For all you TKO, I thought you would enjoy something I found in an old 1930Âs cookbook:

From "The WorldÂs Modern Cook Book and Kitchen Guide for the Busy Woman" by Mabel Claire, 1932

The Kitchen, A Workshop of Color and Charm

The kitchen should be the pleasantest room in the house. There is no good reason for the millions of ugly kitchens in the world. Not is there any good reason for kitchens that look like white tile lunchrooms. In a kitchen that is gay, cozy and pleasant, half the labor of the cooking seems to be eliminated.

In many houses that have been restored and kept in memory of another day, the kitchen is the most interesting and delightful room. When the tour of the house has been made and the kitchen reached, there is always a sign of pleasure. A sense of comfort and jollity pervades the place. The mellow walls, the lovely old containers for flours and spices, the gay platters, bowls and cups, the gleaming copperÂ!

The size of a kitchen has nothing to do with its charm. My own kitchen is a small one, but it is so pleasing to me that I never enter it without a glow of satisfaction. At the window hangs a gay India print in which blue predominates. Shelves of assorted sizes are everywhere. Their edges are painted lacquer red. On the broad shelves are gaily patterned dishes, fat casseroles, blue and amber drinking glasses and pitchers. Jolly flasks of Venetian glass contain vinegar and oil. Keeping these in the kitchen saves many steps. On the narrower shelves the supplies are kept, but in interesting containers that are easy to acquire.

The tiniest set of shelves holds the spices and colors for decorating and garnishing. Blooming plants line the window sill. Several decorative trays hand on the walls. Everything has been arranged with an eye for effect, but is also placed in the most convenient spot, nearest to where it is most used.

Above my stove I have hung a mirror in a green and gold frame. It reflects all the jolly kitchen as well as the cook. A cook should consult a mirror often. For what use is a decorative kitchen without a decorative woman in it! At least a woman as decoratively as humanly possible.