I suspect those are original. Most of the remodeled kitchens I've seen in houses of that age are pretty definitively of their era---e.g., if it had been done in the 30s or 40s, you'd see a very different aesthetic. Ours screams 1940s, and you can tell which things they reused. :) I'd note a few things: - It was common to replace parts but not all of a kitchen for functionality. The lowers might have been replaced to get a new sink, for instance. - Our 1915 Bay Area bungalow had cabinetry with the sink sitting on top per the blueprints, not a freestanding sink---even though those were common. Good to remember that just because it doesn't look like what was most common doesn't necessarily mean it isn't original! Our original sink was probably a big farm sink top sitting on the cabinets, based on the size and placement of what they drew. - We have butterfly hinges on a cabinet that we know was put in as part of a 1939 remodel; they were floating around for years after their peak use (and still are!) So hard to say. In our house, we try to match the original hardware whenever we replace things, so if you had people like us living there at some point, it could screw up your guesswork. ;) The fact that the doors match the rest of the house would be a big indicator to me that they are likely original. In our house all the original doors/cabinets match, and all the cabinets put in during a 1939 remodel match. You can tell the same cabinetmaker made each set of drawers, boxes, etc. Also, it looks like some of your cabinets are framed into the moulding between doorways? That would have been a pain in the neck to do afterwards, which would also seem to support their being original. On the painted woodwork, it was common to paint woodwork in kitchens (white was considered "cleaner"), bathrooms, and bedrooms while leaving the "public" woodwork in the LR and DR unpainted. The stained woodwork was higher quality wood (oak and elm in our house---though all sadly painted now!), while the painted trim was cheaper (redwood here). But again, that's just what was common---not what everyone did. I've seen some higher-end homes in one of our city's planned bungalow neighborhoods from the 1910s where the kitchens have gorgeous original oak trim. In any case, I love the doors! Are you keeping them?

FYI - we have 6 yr old Kraftmaid natural cabinets (custom) inherited from the PO. Bought new appliances & had to order a new, deeper cab for over the stove/microwave. After > 2 mths, the cabinet came and it was BLONDE not "yellow" as the older cabinets. Thankfully, the store ordered the wrong dimensions so we were able to send it back, but now we are crushed...new microwave that is still in the box mths later! No fan over the stove! Unfortunately, the fan for the stove is under the microwave or I'd just buy a vent hood or something. Can't find a mix 'n match (maple + darker cabinets) that uses maple. I found an article on the WWW where one can set the cabinet out in the sun to age it and check it hourly until it is the shade to match our other. Has anyone else tried this? Also found different advice from sanding and refinishing to tainting shellac and can honestly say am not remotely interested in those, i.e., we're at the tail end of major renovations (inside & out)& just do not have the will to start another project. New - matching - kitchen cabinets were not part of the budget. Any words of wisdom are appreciated.

Hi maddielee.I bought the piece as is,now that you say that, I think it is possible there was a bottom piece at some point in time...lol...I was planning on stripping it down to the wood and painting it a teal green/blue and using it to house plants and books,i just wanted something really funky for my family room.I am in Canada and it is possible it was made by a Canadian maker,which seems to make it harder to find info on the piece,if I knew the age I would possibly change my plans for it and redo it as close to original as possible,it needs some work as someone drilled new holes for smaller handles and also put nails in the shelves inside,i am going to buy some maple plywood and make new shelves.I assumed it was from the 60s, but from what little info I can find on the internet it looks like it may be older than I thought.

tara, I will make picture soon as I can. I need to go in there to look but I believe the motif on slanted front sides is a vine and berry arrangement and inside, there was a hanging rod, shelf at top plus little holders on door. Closet sounds right!