Updating 1940s Garage Apartment Kitchen

last year

I am updating the kitchen of my garage apartment kitchen built in 1940. It's a 500/600 sqft apartment. The kitchen has a lot of original features but unfortunately went untouched (not even for repairs) for at least 20 years. This means a lot of the original touches are beyond saving. I am able to save the original cabinets, but everything including the countertops, backslash, floors, appliances do not have a chance. I would love to stay true to the apartment's historical nature while making sure the kitchen has all the modern day necessities. I'd love any tips and especially before an after photos from your own projects.

Comments (6)

PRO
Patricia Colwell Consulting
last year
We need pictures you need to go get the appliances for sure. A to scale floor plan is always a good idea too. The reason I say ge the appliances is becuase right now they are hard to get and without hvaing those chosen there is no way to get a good kitchen design. Also info as to how you cook how many you cook for all the info pertinent to the kitchen
Olivia Kaoui
Original Author
last year
The space is a rental. So far there's a new fridge and dishwasher. I am searching for space efficient oven/stove and stacked/washer dryer. The i coming tenant doesnt have a preference as to whether the oven/stove are gas or electric. Electric is beneficial since it's safer, but this is in Houston where gas is a must during a hurricane/freeze.

I can attempt to get a photo today. The space is in pretty bad shape.
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A couple of questions: Is this a house you actually own already, or is this a hypothetical? Leading to: Is there a kitchen there already? What is there? There's no point in worrying about finding cabinets if you have a kitchen full. Don't trouble trouble until trouble troubles you, as they say ... In your area, who is the most likely person to rent to? Students? Low income people? Health care workers near a hospital? Is it a resort area? A retirement community? These things may influence your decisions. "What people want" in incredibly subjective. Each of those groups named -- and there are so many not named -- would want different things, and individuals would want different things. Basically, though, in a rental, do as little renovation as possible without serious thought, and learn all your legal rights and responsibilities. Maintain scrupulously though. (I know I have rejected many apartments just by smell alone. Sometimes just by the smell in the hallways.) As for "vintage" hardware -- try salvage houses. People sell it by the baggiefull. I have rented several apartments and houses with simple, modest kitchens and strict, honest landlords. Personally, I prefer this style to the owners who watch too much HGTV, get dollar signs in their eyes, have their brother in law slap in bargain granite, triple the rent, and throw a badly-spelled, hyperbole and exclamation-point laden ad on craigslist. Bottom line: I would make the best choice based on the house for the area and the market, maybe access to public transportation and the things the renters would be interested in: schools if that's part of the target, the local business park if that's the target, the beach, shops, medical facilities, pool etc. THEN I'd look at the kitchen, and me? I'd look to making what you have the best it can be. At least while you get the hang of being a landlord.
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I'm pre-reno still, but in my former kitchen, even though it was super tiny, I had PLACES for things to go, even if it meant that the crockpot went above the fridge cabinet, it still had a place that it could reside. In the current kitchen...no proper places for anything. It's infuriating. My pots and pans have to go in a corner cabinet and everything goes everywhere when I try to get one thing. So, I've taken to leaving my "daily use" pots and pans on the counter. The weekly use or bi-weekly use ones usually get put away. And because I dislike it so much, it's kind of a dumping ground for mail and so on. We have no place for recyclables, so those sit on the ground next to the garbage or on the counter until we remember to take them out when we head outside. Even though my former kitchen was smaller, it was much better planned (surprisingly for a builder layout) and had places for things to go and it was far easier to cook in and clean up. As for marble. I don't know what to tell you. Hopefully you got honed so that you won't have a lot of etching show. Will it stain? It probably will at some point. Some time you will be at that point where you *should* reseal it and you won't have gotten around to it. And someone will spill red wine. It'll happen. At some point. But Europeans have been using marble for ages and ages and they live with it. Your first stain will kill you. After that, it will begin the process of turning into "patina" and memories of your years with it. Honestly, if I could find a piece of marble countertop that has been well loved for about 30 years so that the first stain and etch wouldn't be mine, I'd snatch it up in a heartbeat. Or if my husband weren't as, ummm....let's say "detail oriented" to remain positive...I would go for marble. He would never forgive/forget the first mark be it that he made it or I did. So, for us, marble isn't a choice. But, if you can look at your marble as inevitably getting signs of being loved, you should be happy with it. :)
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This is my personal opinion. I'm no expert about this. I think if the house is a blank slate style-wise, you can take it in almost any direction you prefer. Although you need to have a vision for the entire home to make this work. You don't want to end up with a country kitchen, super-modern baths, and a Craftsman living room. I guess I would start by asking myself if the lines of the home are more horizontal or vertical. Again, my personal opinion, but I think horizontal lines lend themselves better to more sleek styles like modern, MCM, or whatever. Just something more streamlined. While horizontal lines lean more toward traditional, transitional, and country-ish/cottagey styles. What do YOU like? What do you envision for the rest of the home? I'm sure you'll get better, more concrete advice from others. And it may be helpful to post this question in the Home Decorating forum, too. And probably time to start finding inspiration photos.
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I don’t know where Sophie’s comments that I bookmarked on this thread went, but they were more than relevant. And still ARE relevant. “If you think a garage can be built for $40 a square, you’re either building virtually substandard crapola, or you’re not a real licensed and insured GC. I’d put money on the latter since you had to post a question on Houzz that no Pro ever would. A garage apartment is just a small house. It has all of the expensive parts and very little of the inexpensive ones. Not to mention the problem of running plumbing g pipes through the garage in unconditioned space. It will be more expensive per square foot than a house. Much more. If you think you are being charged too much, then go right ahead and build one of your 40K specials and see how far that actually gets you.” “You do not hold a GC license with the state, correct? Liability insurance does not cover illegal contracting. And you can only contract for a personal residence that you own under limited circumstances. Karma will out.” ”Stop claiming to be a GC illegally contracting for a commercial building. Do you carry liability and workman’s comp as is required for new construction? ”I have been a general contractor for houses and a business. I understand every aspect of the construction process.” Not.”
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sheloveslayouts
last year
Our house had a big remodel in the 1940s. When we were planning our renovation I spent a lot of time looking at kitchens from that decade. Retro Renovation had a great series on 1940s kitchen design formulas. Here's a link: https://retrorenovation.com/tag/1940s-kitchen-design-board/
Kendrah
last year
I think the fact that this is a rental is quite important. You want materials that are rugged and durable and I presume not high end. I would focus on a few key touches that signal 40s vibe - vintage looking lights, checked floor, white appliances, and the original cabinets. I would not use a stone counter material - corian or linoleum. All else I would focus on durability and ease of replacement.

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ci_lantro
last year
Very much looking forward to the Before Pictures. Sounds like a fun project.
ellaphant
last year
last modified: last year
I lived in a Houston apartment from the late '30s during grad school. It had a 20" white Danby stove with rounded lines that went with the vintage look. If you can fit a 24", this Summit range has vintage vibes:https://www.nordamappliance.com/_CGI/MODEL?KEY=DAN:DR202WGLP

I see you have a fridge, but something like this would be adorable, depending on space: https://www.discountbandit.com/galanz-12-cf-top-mount-refrigerator-retro-style.html?gs=1

From visiting various Houston homes, garage apartments, and apartment buildings from that era, I'd use small hex tile as the backsplash...many of the original counters were made from it. The places that felt most desirable to me as a renter played up black and white, like black and white tiled floors, white cabinets, hex tile backsplash, black counters, etc.

Updating 1940s Garage Apartment Kitchen

Comments (6)

Patricia Colwell Consulting

Olivia Kaoui
Original Author

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ellaphant

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Updating 1940s Garage Apartment Kitchen

Comments (6)

Patricia Colwell Consulting

Olivia KaouiOriginal Author

Related Discussions

sheloveslayouts

Kendrah

ci_lantro

ellaphant

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Olivia Kaoui
Original Author