victoria jane,

you're certainly on the right track. painted cabinets are great for the look you want. also "unfitted" cabinets that look like (or are) freestanding pieces, like separate pieces of furniture are very victorian. a farm sink (like a shaw's) or a more vintage sink that hangs on the wall with built-in backsplash and drainboard (with legs and open space below masked by a curtain) are also vintage looks.

also, masking your appliances (dw panel, fridge panel, hide the microwave) helps to cut down on all the modern stainless.

we live in a 1905 victorian and we struggled with a lot of the same questions as you. we weren't trying to be completely true to the style, but we wanted to work in that genre so as to help us transition the 'old' part of our home (the front rooms are all still original) to the 'new' part (a family room off the kitchen that was an addition).

we chose to push the victorian feel through a few main elements; a tin ceiling, a cararra marble subway tile backsplash, and painted cabinets with a simple raised panel and wear/distressing.

i'm going to post a lot of pictures because it sounds like what you're trying to do is very similar to what we wanted. we succeeded, to some extent, but there are elements that i'm not super-pleased with.

oh, and here's the adjacent powder room that we re-did as well:

And another take on the Victorian theme. Our kitchen is all salvage in order to fit into the look of the rest of our 1890 home. Old windows became cabinet doors and I found salvaged windows for transoms, salvage hardware for the doors and drawers amd slavage Alberene Soapstone sinks. We uncovered the old chimney and incorporated that into the design. I have lived with it for 2 years and can't think of a thing I would change except more salvage marble. I only used it for the coffee counter...wish I had gotten more for all the countertops. More pics on my page or FKB. GOOD LUCK . Also you can't go wrong with the folks at Harp in WS. They have better things than I have seen anywhere. And great prices. Caroline

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adjacent sunroom :

Kennebec has a period kitchen gallery that is worth seeing.

Here is a link that might be useful: Kennebec Company Gallery

Edlakin, I love your glass cabinet pulls and also the light fixture. We are also planning to put the cabinets to the ceiling, as you did. Caroline, could you tell me about your beautiful wood floor? I was envisioning a darker stain but I love yours.

I love the idea of a vintage stove but I don't think dh is going to go for it (and he has had very little input in this process, I might as well toss him a bone, lol.) I thought about hiding the appliances behind panels, but then I thought, maybe I'm taking the restoration idea to too much of an extreme. Maybe I should embrace the functionality of modern stainless steel appliances and it would be a nice contrast to all the painted wood , marble and soapstone. Also I was thinking between the appliances and the tin ceiling, silver would become the third color in the room (breaking up the black and white.) At one point I envisioned more black in the room, I even considered all black cabs. Then I decided I preferred white for perimeter cabs and black for the island and the range hood. And then I changed my mind again and thought the black hood would chop up the look of the wall too much, and a stainless steel canopy hood would be better. Thanks for all your great suggestions!

Budge 1, all good points. It's true I don't know a single person IRL with a black and white kitchen. Everyone I know did their kitchens 5-10 years ago in the Tuscan style. But I feel the drumbeat of the white vintage look...coming closer...and closer...and once they all do it, will it matter that mine was first? I keep thinking of a children's book called "Mr Pine's Purple House" about a man who lived on a block of identical white houses. He kept trying to add unique elements to his house to set it apart - a new windowbox, new shutters , etc, and then all the neighbor would see it, love it, and copy it. Finally he painted it purple to be completely different...and they all started painting their houses purple!!! Of course there was some sort of happy resolution, I think they each decided to paint their house in a different color - yellow, blue, red, etc. But I digress. I think you hit the nail on the head with the idea of the key antique freestanding piece. That is what will set the kitchen apart and give it personality. Thanks.

Jane I am so happy for you that your ideas are coming together. I do remember another kitchen that was posted on here sometime back...maybe last year and it was wonderful. I think they were in the NW. It was so colorful...reds blues, yellows...it was Victorian too. I wish I could remember but I know there are others that will. Have you done the slideshow of the Finished Kitchen Blog? It is well worth it to look at each kitchen at least briefly as there are lots of great ideas.
Our floors are heart pine and original to the house. You can get salvage flooring and have it laid. I love mine. On the Home Deco Forum there is a thread in refinishing heart pine with Waterlox. You might want to check that since it is a better product than poly for kitchen floors. I also used it to finish my countertops..I have teak on the sink/cooktop perimeter.

Let me know if I can help with anyother questions. What did you do with the original tin ceiling...you mentioned there was one in the old kitchen ? Caroline

Here is the link. I had not watched the slide show in a long time. It is current to April 2008. well worth watching.

Here is a link that might be useful: red ranges colorful kitchen

Wow, that is a beautiful kitchen. And so much of it was done by hand - she is so creative. I could never do that.

I just discovered the finished kitchens blog - I am going to work my way through it. The only trouble is, sometimes I see a kitchen that is a completely different style than what I have in mind, and I love it, and I start to think, hmmm, maybe I should go in this direction instead...*must...stay...focused*...

Caroline, our pressed tin ceiling was white and we want tin-colored so it wouldn't work, but still it will be nice to have a ceiling that is reminiscent of the original.

VJ, another vote for a great vintage piece that you can either build around or use to create an unfitted look. This piece will straddle the space between our old and "new" kitchen (we're doing an extension), and will house some plates, cookbooks, decorative pieces, etc. It was one of the first things we got, long before deciding on the other elements. Hard to see, but the painted beadboard wood is a pale green-ey yellow, another inspiration.

Eliz

PS. Note the barn red piece peeking out beside ours in the photo - a colour that would also work well in a Victorian kitchen

Count me in as another fan of salvage. I think if you can work in pieces or elements that have authentic age and signs of love and use, the kitchen will feel like it fits better with an old house. I also think that a kitchen that is period appropriate to the house is the least likely to feel dated 10 years down the road...it will just look "right".

Our 1905 foursquare-ish house is much simpler than some of the beautiful and fancy victorians, so we tried to keep our kitchen pretty simple too. We used LOTS of old stuff in our new space and we're very happy with how the new blends with the old. (Lower cabinets haven't been painted yet)

Old/salvage: kitchen sink, lighting, cabinet hardware, flooring, stained glass, back door, subway tile backsplash, butcher block, rugs

New: cabinets, soapstone, appliances

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Here is a link that might be useful: more kitchen pictures

arlosmom, love your beautiful kitchen! Where did you get your hardware?

Eliz

elizpiz, thanks! Our first 4 bin pulls came from an elderly friend's basement. The rest of the hardware was collected over the course of several months mostly from ebay. The bin pulls all match, but we have 3 different kinds of cabinet latches (uppers have 1 style, lowers have 2nd style, 3rd style on sink cabinet).

"Mr. Pine's Purple House" has greatly influenced my life. My mother gave my copy away, and it was later out of print. I found it again when my children were small. I am reminded of it when my children need to be picked up from friends' houses - kids who live in brand-new housing developments - and I can't figure out which house is the one at which I've left them.

I am redoing my 1930's kitchen and am considering soapstone and white cabinets. I worry that this will seem dated 10 years from now. But, as others have pointed out, I see these types of kitchens here, but not with the people I know. I have been to many kitchen showrooms and they seem unfamiliar with soapstone or painted finishes. They were mostly pushing granite and stained or glazed wood, and butcher block only for islands.

I think if the kitchen fits well with the rest of the house (wood, trim colors, etc), it won't have a "look" - it would just seem natural, not decorated. (If I'm making any sense)

I think I've found a line of cabinets that offer a soft-yellow painted finish, I may well go yellow.

I'm doing a Victorian era farmhouse kitchen. What I did while designing my kitchen was pore over pictures of actual Victorian era kitchens focusing on the "poorer" family ones. In those cases, there were few if any hired help and thus the kitchens were much more pleasant. Then I tried to figure out how to make that look work with modern life. The kitchens all had lots of windows. The stove was often large and off by itself. A sink made of wood lined in zinc, cast iron, ceramic, or if in NE soapstone, with or without a pitcher pump was off by itself too, but in proximity to one or two free standing kitchen dressers. There was usually some wall space where pots/pans/utensils were hung. A work table was in the middle which in some cases doubled as a dining table. Food was kept in the pantry or larder. The "poorer" kitchens often had some feminine wallpaper, pretty curtains, and some sort of wainscoting or the whole wall was in wood. Also several throw rugs were on a scrubbed wooden floor.

Of course doing all of these things would make your house a museum, but IMHO knowing what is true to the era will help you achieve a look that is better in keeping with your house. Maybe pick a few of the true Victorian kitchen elements and throw in an actual antique of that era (or close) and you'll get a unique look that is in keeping with your house.

My kitchen has elements that are antiques but newer than the actual age of my house. My house was built in 1885, but my antique cookstove, Hoosier hutch, and wall mount cast iron sink are actually 1910's era. But my antique hanging angle lamp and antique pie safe is of the late 1800's era. Also my kitchen will be mostly freestanding and a mixture of wood and painted cabinets.

I've got lots of combination of materials and colors. Antique Hoosier medium stained oak, antique pie safe dark stained cherry, new table-like island medium stained oak with antique white marble top, antique free-standing butcher block medium/dark color maple, floor is original oak floor with waterlox (turned out rather dark, but pretty), cabinets in sink area will be painted white with stainless steel double wall oven. Stainless steel or paneled with chalkboard fridge will be off in an alcove next to the pantry. Cookstove will be working as a cooktop only and is black cast iron with blue enamel and polished nickel trim. Also I will have a couple of throw rugs, one in front of the stove and the other in front of the sink. Walls will be painted yellow to match an old piece of wallpaper I found in my kitchen while making a new doorway.

I don't think you have to go with something other than wood on your floor if you go with wood cabinets. Casey's is all wood and it looks great!

Not sure if you've seen it yet, but one of my fave kitchen sites is "kitchens we love". They have loads of pics of unfitted old fashioned kitchens. Look under white kitchens, but make sure you look at all of them - but give yourself time. Really gorgeous pictures.

I thought orchidluvr's kitchen was in there but couldn't find it. If anyone has a link to that great kitchen I'd love to see it again.

Here is a link that might be useful: kitchens we love

I LOVE orchidluvr's kitchen! Here's the link

Here is a link that might be useful: orchidluvr's kitchen

Thank you!

I love the atticmag's "kitchens we love" - it was that website that sold me on the black and white theme with all that beautiful white subway tile, soapstone, and wood floors. Orchidluvr's kitchen is absolutely gorgeous. Mom2lilenj, you mentioned the "poorer" victorian homes. One of my problems with design is that I'm not sure how simple or fancy to go. Although our house is victorian, it's not Queen Anne. It looks like a victorian farmhouse from the outside, if there is such a thing. I'm pretty sure our house was a typical middle class home. In fact, one thing that always strikes me when people talk about "cookie cutter" homes is that ours was probably quite cookie cutter in its day. When I look at pictures of historic homes, I see the exact same moldings, the same stained glass window the same built in bench under the stairs, the same fireplace. The kitchen will definitely be a creative interpretation, since an actual kitchen from that era would have been purely for service purposes (and as our kitchen was tacked on to the back of the house, we suspect the original home had no kitchen at all except for an "out-kitchen", and certainly no bathrooms, which were also tacked onto the back.) I am fine with mixing modern, functional elements (like stainless steel appliances , which I happen to love) with vintage ones. The question is, what style of vintage? Part of me wants to make it warm and farmhouse-y, like Grandma's kitchen. Another part of me wants it to be more shabby chic, like an old hotel that's fallen on hard times. Or is there a way to do both, or something in between?

victoriajane,

Your post sounds exactly like me and my concerns when doing our kitchen last year for our 1890's Victorian that had a 1920's remodel - all of our oak woodwork was stripped of it's varnish in the 20's and primed and painted and that is how it remains! I do not like to have anything exactly like anyone else(I am a brat, I guess) and that can make for lots of research and waiting to find just the right thing.

We have 4 countertop surfaces(somehow it works), one of which is unpolished black granite, which looks a lot like soapstone, then marble,polished granite and stainless steel. I was thinking of subway tile for back splash, too, but found everyone is doing it now that the material is readily available and more affordable. We ended up with polished marble on the back splash, but I also considered beadboard(we used it on our butler's pantry, I really love the look and it can be an economical choice if you get the "fake" stuff) and painted pressed tin. We have the marble island and love it and all of it's etchings that my 3 kids inflict upon it. They are not really noticeable unless you look for them.

We have slider doors on repro. barn door hardware that divide our kitchen and breakfast room. Our house has pocket doors, but we could not afford to build 2 walls, so this was another research project and something we are really happy with and that everyone marvels over. I really think it turned out better than pocket doors would have and it is unexpected, which I like.

Our cabinets are creamy white with feet for an unfitted look. The main cabinets go all the way up the 12 foot walls, it is quite impressive looking, but fits the style of our home. Our bathroom cabinet is painted a red to give the impression of old wood - I could not afford to have "good wood" so came up with a color that happened to work really well for us. I bought most of my reproduction hardware from Van Dyke's restorers, Old House Parts, and Rejuvenation, all online. I have different types of drawer and door pulls, just one or two in key areas, to help the kitchen look as if it evolved. Our kitchen finally feels like it goes with the rest of our home - I used to feel like I was in a different house once I crossed the threshold of the kitchen - 1970 or so. I hope the photos give you some ideas outside the box!

The first photo is the before shot. The windows above the sink became the French doors in the next photo. I can not believe it is the same space.

prettykitty - All I can say is WOW!!!!!!!! - there is nothing about your kitchen (or bathroom) that I don't love. We are going to do similar thing you did w/ doors & barn door hardware and was wondering if you could divulge where your got your barn door hardware?

prettykitty1971, that kitchen is spectacular and how creative too with those barn doors!

victoriajane, how fancy to get is something I've been wrestling with too, but in my dining room. My house is what I call a PA farmhouse with Victorian elements. It was one of the first and largest working farms in my area until another farm bought out much of the land in the 50's. Now I only own the house and a little land around it. I do love the formal Victorian dining rooms, but I don't know how far to take it with my house without it looking silly. My kitchen was easier, I love warm homey farmhouse kitchens and lots of antiques so that's the way I went with my kitchen. I'm going to put in some PA dutch elements too. I've got some VERY distant PA dutch heritage and I love it's simplicity.

By "poorer", I mean more often than not, IMHO, kitchens were the women of the house's domain, she may have had a helper or two especially on baking day or with farms during harvest season, but even still she would have wanted it to be pleasant to be in. It wasn't as fancy as the dining room or parlor, but nice enough. Definately, the more wealthy homes had a servent or two and maybe even a staff. More so than now a days. And in those cases the kitchen was only for service and not as pleasant to be in.

By 1895, almost all kitchens were attached to the house, so I would bet that kitchen of yours is original, even with it tacked on the back. Your bathroom might have even been original depending on how wealthy the family was, by 1895 indoor bathrooms were becoming quite popular even without indoor plumbing. It just had a chamber pot and washstand.

Do you have any pictures of your house? It sounds lovely with the stained glass windows.

As far as what style of vintage you could create a kitchen that looks as if it evolved over time (I think prettykitty mentioned that). Could be rather unique. Maybe get an antique kitchen dresser or two a big work table with storage from the late 1800's or early 1900's, Hoosier (or whatever brand you like) from the early 1900's, lighting from the early 1900's when electricity was added (re-wired), sink that looks like indoor plumbing was introduced in the 20's, fridge from the 50's (just looks like it, I don't avocate acutally having one from then, one came with our house without a ground and it shocked us occasionally, needless to say we got a new fridge, LOL). Then lastly add a new range. I would still try to hide the microwave just because I don't think they look all that attractive.

My "new" kitchen pieces are a stainless double wall oven and french door fridge with water/ice in the door. I'm trying to hide the micro and dw, but on a budget. So we'll see how well that goes, LOL.

Here is a link to one of my favorite English Victorian kitchens. In fact I like the whole house too.

Here is a link that might be useful: English Victorian kitchen

Farmhousebound, thank you, you too can get the hardware at barndoorhardware.com - original, huh? I have the horseshoe shaped hangers(part that attaches to the door), but they also have a square hanger. They slide so easily, everyone that sees them likes to play with them. There's no doubt about it they are cool - you will love them. You can also order handles, but I want something different for handles and I haven't found it yet. With my rustic theme I have been considering using antlers as handles. My screen doors don't have handles either, for the same reason!

Mom2lilenj my dining room is a very large space and it and our foyer have a simple wainscoting that runs up the wall about 4 feet - higher than "chair rail" heighth. It used to have tile that matched the fireplaces running around the perimeter as a top boarder, but that was removed in the '20s - makes me ill to think about it! I did a similar application with beadboard in our new back hall - I could not afford to match the original panel. I will take pictures and post for you.

When I was picking out materials for our kitchen I finally reached a moment where I was afraid that the kitchen would be nicer than the rest of the house - which I did not want at all - so I began to try to pick out elements from the original house that could be reproduced in the kitchen, if only in variation, like the wainscoting and the slider doors instead of pocket doors.

Wow thanks prettykitty1971! I bet those tile around your dining room would have been fantastic! The PO in my house tore out ALL the woodwork on the first floor and "remodeled" to 1980's modern, so I understand that ill feeling. Good thing they had to move before they got to the upstairs.

Okay, I can't look at these beautiful kitchens anymore without drooling all over the keyboard. Prettykitty, yours is now one of my favorites. If it's not in a magazine yet it should be. How did you even come up with the idea of the sliders? I also like all your glass front cabinets. The cabinet people keep steering me away from glass to "maximize concealed storage". I agree with you about the white subway tile being overdone, the only trouble is , I love it so much, I may have to keep it in the plan. (but like you, I am a "brat" at heart, always have to be contrary!) Mom2lilenj, you may be right, the kitchen could have come with the house. The "flow" was terrible; a tiny butler's pantry leading from the dining room was the only way to access the kitchen from the rest of the house. Of course that didn't matter back then since there was most definitely servants back there (affordable even for the middle class) and not family members and certainly not guests. That was one of the first things I addressed with the new construction - there had to be two entrances to the kitchen from within the house. I also added a back stair which is something I've coveted my entire life. I've also decided to embrace the contrast of old and new. I love stainless steel - the simplicity and functionality is beautiful to me, so I decided not to go for retro appliances or cabinet panels. I even ditched the victorian style faucets in favor of the commercial, goose neck removable sprayer spring type. I figured if the appliances could be pro-style, why not the faucets. As far as vintage, I'm trying to salvage what I can from the old kitchen (which, although it had many 1970's elements, also retained a few of it's original) to use as free standing focal point. For example, our only cabinets in the old kitchen were one wall of built in glass front cabinet We salvaged the doors, as well as the drawer and cabinet fronts. I was thinking I could have them rebuilt into a freestanding hutch, but there is about an inch thick layer of paint and some of the wood is cracked, so now I'm thinking it's not worth the expense. The wood is not that good, and the cabinet fronts are very plain, mostly glass actually. I may salvage the hardware (latches) to be used on a new , vintage style piece. Also we salvaged a copper sink that had been buried under a marble countertop. I was thinking we could get a repro hoosier type hutch made, and set the copper sink in the counter, and that would be a sort of homage to the past.
Finally we salvaged a lot of beautiful stained wood molding from around windows and doorways that had to go in the construction. Still trying to figure out what to do with that. Mom2lilenj, I'm embarrassed to admit that I actually don't know how to post photos. (yes I'm a luddite.) If you give me instructions, I might be able to find some pix of the old kitchen and the rest of the house.
Prettykitty, is that a rangecraft canterbury hood over your range?

Did I understand correctly, your old kitchen had marble counter tops with a copper sink?! OMG!

You were smart to salvage as much as you can of the old kitchen. It may not be the cheapest route, but it will give you a unique look and will be guaranteed to be in keeping with your house. You can refinish the cabinet doors if the paint is really thick and put in wood filler in the cracks. But if you don't definitely keep the hardware AND the glass. I consider preserving the old a labor of love. It's a lot of work and may be expensive at times, but IMHO it's very rewarding. Can you tell I love old houses and antiques? LOL.

I think your plan to combine old and new will get you well on your way to having a unique vintage kitchen that's functional. Faucets, fridge, and other modern appliances are not period so I agree there isn't much need to make it look period. I was mostly just giving other options. Use as much of the old as you can. New just doesn't have the same look even when it's trying to look old. Also IMHO, if you use all new you run a greater risk of having a cookie cutter design if your not careful.

Ok how to load pictures (if you made it this far into my post, I get a little long winded when it comes to old houses, LOL), anyway... You will need a photo account somewhere. I use photobucket.com but there are many others out there. Once you have the account you will need to upload the picture in jpg format from your computer. Then resize the picture, then copy the HTML link located to the right of your picture (for photobucket). Then paste the link directly in your post. When you preview the message your picture should be there.

Here is a link that might be useful: To add pictures

prettykitty, I just saw you pictures of you beautiful home. Thank you so much for sharing! What a large dining room you have, the wainscoting is very nice and I love your floors. The antique hall tree is perfect for your front door, decorative and functional. Where did you get that gas fixture in the back hall (I think that is were it was) it's great!

You've done a great job decorating.

Okay, here goes:

Thanks so much for the link to adding pictures. Bear with me; I am technologically impaired. But admitting it is the first step toward recovery, right? Anyway, I think I was able to post two pictures of the front of my house and I am completely exhausted by the effort. I will try to find some more inside photos when I am re-energized.

Mom2lilej and Victoriajane:

Yes, I had a crash course in uploading last night - got my husband out of bed twice! to help me - he was not happy, I just looked at him with puppy dog eyes...
VJane, you are good, it is a Rangecraft, but it is a custom design. I had to go look on their website at what the canterbury is. Ours is taller than the one that looked likes it. My husband saw ours in a mag. article and had to have it, I said fine and our architect friend drew it, we sent the specs to Rangecraft.
Again, we are all the same wavelength, I love it...
The glass cabinets, I thought about that problem of food storage and how unattractive that is and how to make glass front cabinets work for me. I just felt glass would be more appropriate for the look I wanted - it just looks elegant to me and says "original" although I sure that most true victorians had wood fronts. I planned what would go in the cabinets before we got too far in design. I have about complete sets of china in addition to two sets of everyday dishes and needed a place to put/display them, so then I need a place for food. Its hard to visualize how much space you need for food when your food is all packed up for construction! I happened to have a little nook (it was our downstairs half bath, you could get your knees knocked off if someone tried to enter the bathroom while you were on the toliet!) that we originally designed as a desk area, that I made into "the pink pantry" which actually goes around a corner and is behind the refrigerator, where all the mess of the pantry is along with microwave and toaster oven. The part of the pantry that is visible (if you're at the main sink or range)stays neat and tidy given the way that it is designed - narrow shelves for spices, baking ingredients and display. I saw it in a magazine with it's victorian-ish trim and gave it to my carpenter and he just went to work. The counter in the pantry is just wood - out of money for any other surface and since there is not a sink in there it is not a problem. It is painted pink as that is the color that my 4 year old picked out - it was a compromise as she wanted the entire kitchen to be pink!LOL She also wanted Dora the Explorer knobs - yes, there is such a thing - but I put my foot down on that!

Mom2lilej: the beadboard wainscoting is the cheaper stuff(I think) it does not have as deep cuts/lines/beads as the good stuff and the flat vertical and cross pieces are not wood, they are that MDF that they are always making stuff out of on HGTV. The top piece is wood trim.

The year that we started the kitchen, I requested for my bday in January of 2006 that all I wanted was the extra half bath removed from the hallway, that it's and somehow it all morphed into this big project which would get us a downstairs bedroom for the future and downstairs full bath - PO had installed 2 half baths, one in the middle of a main hall. Our butler's pantry was on the diagonal because the doorway to the kitchen had been moved over about 3 feet for some unknown reason. We did not have a back door only a side and front door - the back door and back porch had been enclosed to a dead end. The side door is in the exact middle of our large home on the opposite side of where all of our property and kids played, so I would have to walk all the way around half of the house to yell at the girls for trying to kill each other - it's a wonder I didn't break one of those kitchen windows banging on it, trying to tell them to STOP! We have a back stairs, too, and I would be crazier than I am now without it.

here is our dining room with original wainscoting

Here is the new back hall

here is beadboard back splash on butler's pantry - I think this would really would be nice in the kitchen, but I went with the marble backsplash because I wanted the gray veining to go with the adjacent stainless steel countertops - I almost needed to be committed by the time I made up my mind!

Sorry for the long posting, I obviously need adult interaction...

My Pink Pantry - everyone really thought I was crazy to do the pink, I don't know how many times the painters asked if I wanted to change the color along with the green in the back hall. Now everyone loves it.

I'm sorry, I think I misspell your id name every time I post!

That fixture came from many mind numbing hours searching on ebay. I think I paid $100 for it and it is an 1870's or 1880's gas fixture that I had converted to electric. I think it is a Richard Vance. I have a copy of an early Vance lighting catalogue that shows the fixture available for purchase in the 1800's. I probably spent $150 having it polished and wired by my historic lighting guy. One day that dining room will have an appropriate fixture! Historic lighting is one of my passions...the lighting over our kitchen island, in the breakfast room and in the main hall are all from ebay. One day in the middle of the remodel as I was intently ebay surfing, my husband asked me after a lighting delivery how many lights I had bought, I replied while still staring at the computer screen "I don't know..." He could only laugh as he went out the door back to work to make more money. We always thought we were Craftsman people till we bought this house and I really began to study Victorian artitecture. Thank you for the compliment of my decorating style. This house is ridiculously huge - 10 foot doors and doorways, etc, but I am a minimalist and I feel claustrophobic if there too much in the room - I love the spaciousness of our home. I would probably cry if I had to live in a "normal" house, but I know it would be okay...Oh, we bought the hall tree out of this house - it has lived here for 35 years! The PO ran an antique business out of the house at one time and what didn't sell just stayed here, it was more like antique storage than anything. The first time I saw this house it had 6 empire dressers lined up back to back in the foyer and about 15 huge oriental rugs all rolled up staicked knee high in the main hall.

OMG that is a gorgeous home and an unbelievable porch - you are a lucky lady! I love the warm glow from the lights inside your house, it looks like a postcard. That is a huge tree on the right!

Congrats on learning to post, I need to learn how to make my photos larger.

We did a Victorian-esque kitchen some time ago in our house. What I found that really "made" the look were several things:

Reclaimed cabinet. We have a shallow depth cabinet that we salvaged from a tear down. It fits this particular space perfectly and adds a certain amount of age to the kitchen. Our newer cabinets are very close matches.

Hardware: We ended up using hexagonal glass knobs. That is what was originally on our reclaimed cabinet and we just kept going with them. They're jewelry, for sure!

Wainscoting: Our kitchen has original wainscoting and beadboard walls and ceiling. We found this after tearing out the plaster--quite by accident. It adds TONS of character. We did put the crown molding up.

Antique lighting: All of the lighting in our kitchen that is visible is either antique or made with antique parts, not lacquered. The brass has aged to a nice glowy darker color--like it's always been there. (I did use Kichler xenons under the cabinets for task lighting--LOVE them)

Some pictures:

The reclaimed cabinet is the one in the back corner with the apron hanging on the knob.

.....and now for the exterior. We're roughly dated to 1875 or so. No one really knows.

Just wanted to say thanks for all the photos and ideas. Ours is a 1927 tudor style -- not very authentic but at least "original" as we have lived here 30 years and are the second owners. In planning the new kitchen am hoping to do something similar -- re use leaded glass and some of the gumwood. I love seeing how you have combined old and new elements in your kitchens and thanks elizpiz and kitty for the great links and photos.

Here are some pics of a kitchen I worked on, more of an unfitted design that the homeowner came up with.
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Casey

I have to agree with Vivian31, those same elements are in our kitchen and for me, at least, really seal the deal. We found a bead board ceiling,too,hidden/preserved in our back hall - under sheetrock of all things - such fun to find treasures like that!

Vivian31 that is a beautiful kitchen, the wood on that reclaimed cabinet is gorgeous and I like your use of the pan light fixture. You have a gem in that exterior - I am jealous of all the history that you must have in that home - 1875 - I can not even begin to imagine...just give me roses and beadboard and I am a happy girl.

Arlosmom, I really like your black and white kitchen - that sink is to die for - I'm jealous! The hood is gorgeous and a real showstopper. I love the transom over the sink. I just like the whole package, obviously:-).

I am totally living vicariously through all of you! I would love to have a kitchen like these, but alas, live in a 1980's tract house in CA! I did manage to get tin for my ceiling when we did redo 3 years ago.

PrettyKitty, I love your barn doors. I did something similar for my bathroom doors, but it is enclosed at the top. This is just what I am looking for for my office that has double doors. Thanks!

Here is a pic of my tin ceiling, my FIL says it needs bullet holes to make it authentic!

I hope you don't mind that I have added many of your pics to my inspiration folders. Keep them coming!

Laura

I also just want to chime in here to say how much I am enjoying this thread. Not only are some of my "old" favorite kitchens here, but also, now I've got some new favorite kitchens to study and savor (e.g, Prettykitty and Vivian31-- where have you been all my design-a-new/unique/vintage-kitchen life?? :) Shucks, I'm feeling like I've died and gone to kitchen heaven!! Thanks everyone. Keep it coming!

BTW, Victoriajane -- your house looks sooo lovely. In the 2nd photo, in particular, it could be the cover of a Hallmark card! :)

I have to laugh.... Where have I been? Oh wow, my kitchen's been done for over 7 years....!! LOL I thought that everyone and their brother had seen it because I've posted pictures SOOOOO many times.

I should take some better pictures, though. Those are a few years old. :) I STILL love my kitchen.

House is for sale, though. Anyone? Takers? ;)

WOW! What beautiful kicthens. PrettyKitty, what is the yellow you used? We are at that stage where we're choosing a yellow for our foyer and kitchen, and it's soooooo hard!

Thanks,
Eliz

Thanks, marthavila, I sometimes have to look at it through someone else's eyes to appreciate it. We bought our house 11 years ago and it was badly in need of renovation THEN. Well, time went by, we had 4 kids, dh went through 3 internet start-ups, and the renovations never got done. Lauraella, there were times when I begged dh to sell our house and move us into a 1980's tract house - anything that was functional , warm in the winter and cool in the summer (lack of AC has been one of our biggest issues; we are taking care of that with the renovation as well.) Now, we are finally doing the renovation, but living through it (we can't afford to rent) has proved to be the biggest challenge yet. The GC had to build us a temporary kitchen and a new bathroom in the basement because they tore off our kitchen and 1 1/2 baths during the gut. The only way to access the basement is to go out onto the framing and down a set of temporary stairs. For about a week, the only way down was to go out the front door, around the back of the house and down the outside cellar stairs. IT WILL ALL BE WORTH IT. That is my mantra.

Does anyone know where there are salvage yards in So Cal? I am looking for a pair of doors to use like Prettykitty did, but not having any luck.

Thanks,

Laura

Laura, if you Google "architectural salvage california", you will get a number of resources, both stores in your area and web sites that sell direct.

Eliz

prettykitty,

Please get your kitchen into the finishedkitchensblogspot!

Why have you been hiding that incredible kitchen? You need to post a new thread with all those gorgeous pics and details so everyone on the kitchen forums can enjoy it.

And you have a Lacanche no less. What a kitchen! Just beautiful.

lauraella et al

I think it's great if you can salvage some doors for the slider application, but I wanted to point out that my doors are brand new doors, custom to match my other doors, and because I was dealing with a 10 ft opening. If you have a smaller opening you might be able to get away with a wood door(s) from Home Depot or some such place or even placing a transom opening above the door or doors to be able to use smaller(more affordable) doors. I have even seen some screened doors used this way as interior doors. Just some of the issues we dealt with when trying to come up with our answer.

I guess I could use the same doors we just put in the rest of the house, but I really was hoping to find something different, I just don't want to pay an arm and a leg or travel around the country! Here are the doors we just put in.
This is the bathroom door with an outside slider.

I could do this but I like your way better!

Thanks,
Laura

The yellow in our foyer is Colonial Williamsburg's Damask Yellow. The yellow in our new bathroom and butler's pantry is Benjamin Moore Sulfur Yellow. If you have painted trim it can be an extra-special nightmare trying to find the right yellow and there is nothing like it when the painters are just there waiting for you to pick the color! I will probably change our foyer to the Sulfur Yellow when it is time to repaint that space. I think the Sulfur has more gold/beige in it - it has more "depth" and the Damask is a brighter tone. Our cream trim is a custom match to I-don't-know-what and has some gold in it. I have had a number of compliments from people who have seen the Sulfur Yellow in person. The colors are so close at a glance that everyone assumes they are the same color. Good luck, I do not envy the pressure - I remember it well!

The first 2 are Sulfur Yellow, the bottom is Damask Yellow. The Sulfur Yellow is a richer color.

Laura, could you give me some information about your pressed tin ceiling?

Victoria,

We had always talked about doing that when we redid the kitchen, actually looked into doing it ourselves, but decided that was too much. A neighbor had a friend that was just starting his business, www.tinolgy.com. I will post the link below. I met with him and we picked out the pattern. It was actually the first ceiling he had done like this. We used to have the big 'box' there. It took him 8 hours! He glued each piece and hand nailed them as well. It is my WOW in my small kitchen.

When you look at the website, that is my kitchen on the ceiling link!

Have fun!

Laura

Here is a link that might be useful: tin

Prettykitty, thks for the info on the paint. We have been looking at BM colours, so I will check out the Sulphur - it's so rich.

Eliz