store in some transitional style, and that's what most Americans like.

All but the last kitchen are original kitchens from the mid 1920s, including the one in my first post. The middle blue kitchen is displayed in its original state in a museum. Only the last one is updated.
They were the first built-in kitchens in Frankfurt rental apartments, which cost the equivalent of about 1 dollar more in rent than the apartments without kitchens.
I'm not sure I understand the comment about comparing to foreign kitchens. IKEA kitchens come from Europe, and I would say, a lot of the latest kitchen trends, at least in my area.

My first look I thought it was European.

LOL, jakabedy. And I love the sound of "puderzucker" over "powdered sugar."

Below a link to some background of these kitchens that were based on U.S. home efficiency studies.
At the same time, Poggenpohl designed kitchens, which were licensed by a US company Kitchen Maid
http://www.core77.com/blog/homeware/a_brief_history_of_kitchen_design_part_5_poggenpohls_early_influence_1892-1923_19785.asp

and a 1950s Poggenpohl kitchen

Here is a link that might be useful: Frankfurt kitchen

Great thread.
I think that our satisfaction with kitchens is contingent upon our expectations. If you expect the luxurious fitted kitchens that most of us either have or aspire to, you wouldn't like those Northern European ones. But if those were the norm in your village or city or summer community, they'd be fine with you.

Now in the opening picture, the floor looks teal like the cabinets. I could not live with a saturated teal kitchen, all over cabinets and flooring. Spend so much time in there making and eating food. Most people would find it too much.

In the article, however, the floor is black. and the quality of materials can be seen (didn't look that great in the first; "like a ship" or a commercial kitchen). So with a good photograph, I do find it to be a handsome, appealing space. Right, it doesn't look American though. And although people might like it, it would be a tough fit in our traditional American houses.

I wonder how this kitchen fit in during its time. Did it fit the building, was it radical and edgy, did the color scheme last long before people tired of it and wanted a change, did the style last long, a classic with the masses, or did it peter out?

And this incessant idea that traditional American kitchens and new or popular styles are somehow inherently inferior is tiring. There's nothing wrong with people liking something new or what's currently in fashion. What is now old was once new and passed its time too. And even if someone does not like it, that does not mean they do not get it or have good taste.

"I'm not sure I understand the comment about comparing to foreign kitchens. "

Styling and use of color is different in other countries so they are just different to look at, as to whether something looks dated or not. I have often thought photos of modern European kitchens look dated, and even some traditional ones as I recall. Some were ads, so current. But it's a different country. Other old country kitchens, or styling and colors used in rooms, would look dated if over here but are perfect in their old world settings overseas.

Does an American Ikea kitchen look like a European Ikea kitchen?

Maybe, but having a developed sense of taste means that you automatically don't think everything you don't like for your own house is ugly, dated, or "nauseating". It also means having some understanding of what you are looking at..

I know one antiques/vintage furniture store owner who has an unerring eye for finding really good stuff but having no idea what it is. Essentially all the others I know of know what they're looking For or At for their stores. And very few of them stick only to what they would personally put in their own houses.

There's also a difference between liking something because it's trendy and liking things that happen to be trendy. If you like it Because it's trendy, that means you're stuck Not liking it when it's no longer trendy. Then it's not your own taste, because you are riding on the coattails of someone else's. You can't develop your own taste very well if you are looking at trends to determine what you are supposed to have and like

I don't think anybody is denouncing traditional American kitchens just because they like modernist European kitchens, either. It's not against the rules to appreciate each for what they are. But the average American kitchen is Average. That doesn't mean it's in bad taste or ugly or nauseating, it just means that it's average and typical and you don't need to necessarily post pictures of it and discuss it.

This post was edited by palimpsest on Sat, Jun 22, 13 at 8:49

As I look at those kitchens again, they remind me of one we had in a small but wonderful apartment where we first landed in Boston - the kitchen was a tiny square full of bright yellow laminate cabinets, but it was so well planned that cooking in it was just a matter of spinning around on my axis.

They also make me remember fondly some old times in European vacation rentals, where cooking was an adventure and the difference from our own places was exactly the kind of refreshing change that vacations are for, in my view.

Grete Schuette-Lihovsky, the designer of that kitchen, is an unsung female German pioneer of kitchen design, much like the American Lillian Glbreth. I love the Frankfurt Kitchen, clumpy Puderzucker and all.

As a spatial reference, virtually ALL German apartments, which comprise a vastly larger percentage of housing space in that country than they do here, contain some version of that long narrow kitchen room. In Germany, apartments from the 1900's to today are still built upon that basic pattern of a central hallway with rooms radiating left and right from it -- partly a cultural norm, but more because of the heat savings that result in being able to easily shut off as many rooms as necessary during a cold winter to save expensive heat.

Schuette-Lihovsky knew what she was doing. It's really hard to make a galley kitchen work well, even given the smaller size of European appliances. (They very often contain the laundry machine/s too.)

Here are some real-life German kitchens:

{{gwi:1717938}}
(^ this one is marketed as "British History Kitchen Remodel")

{{gwi:1717940}}
(^ wealthy Berlin hipster remodel)

One topic I've always wanted to start is the issue of cabinet doors: they are often square in Germany, just like German windows and vintage German tile. American cab doors and windows are rectangular and the tile 'subway' shaped. Rectangular doors are most often uppers that swing towards the ceiling rather than open sideways.

It makes a big difference in how one designs spaces, doesn't it? What shapes are cupboards and windows in other countries around the world?

Germans tend to "engineer" everything to the extreme as well. My Miele DW got stuck under the soapstone counters before it was hooked up, so I had to work on lowering the adjustable feet and each full turn lowered the foot something like 1mm. An hour of turning later I was able to move the DW. Even the idea that they measure relatively large things like bathtubs by the millimeter says something.
This has to have an effect on their esthetic sense as well.

"Maybe, but having a developed sense of taste means that you automatically don't think everything you don't like for your own house is ugly, dated, or "nauseating". It also means having some understanding of what you are looking at.."

You make a lot of assumptions about people and it is both annoying and tiring. As far as not denouncing people's homes, you do it all . the . time -- and beyond. You seem to be quite happy to do so, considering your audience. Or I guess I should say you do not consider your audience.

No doubt there are people you describe who can not appreciate anything but what they like or grew up with, will hear nothing of it, but that is not everyone nor black and white, as you depict things. You also seem to fit that mold quite a bit yourself, to say the least.

As for the kitchen, liking it does not make you a better person. Nor does it show you have better taste. Just because someone feels a kitchen full of dark teal cabinets and flooring is "nauseating" doesn't mean they can't appreciate anything. That's as ridiculous as some of those granite seams in kitchens. You come out with these lofty, belittling comments whenever someone doesn't like something that you think is swell.

Well, I find you, yourself, to be very narrow minded. And I could make comments, vice versa, on your own home and taste.

Oh, and you might bone up on your own comprehension as well.

I might be insufferable and opinionated, but I am not narrow minded.

Yes you are, lol. Very much so. And if you are open minded, you would be open to the idea for your own personal development (versus ours).

Open minded people often do not like to be around highly opinionated people. Kind of goes hand in hand.

Snookums, I hope you have a better day tomorrow.

One of the best things about this forum is that, in spite of differing and often strongly held opinions, and whatever criticisms we may express in a general sense, we are ultimately unfailingly kind to each other, and I hope you will remember that from now on.

Pal has genously contributed to this forum for years. Most of us appreciate the opportunity to learn from him and enjoy his interesting threads. Pal frequently steps in with wonderful suggestions at all budgets and in all styles. I think he's grand and the forum would be very dull without him. I'm sure he'll be embarrassed by this post, but I just can't stand to see what I did above.

I know, I'm the bad guy for saying something.

Well, I can't believe some of his (frequent) commentary, which I refrain from repeating. Somehow it's okay for him to strip us all down and rip us apart. So be it, your view. His right. Although I can understand you might not have even seen some of the dicing. If you have and it doesn't bother you, that is hard for me to understand, but power to you for your resilience.

But it should work both ways. If he wants to make provocative, highly negative statements, others should certainly be able to respond. Lord, people protest, even go off the deep end for far less and complete, total trivia. In light of that, it is truly amazing some of this other stuff that flies, usually without comment (not referring to teal kitchens, please).

I guess the rest of us are supposed to be flies on the wall. Honestly, after the things I've read, over and again, please, I'm not going to lose sleep or apologize for stepping up to say something Back. It wouldn't even feel right. A person has to have some self respect.

bronwynsmom, you are quite wrong. What provokes me is anything but unfailing kindness.

This post was edited by snookums2 on Sat, Jun 22, 13 at 15:32

I say opinionated provocative things about design, I don't attack people's personal traits. But I don't care if that's how you want to play it, I don't know you and I never will.

What I think this means though, is that the forum has outlived any purpose in discussing design in the abstract. There was a time when you could post something and discuss it in theory and what an individual person's house looked like didn't even come into it. It was a discussion about design.

Now everything has to be taken personally as if your own life is being dissected under the microscope. Everything has to be about "you" whoever "you" is, and taking offense has become a hobby. That's a form of narcissism, to think that everything has to be related to oneself.

This forum will basically become a question and answer session of "Which shade of paint, A or B?" or "Is this dated, or not dated.?" And since some people want clear answers, that will be fine. But for a lot of people who post here, I think that will be boring.

There used to be a whole group of people who posted pictures just to discuss and I notice most of them have disappeared or post very infrequently. Because if you can't discuss things in the abstract without someone feeling personally attacked, there is not much point in continuing the discussion.

I just think it is kind of ironic that you, Snookums, often use words "ugly", "dated" and in this thread "nauseating" to describe something you don't like --and as far as you knew, that was a brand new kitchen, which means that obviously belonged to someone. Who knows? Soccermom could have been posting the kitchen of a second house she just bought, or that of her best friend. You certainly didn't take into consideration offending Them.

Snookums, perhaps you misunderstand the nature of this thread, and similar such threads. It is not about voting whether or not the chosen kitchen in the OP is "dated" in the context of someone currently building a kitchen and wanting it to be The Shrillest Latest Thing. This forum is not a "Rate My Space" show on tv.

Snookums, you are the only one who brought up the word "comparing" in the context of American traditional kitchens, and seem terribly miffed because that comparison was set aside by Pal (though it could have been any of us) as irrelevant to the discussion. "But comparing foreign kitchens is apples to oranges. What we in the States would find dated looking or hard to live with is totally different." I think the reason folks didn't engage with your comment is because it kinda seems out of left field -- who's comparing? Who's asking what's "dated looking"? It seems only you are.

By pointing out the fact that most Americans prefer big box cabinets and granite, Pal was not judging that taste one way or another, but simply emphasizing how irrelevant such comparative questions are in taking about design. [My assumption here is that you felt personally judged by this comment, which is the only thing I can see that could possibly explain your vitriol?]

We are not being asked to serve as the 2013 USA mass marketers of the design in the OP! The interest of these threads isn't in determining which of the design's features would sell here and now.

What IS interesting is a discussion of the designs on their own merit, and I think you were quite provocatively heading there with:
"I wonder how this kitchen fit in during its time. Did it fit the building, was it radical and edgy, did the color scheme last long before people tired of it and wanted a change, did the style last long, a classic with the masses, or did it peter out? "

Is it possible to head back in that direction and refrain from any more personal attacks, please?

Nosoccermom,

The Frankfurt Kitchen link you provided is so interesting. I read all kitchen history posts there. Thanks for sharing!

The general design discussions are great here. I've learned quite a bit from Pal and other GWers. I tend to ignore the "dated" concept, but I come from a culture where people don't apply it to home design. It's more interesting for me to study period styles and perhaps adopt an idea or two here and there.

Circuspeanut,

Love seeing your German kitchen pictures! I'll be happy to share a bit on Moscow kitchens. There's a lot of regional differences across Russia, so I'll stick to my hometown.

All housing in Moscow is apartments/condos. Soviet-era residences have small kitchens, usually square-ish. Most of the outer wall is taken by a large window with a steam/hot water radiator underneath. All kitchens are eat-in, no matter how small.

Post-Soviet apartment blocks have much larger kitchens but often not rectangular - curved walls, walls meeting not at right angle. Again, most of the street-facing wall is taken by a large window or a glass balcony door.

Cabinetry comes in all shapes, styles and sizes. We have imports from all over Europe and not only. Russians like to have some color and/or pattern, and are big on individual expression. Everyone I know in Moscow has remodeled his kitchen in the past 10 or so years, so there are apparently not many Soviet-era kitchens left. People were eager to replace the shabby Soviet-era cabinets and appliances when so many new and exciting furnishings and styles became available.

I've been wondering to what degree our homes reflect the environment and culture we live in. Russian winters are long. In Moscow area we have snow for about 5 months a year. Cold, grey and dreary. People have more affinity for colors and patterns in their homes (wallpapers, draperies, color tiles).

Americans have a strong preference for neutrals and whites, and there's a general dislike of bold colors and patterns. I wonder if it also has something to do with the mindset of American women. The American working moms I've met tend to be more hurried and stressed than women I know in Moscow. But the Russian social system and labor laws are far more supportive of working mothers (3-year maternity leave, annual vacation no less than 4 weeks, paid sick child care leave, the tradition of grandparents' babysitting while the parents are at work, free after-school childcare mandated in public schools, many big employers providing childcare facilities and summer camps, etc.), which makes it easier for Russian moms to balance home and work (and probably saves more energy for home decor!). Could that explain the general American preference for a subdued, relaxing and perhaps more predictable and generic decor?

A smattering of Russian kitchen pictures
1-2 - The top two pictures are remodeled small kitchens in Soviet-era apartments;
3-4 - Kitchens in new apartment blocks. Note the curved window wall and corner angle. One of my friends put in a natural stone wall decor like in the 4th picture;

5 - In some old apartments owners knocked down interior walls and created an open plan. It's common to delineate different spaces using different flooring and ceiling soffits. My parents' neighbor did a similar open-plan remodel in her apartment above theirs.

6-9 - Samples of styles in modern Moscow kitchens. A friend of mine put in solid oak cabinets very similar to the ones in the last photo (perhaps from the same manufacturer).

What an interesting thread! Thanks, Pal, and all of you. Square doors on German cabinets (went over the pix, and yup--lots of them). Russian kitchens' typical big window/radiator on outside wall and table in the middle. I love this kind of thing.

Could brighter colors in Europe have anything to do with the portability of kitchens in some regions? That might seem to argue conservativism in colors, but Ikea doors are very easy to change out. Is that typical of portable kitchen lines?

The concept of "dated" design simply not existing in all cultures, at least not to such a strong degree as we feel it here. That IS a comparison I make and personally find regrettable on our part. Only imagine if one could remodel a kitchen believing that with maintenance it could give much the same pleasure in a decade (or three) as it does now. Such luxury. The obsolescence due to "dating" that starts accruing almost immediately exacts really unfortunate costs, money only one of them.

Wow, didn't know I was opening Pandora's box here.

Interesting point on "dated" being less of a concept in other countries. E.g. British upper classes pride themselves on their worn chintzes and oriental rugs, scuffed leather etc. (and I guess, Americans aren't far behind, albeit with the FAUX aged look; witness the popularity of Restoration Hardware...)
Second, Pal mentioned Germans focus on millimeters in their measurements, and I have to agree. While I didn't walk around in my then newly-built house with a tape measure, the shoddiness or lack of attention to detail drove me nuts, e.g. crooked wall outlets, not a single grout line like the other, uneven ceiling, etc., definitely quite different from houses in Germany. A probable explanation is that tilers, plumbers, floors, painters in Germany are all crafts that require a 3-year apprentice ship and concurrent schooling, followed by a master education and a practical and theoretical exam before a commission of teachers and craftsmen/women. This is followed by additional training/experience to become a master.
To tie the two together: Perhaps attention to detail and a higher level of quality means that things become dated less quickly but also that novelity/datedness are less of a concern to some people. In the US, the lifetime of houses and building materials is shorter because of inferior quality and workmanship, meaning things have to be replaced more frequently. On the flip side, because of the concept of datedness, materials can be less durable. If your roof needs to be replaced every 7 years, it can look more up-to-date than an 80-year slate roof.

Now I'm getting interested in the word "dated."

It seems to be used most often as a pejorative, and yet if I think about it, it is really a term that can place an aspect of design or materials in the context of its era.

MCM furniture is "dated" - we recognize it by style and materials. 18th century American furniture is "dated" by the signs of its workmanship, its primary and secondary woods, evidence of wear and oxidation in the telling spots, and methods of joinery.

I think Pal is spot on in differentiating between things that haven't stood the test of time, or that were made without regard to underlying design principles of proportion, scale, and ergonomics, or that were careless copies of something better; and the things out of a particular era that have become iconic, and that appeal to people because of it.

That's one reason I often advise people who are building their own style and taste level to avoid the new magazines and books, and start with museums and decades old magazines, in which you can see the difference between what has held up and what hasn't.

(As someone on the leading edge of the Baby Boom, and despite being in fairly decent shape and having a good hair colorist, I am clearly dated by my neck, the backs of my hands, and my elbows - and what is appropriate on someone half my age doesn't show off what's left of my more attractive attributes to good effect!)

Webster:
1: provided with a date
2: outmoded, old-fashioned

Examples of DATED

The band's music sounds dated now.
The information was quite dated and no longer useful.

And under synonyms/antonyms, one finds things like: obsolete and kaputt; or functional and fresh.

It sounds from Webster's examples and antonyms/synonyms as if meaning 2. is more common now.

And Oxford Dictionary:
Definition of dated
adjective

1marked with a date:a signed and dated painting

2old-fashioned:a dated expression

And the most interesting one because it captures the usage here on the forum:
Adj. 1. dated - marked by features of the immediate and usually discounted past

"I say opinionated provocative things about design, I don't attack people's personal traits. "

Yes you most certainly have and you frequently slight people (or their homes), as you did above, which I responded to. You do make very personal assumptions and negative generalizations about us. I don't read your threads but manage to see it quite frequently anyway. I don't see it as really any different, to be turning the stink eye Back on you. You just happen to be one individual person -- who likes to continually state your disdain for things, all things us it seems. Pick your subject. And it's the only reason I have said anything at all. I, for one, get sick of hearing the authoritative slams and generalizations on our inferiority. Bias. Double standard. That people can't shoot back.

I'm not stupid. I understand differing opinions, design and decor. But I don't understand pulling out the stops in the name of design and decor, over the people who come for help. How is that a kinder and gentler forum, bronwynsmom? I'm pretty tough about these things, but who would want to post pictures of their house or selections here? People generally hesitate to begin with.

To me it's obvious that it is not about pictures of the old days, foreign kitchens, constructive design discussions, or what palimpsest is right or wrong about in terms of design and decor. Nothing there is novel or cutting edge, making it even more annoying. I resent this idea that we are all uneducated, indifferent, indiscriminate hillbillies.

"By pointing out the fact that most Americans prefer big box cabinets and granite, Pal was not judging that taste one way or another,"

He most certainly does, blatantly and frequently. You have obviously missed it. But you're right that I did not understand the original picture. That it was an old kitchen, not a revived vintage one. It simply asked what we thought and the mass of strong color, as depicted in the first photo, did not set well with me. My protest that just because it was vintage style did not mean the owner wouldn't tire of it. The discussions are often about datedness, old styles better than new, so that was the context I was looking at it in.

I also don't care for this concept of stifling what's new or different like we should all be living in the past. Sounds like our parents. Could also be my generation, which was one more of free spirits.

"The basis on which good repute in any highly organized industrial community ultimately rests is pecuniary strength; and the means of showing pecuniary strength, and so of gaining or retaining a good name, are leisure and a conspicuous consumption of goods."
Thorstein Veblen (Theory of the Leisure Class, 1899)

"just think it is kind of ironic that you, Snookums, often use words "ugly", "dated" and in this thread "nauseating" to describe something you don't like "

I am not without opinion, but I most certainly do not often post that things look "dated" or "ugly", lol. You inferred that in another thread, that the people who were complaining (I was one of them) are the first in line to call something they don't like ugly. I can't speak for the others there, I don't take roll call on those comments. This kitchen is one of the rare occasions I described what I saw like that, with a strong adjective. And it wasn't about all the homes and taste right here, as you do. Sure the owner of that kitchen could have been reading. Now I did say on one of your threads, after tiring of you go on about us, that "I don't like any of them" of the provocative 1st Dibs items you posted. That was tit for tat, lol, because I normally wouldn't comment. And you retorted that my frame of reference was Raymour & Flannigan so I wouldn't appreciate them.
.
And you are right, palimpsest. It's not all about me. And it's not all about you either. What it is about is the people who come for help. No wonder this forum is so slow.

I'm not even on the politically correct, so-offended boat, which is out of control. But some of the things you like to say have been outrageous, considering the audience. Consideration of others is what's key there. Don't make it about us. Insensitivity is another problem in our society. But I'll take sensitive people over insensitive any old day of the week. They care.

Maybe worry more about editing your commentary than rooms. Some discretion, impulse control. It used to be the norm. People are far more important. It's not all about you.

Looking at the kitchen in guestion I like it over all. That said as a avid cook I see several huge design flaws in it. Poorly done counterspace, the wall with the window on it should have a open shelf above it for additional store of maybe pretty but seldom used things. The cabs should run across fully across under that window and the counters should be on the same level not staggered for ease of use when preparing large meals canning ect. I also think a wood floor would brighten up the space be easier to clean and kinder on the back of the cook.

I posted it because I thought it was neat that they had these mass-produced kitchens in very modest apartments in 1926, i.e. 87 years ago. The different counter top height is (a) for the dish drainer (obviously no dishwasher) and (b) for the meat grinder that you see in one picture. The kitchens are interesting because they were based on efficiency studies (the work triangle) and tried to make the work load easier on housewives who couldn't afford help.
I think the cabinets don't run under the counter, so you can have a stool there, maybe for eating or having your kid do homework while mom cooks. I'm pretty sure that these apartments didn't have separate dining rooms and most definitely not a room for each kid. Also don't think that the floors are ceramic tile.

I understand why things where put in at diff. hieghts I just don,t agree with it. I,m coming from the stand point of having had a kitchen much like this in our second home. I revamped it to make it work better for someone who cooks all three meals from scratch and bakes and cans as well . As well as make use of max out all storage ops in a tiny home. In small homes the kitchen has to work for storage space for other rooms as well. When I look at kitchens I look at how I use it more than color/style for me those things are second consideration in what is a work room. With so many people not as into cooking/baking from scratch that would probly be reversed.

To me, it looks like the first German kitchen was set up for a cook who spent a lot of time prepping or canning. The work surface in front of the window and next to the sink is perfect for that kind of work. The cook could sit on the stool instead of having to stand up for over an hour while sorting berries for jams. The sink was handy for rinsing the berries or whatever produce was to be prepped for canning.

My family did a lot of canning in summer. As a teen I spent countless hours helping sort through and tear stems with leaves off blackcurrants, gooseberries or strawberries. Typically there would be 3-10 kg (6-22 lbs) of berries heaped on the kitchen table. I still make jams (we have mulberry trees) but it's a pain to stand by the kitchen counter for two hours while sorting the berries.

Different heights helped contain mess. When sorting berries, I would put a pot on the raised part on my left, if I were sitting in front of the window. I would scoop berries from the sink filled with water and place them on the work surface. As I processed the berries one by one, I would toss them into the pot, and the mess of juice and debris would be contained on the surface in front of me. The pot with the berries would stay clean.

So far as I know, Germans have a longtime tradition of garden allotments in cities.

Also, I imagine that in the 20's or 30's most foodstuffs required more prep work since there wasn't much food packaging. Grains like rice or buckwheat had to be sorted and debris picked out by hand since they were sold by weight from large sacks. Again, an hour of work before your rice was ready to be put in a pot and boiled.

I think storage space is more of an issue now that people have more stuff. There are also more appliances to house.

There are several sides to the "dated" concept:

1) Technology development. New appliances and materials make cooking and cleaning easier. Novelties like pull-out shelves make for more efficient storage. Better lighting like can lights banish dark corners.

Again, adoption of novel technologies varies by culture. While dishwashers are standard in American homes, many Russians opt not to have them and spend the money on something else - like fixtures for a sauna at a dacha.

At the same time recessed lighting is wildly popular in Moscow apartments. People put them even in bedrooms. Which is no surprise given the long and dark winters.

2) Cooking habits and traditions. A family who has a large garden would have different cooking habits than a family that gets all their food from supermarkets. Culinary preferences evolve with time, as well. Some foods that weren't common 50 or more years ago, have become a daily staple.

2) Changing esthetics. This is a highly subjective category, and probably more emotional than practical. Some designs and decors withstand the test of time better than others

3) Societal attitudes. Pre-WWII kitchens were purely utilitarian and separate from the public areas of the home.

The modern German kitchen pictures posted by circuspeanut make me think that Germans still tend to be mostly utilitarian about their kitchens.

On the other side, many Americans treat their kitchens as a part of the public space and thence as formal showpieces.

For Russians, kitchens straddle the boundary between utilitarian and public. Open floor plans aren't as widespread in Moscow, and many people prefer to have kitchens that can be closed off. If there is no formal dining room, formal or holiday meals are usually set up in the living room. However, kitchens are the place for casual (and cozy!) socialization with a friend or two over a supper and/or a cup of tea. That encourages people to make their kitchens presentable to visitors, but not overtly formalized.

Sitting and sorting was done at the kitchen table where there is more room. I cann,t imagine doing anything else in the kitchen that doesn,t require me to move round a fair bit. I made all our bread and cinnamen rolls today and it took my ten foot counter plus my small island . My other10ft counter wasn,t needed and other than holidays is probly a waste of space.In my old small gally I got rid of that extra unused counter space and made additional storage there. I think you hit the nail on the head with americans seeing their kitchens as show places first. Nothing wrong with that as long as its still well thought out and functional.

Actually, LanaRoma is right. Many of these kitchens were in small two-story buildings, four per entrance, where each apartment had a small yard assigned (two in the front, two in the back).