I would probably try to mix large scale, plain modernist upholstery, tables and lamps, with some of your own pieces. This fatter stuff is the later in the period, sort of Art Deco inspired, and although this is all vintage, you can still find new pieces that reference this.

Irving Tobocman kitchens

I love the floors in the 2nd kitchen picture, looks great with the wood tone.

I immediately thought of Art Deco inspired pieces as well and love Pal's suggestions.

l pink mountain, yes it is a fireplace. That space is on the master suite level, right off the master bedroom. Not a space I would have created and not sure what I will do with it long term.

palimpsest, thanks for all the ideas. Love the kitchens although never imagined dark counter tops.

The furniture is simple, I like that. Do you see me using my fav piece? what style table and chairs would work?

The kitchens you showed me, is that the color cabinet you would suggest?

Thanks all.

Here are some more. I really like the 2nd one but think it would be cool with wallfall sides on the island.

Here are some more Irving Tobocman kitchens from the 80s to early 90s. I think the door is simpler than many of the wood and laminate options of the period and the radius ends are nice, and seem to work with your house. The wide band created by the top drawer is also a nice touch, and I think I would like it even more if it matched the countertop, perhaps in a reverse of what happens here, a wood lower portion with a top drawer color matched to the countertop somehow.

You don't have to do something like this, I think this was just a nice approach for the era, and it seems to be a signature of his houses.

Pal, those kitchens are fugly lol.

I think I don't like them because they were copied so so much in my area in low income homes of the eighties. The examples I gave above are takes on the higher end real estate . Maybe this is just a regional thing?

I love houses that have a specific design but a different but combined style in the furnishings. As mentioned, I'd hire a local designer to help you mix what you have (and want to keep) and work with the distinct style. I love your area. I frequently drive down to ride my bike from Long Beach to Huntington Beach for lunch then back again as I live north of you.

If you look at the details, they are all radiused ends and on high plinths. That separates them from low end. Radius details aren't low end and no low budget housing was copying that. , I think you're responding to the laminate.

I'm responding to the low end copies as stated. Pal you wouldn't believe how much that style was copied down here. Copied in a bad way. That's why I can't look at it without thinking cheese whiz...regardless of the better quality part. Now, pass the barbecue weenies and a Bartles and Jaymes wine cooler.

Can't help it when it comes to those kitchens. And, you know I often like ugly.

justerrilynn, I do like the kitchens you posted. I like the darker/med cabs on bottom. I won't be doing white cabs, unless maybe mixed in, on top. I'm thinking of only a couple uppers. Thanks but I am not a fan of the waterfall countertops, is that a pretty popular trend? Thanks.

palimpsest, I do love the radius detail and the doors on that island. Definitely looks as if it could have been original to the house. I know I want simple doors like that and the handles are like whats all through the house now. Thanks.

cmarlin20, I have never hired a designer before, something to def consider I know. Yes, thats a great bike ride. Thanks.

Vicnsb, do you mean something like this with a few mixed light uppers? Pretend the bottom cabinets are the sample wood but a tic darker.

Another question: I love those dark floors in one of the all wood kitchens Pal posted above. Would that chop up your space if you did that? The contrast with the wood and a few light uppers sure would be stunning.

Or, do you just not like dark floors?

Its all really a process of elimination at this point so it's all good.

justerrilynn, thanks for the photos. I do like the mixed cabs and cabs mixed with open shelving. I do not like dark floors. I would like the main floor to have the same flow of light flooring. I also have 2 dogs and a cat so dark shows all! I love the feel of this kitchen...

Queen Anne Mid Century Kitchen Design · More Info

Thanks!

I don't know what they call it but I love it!!! I really love it!

ETA: Pal, do you think that would work?

The sunken sitting area--is the sectional built in? Will you have to commission a new one or what?

Too bad it's in the master suite. If not it would be a great play area for kids/grandkids. I am so jealous of your Lego Containment Area!

I like that kitchen a lot and I think you could work with that general palette but that look is really a bit earlier, circa late 1950s to 1960s. I think you would have to make it a bit more robust, heavier, a little curvier to make it not seem too lightweight for the house. And no marble tiles or rectangular tiles. A slab marble backsplash or square tiles especially with that aluminum grid.

Yes, I was concerned with that backsplash working. Of course I love the open shelving (I have it : ) If those shelves where thicker though would it start looking a tad industrial in the darker wood? The existing though is a bit thin. What would one do for this house? Could one get away with thicker shelves in the warmer lighter floor color? Or, white? not sure about white shelves though.

Maybe a layer of the two wood tones?

Not like this but the idea of this.

Original below

Fori is not pleased, Hi, yes I do wish that was on a different floor than the master for just that reason! It is a custom built in that I have not even thought about what to do with yet. Going to focus on the main floor first.

Ironically, my current house 60's had a sunken conversation pit with fireplace and seating bench that served as the stage and best tap dancing spot, the fort for many boy battles, the spot for all the kids to open Christmas presents but for me a cold and drafty hole in the living room. Years ago we raised it level with the room and replaced the fireplace. Great decision.

Brass handles too much?

That kitchen says "modern" to me and I'm not sure why all the negative reactions. I get it about the low-end copies, but that's now what you have. It is right in line with the new minimalist, starker style that is all the rage. I love flat, sleek kitchen surfaces, easy to clean and keep looking fresh! I hate 80's and 90's oak, which is what I have. Get's gunky and is usually laminate, can be painted but not the greatest. Everyone is dying for an all white kitchen and you have a vintage one. If it ain't broke, don't fix it. I also think you don't have to be a total slave to your time period, but it does take some finessing. Your china cabinet is a show piece and I could totally see it in there with many style of tables and chairs. Maybe some upholstered ones in blue? That would be cool.

I have an 80's house but it doesn't have a very distinct architecture style like Vic's. I stayed as close as I could to the style/age when decorating (excluding master bath) but had to work with a somewhat new kitchen that I wouldn't have picked ...but, except for the counter material it works ok. I love Vic's home and can't wait to see the end result. There are a small handful of that style near, I'm getting the remodel bug again. My house has a few things I don't like and one is the 8" ceilings. For Vic it would be hard to ignore the rounded beefiness when planning the remodel. It's pretty exciting I think as we don't often see that style here.

Ipinkmountain, I think the issues that vicnsb has with the kitchen are primarily the layout with no connection to the family room, the tile countertops and ending up with a relatively exposed cooktop if she makes a connection to the family room. I don't think she dislikes the appearance so much.

This house is amazing. I love the uniqueness of it. I could see Andy Warhol living in it. I would use 50-80's pieces. Seriously, you could get away with midcentury in this house and it would look great. I definitely see an eames lounge in this home. I dont think the more traditional pieces work though. I like the last kitchen you chose.

One of the things that's interesting from houses from Post WW II to the late 80s or even early 90s is that no matter how big or expensive the house is, no matter how big or open the kitchen is, the materials used in the kitchen are relatively modest.

Marble had always been used in master baths, to some extent. Granite counters started popping more frequently in the 80s and 90s (black or grey speckled, mostly)...but essentially, the materials were plain. Laminate countertops were not considered low end. Inexpensive wire pulls were popular hardware with architects. Vinyl flooring was common.

Here's another few:

So it can be kind of hard now not to go a bit over the top when doing a kitchen for a house of this period, because now even the most modest houses may have elaborate stone countertops, complex tile backsplashes, and chandeliers.

Over the top...you mean like this? I do like that bit of round though on the counter end whether it be wood, or other for this style house.

I'm so glad Vicnsb posted because it's so much fun looking at all the possibilities.

Not even so much as that.

If you look at the house in question, and the kitchens I posted, and many of the houses of this particular style, there is nothing that creates an actual "pattern" that varies from a line or grid in the entire architectural vocabulary of the house. Pattern is really defined only by the shape of whatever it is. If granite shows up, it's specked and reads as a solid, or black. Wood grain is rift cut or a wood that doesn't show much grain. It's subtle enough that glaze variation on tile may read as a "pattern". The exception is the use of marble in bathrooms or around fireplaces in some houses and in those cases the marble is treated almost like artwork.

Pal, The first picture in your last group of kitchen photo's was fairly common here except there was often either mauve or sea foam accents somewhere or touches of brass. I saw one that was almost identical while house hunting but it had mauve countertops. It was actually a nicely made kitchen. Someone ended up getting a great deal on it as it sat for a long time because of the kitchen and had been reduced several times. It wasn't just because of the color aesthetics though, one had one step down to a sort of sunken kitchen. So, before the step down the view was that the base cabinets looked customized for a very short family.

This is a long term survivor locally. I would like it better without the darker maroon accents. It also has a lavender bathroom.

Oh I had a friend with that kitchen minus the floor which was almond colored 6" (?) tile. It's cool to see drawers in that kitchen time frame or (?). However, I never saw the roll ups except in corners. I like how that was done in your photo.

palimpsest, I am drawn to those kitchens you have posted. The one I posted I am drawn to as well as far as more current pics. I find what you are saying about "the houses of this particular style, there is nothing that creates an actual "pattern" that varies from a line or grid in the entire architectural vocabulary of the house" I have looked at the rooms over and over and I see the windows that have a step down design they made in the dining space, the step down side of the fireplace, the grid in the kitchen, the rounded walls and rounded stair rails...these jump out at me. So I'm not sure that I follow what you are saying? If these details were not so pronounced it seems I could do anything lol. I know nothing about design, can you clarify for this layman please? Thanks!

justerrilynn, I have written a long post thanking you for the photoshop twice, including new pics but its no where to be found! Ok I will try again tomorrow. Thanks though!

I guess what I mean is that there is nothing on the surface that creates a pattern: in current kitchens there are active granites, backsplashes that vary in shape of tile and may have multiple colors and shapes, and cabinets that may have panels and trims and other decorative features, and hardware with details. All these things contribute to shape and pattern, and your house really doesn't have any of that. Things are linear or curved and there are grid shapes but it's all "structural" so to speak, not surface decoration.

I was walking through the lobby at my office and thought of this thread. I had never given much thought to the architecture or interior design of the building, but this thread opened my eyes. The building has a radius corner that you can see in the pic. Built in 1990.

palimpsest, ok yes, thats what I am looking at are the defined structural shapes. It does tell me to keep the rest simple. The kitchen, not exactly, that I posted speaks to me because I want the kitchen to flow with the rest of the main floor, not stick out as the kitchen, but blend in.

Whatever surfaces I choose for the kitchen will have to consider the dual sided fireplace in the dining room/living room. They used different colored tiles on each side, the dark red tile is also used in the main bathroom on this level. So many things to consider as a whole.

It will be interesting to see the differing opinions on the fireplace. I would have those colors gone and do this.

The fireplace itself is Post -Modern. The fireplace, the stepped windows and the railings are all elements that would make a kitchen thats too mid-century modern a difficult fit.

It's difficult, you don't really need to make the kitchen look exactly like it's from 1982, but the house has such a powerful personality that there's not a great deal of leeway.

I usually say that since kitchens do get redone, its sort of a natural progression that a house have a kitchen of the era that the kitchen was redone. This works okay in a lot of later 20th century houses that are not really to one way or the other design-wise.

But when it comes to fairly pure modernism and post modernism, there are a few problems: 1 that modernism is a relatively strong master, and 2 that millenial kitchen and bath styles have their antecedents pretty firmly planted in the pre-modern part of the 20th century. So I think you can see that a perfectly nice white shaker door and built up moulding kitchen with a quartzite countertop and glass mosaic accented backsplash and overscaled lanterns or early-factory style lighting is a poor fit. ( although many don't seem to see it from what I see in real estate).

This is a bossy house. That's what's great about it, but it also makes it inflexible to an extent. This is why houses by well-known architects, or iconic houses may sit on the market even when they are priced in line with other more ordinary houses. The house won't let you go in and do whatever you want to it like some houses will.

Well said palimpsest, and I agree. Its exactly why I am looking to learn more about the house and going to live in it while making my decisions. I don't want the kitchen to look like it does now 1983 nor do I want it to look like so many of todays kitchens....I will find my inspiration.

Choosing materials for counters and backsplashes/fireplace will be challenging. I can't afford to come in with all new remodel and furniture so will have to work with what I have as I progress.

Here is part of the master bedroom as it looks with current owner, I am hoping to find a bed very much like this one. This floor will have to wait until the kitchen level is done tho.

I love and appreciate all the information, opinion and ideas. thank you.

This is one of those times where it would be great if they wanted to convey some of the furniture with the house.

Here's a house that has a handsome kitchen that just kinda doesn't fit:

http://www.estately.com/listings/info/2652-w-long-lake-road

I was just going to post the same thought about buying some of the furniture and recovering it. I still say keep what you already have and love, a good designer can make your loved pieces work and make a good statement..

Some random pieces that would work...

I don't know exactly what's going to happen in the kitchen but if you wanted to continue in the neutral vein of the wall color you could do counter and backsplash in something like this which is Cambria quartz and Fireclay: This tile seems close in spirit to what is on the fireplaces.

But I also kind of like the blue accents that exist and you could go in a blue direction for the countertops and backsplash

palimpsest, while scouring for inspiration I start feeling overwhelmed by so much dark, formalness to some of the rooms and furniture. Then I went back and reread the thread and saw that all the pieces you did suggest are light. Since this is a beach house, I want it to be light and airy, not formal in any way. Not easy to just pick a beautiful home from Coastal Living and say ok thats my look. I really like the tile and counters you posted and I'm curious though, are you suggesting leaving the fireplace as is? Many thanks.

Wow, that's kinda a weird fireplace placement. What a fun project to re-imagine this house. I hope you like modern. I didn't use to like it (when it was actually the middle of the last century and 80's and I was young) but it is growing on me. Now I can appreciate some of the aesthetic and also have seen what the high end interpretation of that style was, which I did not see a lot of growing up. I still think all that open space works better in the South. Too expensive to heat here up north.

I would either leave the fireplace as is or change the hearth tile, I am not a huge fan of pink tones with maroon tones, and the blue is a little bright.

But if you used blue in the kitchen maybe the same tile could be used for the hearths or maybe one of the neutrals or a grey would work. I think it's the original combos I don't care for, not so much the individual colors.

Vicnsb, there is lots of inspiration for your house style here https://deringhall.com/search-portfolios?search_all=art%20deco

If you get a screen pop up to sign up just hit the top right corner of pop up and X out. The page will still be there. You want the Art Deco "lookbook" section.