It's so hard to say without seeing photos of the cabinets!

I'll post some tonight.

I have a pretty good imagination, so I'll give it a go. I think a brand new black range would look terrific with your oak cabinets. I also think a polished up, well loved, vintage white range would look excellent.

Houses have lifespans. It's perfectly okay to use something that looks like it's been there for 50 years. Or to put in a ceramglass Induction cooktop. Appliances are for daily living and are perfectly appropriate when brand new. Take a look at Cotehele's kitchen for a look at induction in a beautiful room that looks like it could have been there for a hundred years or more.

Some people use vintage appliances or retro ones to evoke a particular mood. That's also a valid design choice, but not necessary.

If you love cooking on the Roper, and love the way it looks in general, and if it's not too big a deal to make room for it, then go for it!! If, on the other hand, you'd prefer cooking on a newer, possibly more powerful range, it will still look great, even though it's so much younger than your house. Try to buy something with the least amount of plastic, to make the best fit.

Function first. You can make the rest work out.

Technically isn't the house a "craftsman" verses a Victorian craftsman? The Victorian period ended around 1900 I think? 1901 or 2.

Anyhow, is your home a great mansion you wish to take back to museum quality or is it a family home that has evolved? I'm guessing it's the second and that either option would work but if the roper is a good stove it would be worth the price of moving the gas to make it fit in. I personally much prefer to see some personality in a period home kitchen verses something new and shiny.

Vintage stoves can be lots of fun to cook with, and if they are well maintained, can in some cases be even more functional than new ranges. I had a 1939 range for years. But, I don't think most people expect to see a vintage range in an 1910 home. I've come to the conclusions that appliances can be up-to-the-minute new and still look great in an older home. I think that is part of the appeal of the chunkier "pro" appliances.

I love Roper stoves. My dream stove is a 6-burner 1949 Roper. Restored cost: $8,100 without shipping.

Homes, especially traditional ones, are often a gradual amalgram of style decades.

If the Roper could work - there were many different models and some would work better than others - content yourself that when your ship comes in, you could easily fit a stunning Lacanche Cluny in its place, which would REALLY make your kitchen look amazing!

Here is a link that might be useful: The Lacanche Cluny range

If you like the Roper, go for it! Being able to tell people it was your mom's, she cooked on it for 30 years...and she gave it to you for FREE gives you a great story to go with your vintage stove! What more could you want? :)

I have a LaCanche, and I love it. I have the Citeaux.

That said, I would do anything to accommodate a vintage stove, especially free, especially with meaning and history.

Here are some old pics of the kitchen and house in general. I was trying to upload some new ones but I am getting an error message. I will try again tomorrow from a different computer.

As far as the house type, I've been told different things, craftsman, farmhouse, victorian, four-square. So I really don't know what it is. All I can say is that there is a lot of natural woodwork.

I would love a red stove, I can only dream, maybe someday. The kitchen is small, 10x12. It has 3 doorways(one from dining room to kitchen, the other from the basement stairwell and the third to the breakfast room) and 2 windows. The breakfast room was initially an open back porch but was enclosed after a tree fell on it. We use it as a breakfast room in the summer since it gets rather chilly in the winter. DH says we will have to insulate it at some point and perhaps get rid of some windows.

Hopefully you can see the pics.

p.s. the radiator is not in the kitchen anymore.

Here is a link that might be useful: kitchen

Littlealexa, With a relatively small kitchen, you may find that a standard 30" wide range is a better choice than the 40" wide vintage range. And, the standard 30" range means that you won't have to move that gas pipe. If you pick a red or black range, it will feel "vintage" and add some sparkle to your kitchen without being truly vintage.

Thanks for the information, here are additional pics of what it currently looks likes and pics of the exterior. The walls are a green shade that depending the light of day can look yellow.

I'm liking the idea of a red stove!

My current frig works fine (until I decide to splurge on a new one), so I was thinking of putting chalkboard paint on it in black. In one of the pics in my album you can see that my kids put black letters at the bottom of the frig.

If you can't view the pics, let me know.

I have 2 young boys that love to bake with me, so I want it to be functional for them.

It is work in progress, so I will keep posting and appreciate any feedback.

Here is a link that might be useful: additional kitchen pics

Let me share a tip with you for putting photos on GW. In photobucket, look for the spot where it says, "share this photo". Below that, you'll see a list. The third option in the list says, "HTML Code". Click on the box next to that. It should highlight the href... gobbledy-gook inside the box in yellow and say "copied". Then, when you come back to GW, right click in the posting box and select paste to put the href mumbo jumbo into your message. When you preview your message, you'll see your picture (which is what that href was all about). You can paste several of the href things, thus several pictures, into the same post. I find it easiest to open several internet explorer windows simultaneously so I can easily flip-flop from photobucket to GW when I'm trying to post pictures. That way one is open to GW and the other one is open to photobucket. Hope this helps. : ) You'll get better feedback with pictures directly pasted into your post.

We're planning to use a vintage stove (a 40" Crown) in our kitchen remodel, too.

Thanks for the tip; it worked. I'm attaching the pics and the stove in question. As someone stated, since my kitchen is small, I can use a standard 30" and perhaps keep the old one in the basement.

vintage Roper stove

Looking East into kitchen from breakfast room:

wall color:

oak cabinets against green wall color:

These are old pics and show the kitchen layout a little better.
south facing wall:

kitchen view from stove area (notice the nook area that I don't use). Currently unused space

another view of the southfacing wall:

Door leading to breakfast room:

So here's my question, what can I do to make my kitchen more charming and fitting of such an old house.

In the basement and garage I found some old stuff that was at some point part of the kitchen:
1. craftsman style hutch with leaded glass drawers (maple)
2. oak built in hutch that was removed (painted white and then stripped of paint)
3. white with glass on all four sides wall cabinet
4. canning hutch?
5. fab antique island that I use as a folding table in the laundry area.

If I had my way, I would move the stove (notice that there isn't landing space on one side)to that nook area and put the frig where the stove currently is at.

Another option, is that I can use the freestanding antique island and place it in the nook are since I need counterspace.

Any thoughts on ways to make my kitchen charming and functional.

Yay, I'm glad that you were able to get your pics on here! : ) Now could you post a floorplan with measurements, pretty please?

You might want to read the "New to GW kitchens" thread if you haven't done so already, too. It's chock full of helpful info.

Here are my responses to the New to GW Kitchens. I will work on my floor plan tonight. Thanks

How many people will work food in the kitchen at the same time? Or, IOW, is this a one-butt kitchen?
2-3
Are there any special cooking needs - and related appliances and storage - to consider? (Do you bake, microwave popcorn, keep Kosher, make espresso, grill indoors, etc.)
I love to bake with my sons (2 & 5)

Who else will use the kitchen and for what? Coffee with the neighbor, feeding the dog, little kids doing homework, big kids surfing the net, etc. Consider all the possible non-food activities as well as any users� special needs: toddlers, elderly, physically challenged, etc.
When I have family over they like to hang out and help me out. I also use it as a buffet for parties. Some folks are the dining area or kitchen both of which have a doorway leading to the breakfast room.
I feed the dog here and at times (not often will surf the net on my laptop).

What is the traffic situation? Does part of the kitchen function as a passageway from one part of the home to another? Where do the groceries come in and where does the garbage go out?
There are 3 doorways: south end connects to the dining room, east side encompasses a short hallway: powder room, pantry, and stairwell to outside/basement, the west side leads to the breakfast room. Groceries/garbage come in/out through the east side doorway.

What are your storage needs? Do you shop frequently or prefer to keep a lot on hand? Do you have lots of gadgets, china, special pans, etc.
I shop weekly. I have food in the pantry and the upper cabinets. I have some kitchen gadgets: juicer, microwave, blender, mixer, and toaster that are always out. I store extra big stuff, or items rarely used in the basement storage room.

Everyday china and glassware is stored in the upper cabinets. Everyday pots/pans are stored in lower cabinets as are the plastic containers (storage).

Where are you on �form over function� vs. �function over form�? Would you prioritize perfect point of use storage or perfect visual symmetry in the look of the cabinets?
Prefer function over form.
I want it to function and have counter space where others can help.

Is there something you want so bad (a pantry, an island, a 48â³ range) that you will accept a compromise such as narrow passage, less counter, etc.
I�ve always wanted a 5 burner stove, but am ok with a 4 burner. I would love a narrow table to serve as an worktable know that space it tight. Mostly I want to be able to utilize the kitchen space to the max.

What is your budget? Is there money for structural changes like moving a window?
DH has always been conservative with money. Therefore, I need to stretch my little budget: that would consist of reusing the existing cabinets and working/tweaking with the floor plan. I don�t want to...

The Roper is a very cool looking stove, but given the size of your kitchen, I would put it in the basement. What I personally would choose for your kitchen is the Bertazzoni Heritage Series 30" gas range in either burgundy or black. I love this range and would use it myself if I weren't doing a modern style kitchen.

Here is a link that might be useful: Bertazzoni

The "Read Me" thread with the questions referenced above is linked below. Scroll down to the "Layout Help" topic for what information we need to help you get a layout that works for you and your family and how you plan to use the kitchen.

Since you plan on reusing existing cabinets, show a layout with each cabinet labeled as to

• Width

• Configuration/type (sink base, drawer base, trash pullout, etc.), and

• Which sides, if any, are finished.

Full dimensions of the space should be included, of course! (Each window/doorway/wall and the distances b/w each window/doorway/wall)

Here is a link that might be useful: Read Me If You're New To GW Kitchens! [Help keep on Page 1]