What to do with a wall that has a 1950’s grill and hood in it?
I inherited a 1955 MCM ranch style home built by my father. There is a grill and vent system in the Florida room. I never saw it used but it was built before my time. I don’t know what to do with it. The original house plans (Irving E. Palmquist, Home Planners Inc. #831) called for a fireplace with marble facing hearth and mahogany wood paneling. I will assume that idea was nixed because it was built in Florida. Any suggestions on what I should do with this wall?
Comments (12)
Lisa Dancisin
3 years agoRelated Discussions
1940's/1950's Pomona Ceramic Tiles....where do I find more?
Comments (11)I was trying to figure out what to do with my kitchen tile---yellow, probably 50s.....same kind of a thing as you.....caused by replacing a countertop that had post-formed backsplash. I found some places that would custom make tile to match. Try searching on "custom replacement tile" or something like that. As it turned out, I found a very close match in new tile so I didn't have to have any made. Weirdly, I found a close color match at Home Depot from the United States Ceramic Tile Company. The sample board for special orders was placed way up high on the wall and I almost missed it. I did separate the old tile from the new tile with a black liner tile so that the colors weren't right next to each other. They are very, very close in color though. I practically had a nervous breakdown before I found them, expecting to have a huge problem. If you can't find something, can you think of any kind of a skinny little cabinet or something to put there that wouldn't look totally odd? Sometimes the stuff I like the best comes out of a situation like this....See MoreRetro/Vintage 1950s/1960s style kitchens?
Comments (49)Oh ! MY then you would love to have my kitchen , I started retroing it the minute the landlord told me to go for it ,and then when she told me the age of the house , I loved it even more , it's a 1920's Sears Craftsman home ,I love the the huge cabnets not, alot of space but I like it , it's still has the sink comeing out of the wall and of course the same windows with the weight in side, so far I stubled on a 1945 Gafflers and Staller stove , pressure wash it and got all the grills and stuff cleaned and the only thing I haven't gotten to yet is finding a clock for it , i've been all over the antique store's lucky me I live in Orange County and the orange circle is just brimming with retro items, on the mirowave I simply bought a red one from Target like 60 bucks and a red coffee pot, if you have any good wills in your area hit them up , cause alot of estate things go there , I've painted my kitchen red and yellow , took the rather large drawers and took some paint remover , and some elbow grease and a paint gun which just melts the paint off , painted them red and found some little rooster decals that I put on , went to the 99 store and food some checkered red and white contact paper and put them in the drawer some plactic deviders to . Because I'm into both the retro, feista and the older pyrex , you know the different colored one with the little lids, i found scores of them in the goodwill nd also the different color pyrex bowl set , for a grand total of five bucks ,it's got a door to that leads to the laundry room , so i took out the old glass and put some screen wear the glass was and painted the door red and then found some red and white checked curtains and it looks super , even still has those old looks with the knob to open the door , I'm still trying to find the perfect frigerator , I saw one on one ad and fell in love it's a kelvanator foodarama (SP). Know i have the Idea to pull up the linolim (SP) and see what he wood looks like, maybe sand it and do the red and white checker board my self or be lazy and find the red and white checker board myself , as for the kitchen counters I hate them the tile , but i want to go for the old soda pop look , red linolem , so far. as for the arctiure of the the house it's soild and and i love the wood detailing so i'm just going to get out my magic eraser and clean , the walls do need paint has a few cracks bit i figure to paint the walls a camel color so the cracks will give off a shadow , if you go to the 99 cent store you with find alot of red if that's your color and the good will you would be amazed , I found and old ceder wood cabnits that hold plates and glasses and I store my pyrex and feista wear in there , also at the good will I found not one but 9 chrome toaster with the cloth cord for 99 cents apiece still in the box to took them home shined up a little ,put them up on ebay for 50;00 a piece and all sold except the one I kept and still use , I don't know if alot of folks go to the good will but you can find lots of stuff , I'm fixin to paint my 1945 stove red , like i said i live in what i call antique town , I just got the universal knobs to the stove , because it has the stove on one side and the broiler on the other and has the griddle in the middle , I guess the floors are pretty stonge cause that thing took 4 good sized men to get in my kitchen oh and of course , i found some old cambells soup and vegatable ad that came out of the time life magazines painted some black frames and put them on the wall above the stove , I will have to take a picture although not all toghether yet I still love my kithen even if it is in the works. Take care...See MoreReturn ducts on exterior walls in 1950's house
Comments (6)HVAC is not my trade. Your duct installation is typical for the 1950s. Apparently it does comply with the latest codes. I had a 1953 house with that duct system changed from oil furnace (no AC) to heat pump. The existing duct sizes were adequate for the heat pump. Replacement ducts would have been flex type and would have involved patching the old cutouts and making new ones. So the existing sheet metal ducts were sealed and insulated on the exterior. The results are satisfactory. Less costly too....See MoreWhat paint color for this ugly 1950's bathroom?
Comments (159)I will disagree that the seam will be obvious. Not if the pattern is matched properly. Moreover, the curtain will be large enough to have some gentle folds in it so the seam won't be noticeable. The other alternative is to do a double shower rod. The outer one is for the decorative curtain which can be smaller than a regular shower curtain and hangs there to add color and hide the plumbing and the waterproof curtain. The inner rod is for a waterproof curtain (white, clear, whatever) which slides the length of the tub for when in use. Mom did that in her bathroom where the fabric she loved was a remnant and didn't have enough to do the whole shower curtain. By doing so, you aren't limited to shower curtains, but can either make your own panel or buy any drapery panel you want of an appropriate length. In this example, they used the decorative fabric on either side with a pullback, but note the other rod underneath for the waterproof curtain. Here, the panels hang straight. Here is an example of a panel on just one side. Note the outer rod doesn't even reach the length of the tub....See MoreLisa Dancisin
3 years agolast modified: 3 years agoI did not know anything about Irving Palmquist and his associates until today, when I saw his name on the plans and google him. The room has always been enclosed. We’ve always used it for a TV room with the other LR being used as formal seating area. I want to change it up a bit and use this area for a game/party room since it leads to the pool area. Make the formal LR a family TV room.
I like the idea of a bar. I like the idea of going with the original idea and putting in a fireplace the way it was designed. (Might opt for gas because I think it’s already set up for it, not 100% sure, sounds expensive either way) I’d leave it if it was practical and would be used, but once again I assume it wasn’t practical, that’s why I never saw my Dad use it. I only plan on living here maybe 5 more years. I don’t know what would be more appealing to someone buying a MCM home, a fireplace, bar or ill placed indoor grill?
houssaon
3 years agoI would get rid of it. It seems there is room enough to build in a place for a TV where the grill and the vent and the cubbyhole is.
What is on the other side of the wall? Are the areas circled in red closets in an adjacent room?
Lisa Dancisin thanked houssaonLisa Dancisin
3 years agohoussaon
3 years agoqam999
3 years agoLisa Dancisin
3 years agoI agree that it needs to go. Above the cubbyhole is a 20 or 25 gallon booster hot water heater that sits on a shelf. I replaced it recently because (it was 15 yrs old) I don’t have a clear idea on what to do and it’s always been there.
The bedroom behind it could benefit from the space because it’s the smallest of four. But to get the full benefit, I would loose that closet.
I could just pull out the hood and cover with drywall and call it a day.I could pull out the hood, cover the grill with marble, install a sink (got water lines right there) and make it a bar.
Or, I could pull the brick, grill and hood out and put in a fireplace with some sort of brick or stone and replace the paneling and leave the cubbies. Maybe make that some sort of bar thing.
The more I think about it, the more confused I am about what to do. I’m so tempted to cover it and leave it like a time capsule for someone to find 10, 20 years down the road. Maybe the indoor grilling thing will have made a huge comeback by then.
If money wasn’t a problem (within reason say around 8k) what would you do?
Design Girl