But these aren't typical kitchens. I don't think most of us consider magazine kitchens to be, you know, NORMAL!

omg, please don't let MY kitchen show up in one of these posts in 20 years!
i remember my aunt rose got her dream kitchen installed and when we showed up to see it my jaw hit the floor. i was a little girl in the 70s but still, orange was definitely not my thing.

But, these were typical influences. At this time if you read the design magazines this is what you saw, since there was no internet for people to self publish. You are right, these are not the kitchens from typical "as built" houses, but neither are the kitchens in GW the kitchens from typical houses.

I think there is a "vision" of what 80s looked like, that isn't quite what it really looked like. If I had to pick what people think 80s looked like, I would pick this one as the "80s postmodern" (and its 1994)

and I would pick this one as the 80s traditional (although since this is from a show house the design is a bit overwrought)

But remember this was also 1989

Okay, I googled "typical 1985 kitchen" and came up with this Phoenix kitchen, on "Ugly House Photos"

I guess this is pretty typical for a builder's kitchen of the era, and the house my sister owned in FL, new in 1984 looked pretty much like this. But this is not what you would've seen featured in a magazine, nor is it anything that someone would riff off of today. It would not look quite so dismal if it weren't so empty looking.
{{gwi:1925809}}

I always loved the benson kitchen (might have been 1979 but i know it went into the eighties but it looks so today still...It did have a commercial fridge which helps not to date it. I also loved the Family ties kitchen and with out the knobs and fridge it too would still be nice today and that was total eighties. The 80's get a very bad wrap.
here is a link to see tv kitchens from the eras.

Here is a link that might be useful: http://www.delish.com/cooking-shows/food-tv/favorite-tv-kitchens

This is the International Builders' Show "New American Kitchen" from their show house, 1985.

Having come of age smack in that era, this shot brings the ideals of that era back to my mind: the slightly distorted 1950's (aka "retro") colors, the Memphis curves and holes, the inset cab pulls, the built-in microwave, the woodgrain-veneer-handled side-by-side fridge.

Here's a typical mid 80s kitchen from The Golden Girls...

Can you tell me more about the term "Memphis kitchen"? I am unfamiliar with that term. Thank you

Memphis was a design movement that originated in Italy in 1981

Here is a link that might be useful: Memphis Movement images

What year did geese wearing kerchiefs start? Dusty rose and dusty blue? That's what I think of as 80's but maybe that is early 90s?

My house was built in 1989. This is the kitchen - untouched except for a new cork floor put in by the PO right before they sold. They were the original owners. When we looked at this house I wrote on the MLS printout "80's explosion house - like walking into 1989." The house was originally a Parade of Homes home, so I'm thinking this was the builder and decorator's time to shine.

marcydc, yes, that's definitely 80s. I well remember all those years (early to mid 80s) when you couldn't buy any kitchen stuff except in dusty rose, colonial blue, or gray. My parents bought a new house then and the kitchen wallpaper had all three colors. We were so pleased to be able to use any of The Three Mandatory Colors. (By kitchen stuff I mean gear and accessories, not appliances.) Then came the Almond Era.

Oh yeah, my Mom had navy blue, powder blue and geese, geese, geese. She probably still HAS some of those same geese. Course, I remember my avocado green and harvest gold kitchens from my childhood as well. Avocado green EVERYTHING; sink, toilet, range, fridge... You could probably get avocado green dogs. Then came harvest gold. Everything matchy matchy. Some day it may be our turn.

Ne

Like Roarah I think the 80's is getting a bad rap. Like I said in the other thread I love certain elements of the 80's (I've only come around to this in the last couple of years) and totally appreciate many influences of that period. I love the kitchen in Benson, Family Ties, etc. etc. and I esp. love the kitchen (and home) in movies such as Three Men and A Baby. I loved it then and I love it now. From the 80's, I like both the traditional and the Memphis inspired without going too far over to Miami Vice. I however, never liked the Golden Girl's kitchen.

In the pics above, I love all three kitchens from 1981. In fact, I am hoping to incorporate certain elements of the top two into my remodel along with some elements of the kitchen with the Reaganred island.

My kitchen continues to evolve as the process prolongs itself but right now I am at a black range with stainless and brass trimmings as well as the range hood, a European style backsplash of Delft tiles, the driftwood/pickled wood hutch, painted cabinets in a khakish color, a pantry of either a red or the same khaki, and countertops of soapstone and BB. Also, while incorporating copper, brass, and stainless accents. I'm wanting it to evoke the feeling of been here a while plan to stay a while longer.

But who knows this plan could evolve 10 more times before anything happens.

Not sure where to post this photo....but I just saw this advertisement on a blog "kbculture". I immediately thought of you guys and this "retro" discussion.

It's the original potfiller from the late 60's(?)

That's funny. It reminds me of a softdrink dispenser.

Instant hot potatoes. Ewwww.

I think that our old kitchen was very 1970's. It was built around 1975 in a large custom MCM house - very California suburban - one story, lots of windows.

This was meant to be fairly upscale. It had some features very popular on Gardenweb. The layout was nearly perfect for us. The lower cabinets are mostly drawers. There is a small prep sink on the corner of the island.

Note the yellow sink that matches the awful artistically bumpy tile with awful grey-brown wide grout. They liked colored plumbing fixtures: one bathroom had robins egg blue sinks, one had avocado green sink and toilet. The cabinet in the corner next to the sink had one of those general purpose motor bases with the cabinet to hold the attachments (blender, mixer, etc). The faucet and hot water dispenser were changes that we put in - the original faucet was plain with a separate sprayer:

The upscale features of the time were the biggest problems of the kitchen. The wall ovens were a bleeding-edge-of-technology Thermadore. The upper oven was suppose to be a combination microwave and conventional (predecessor to today's speed ovens). The microwave function was broken when we moved in. We had it repaired and it worked twice before blowing out again. It turned out that my sister had the same model and repaired it twice with the same experience so we used it just as conventional. The clock failed 2 or 3 times during 20 years and the self clean requires it to work.

The early flat ceramic cooktop had three thermostatically controlled burners that would only work with a perfectly flat bottomed pot (and not that great even with that) and one high heat burner that would work with more pots but wouldn't go to a simmer. Any temperature adjustments took forever to take effect.

This is my dad's kitchen. House was built in 1985 and the only thing that has changed is the white laminate countertops on the outer edges and the yellow refrigerator is gone (thank gosh!). All else remains the same. Cabinets still look pretty good and really, I don't think, too dated at all. This was a custom home build in a pretty nice up-and-coming suburb at the time and my parents tried to be pretty trendy at the tim- note the stylish floor, lol. Excuse the crappy quality of the cell phone pics and the fact that I did not clean up at all.