I just bought a fabulous house. It was built in the late 1930s, a big, charming, quirky Colonial Revival.
I want to try to keep the character of the house as authentic as possible, so I need some advice on what a kitchen in the 1930s would have looked like.
Luckily, the stove is vintage (two ovens-- ain’t that cool?), as is the sink and other major fixtures. My main questions are the kitchen cabinets, countertops and floor.
The cabinets may be original, guessing from the lever lock type latches. They’re painted white right now, and I’ve got varying responses from people when I ask whether they would have been painted when the house was built or not. Does anyone know what they would have looked like?
What about counter tops? The one that is in place now looks a bit worn, and I’ll probably replace it at some point. What sort of style should I shop for? The same goes for floor covering. The rest of the house is all hardwood (in immaculate condition, I might add) but there’s linoleum in the kitchen which looks relatively new. What style would have been fashionable in the 1930s?
I highly recommend browsing through old issues of This Old House, it will give you a most excellent feel for older homes.
In a recent TOH, they had an article on reconditioning vintage appliances so that if you have an older home the appliances fit the room and period it was made it. Which I thought was way cool. It is a bit pricey, but from what the article said, Old stoves just cooked better than their regular stove of today.
I love the thirties style of decorating. Which is why my home is a skandanavian modernistic styling. I’m retarded.
I would do my kitchen in strawberryied wall paper, white cupboards, red furniture and accent peices and yellow curtains or something. Shabby chic/flea market stuff. I loves me that. ( My husband would probably pop a blood vessel.)
Martha Stewart tends to have stuff that classic lines of the thirties with a vintage classic lines to it with less clutter and loads of organizing ideas.
Congrats on the new house and have fun with decorating!
I don’t know the age of the stove yet. The previous owner said that it was in the house when they bought it. It works like a dream, and looks great. I literally squealed when I saw it, and insisted it be written into the contract that *the stove must stay! *
There’s nothing much to be done about my fridge. I just bought it a couple of years ago, so buying another one will have to wait. (I’ve got a long list of things that I want to do that are going to keep most of my spending money tied up as it is.) Luckily, it’s a very plain refrigerator, so I don’t think it will look bad in the kitchen.
I’m planning to get some magazines and ads from the 30s, and frame them for decoration (I already have a great Time magazine with Scarlett O’Hara on the cover.) I’m hoping I can find a calander, too. I think that would be neat.
The kitchen is large, and flows into a breakfast nook with a row of nine-pane windows at the back (so it’s nice and sunny). Would one of those red-and-white check tablecloths be the thing to do in there? Does anyone know what kind of tablecloths were common in the 30s?
I don’t think there is a “right way” to do a 30s kitchen. Just so long as you avoid the “wrong ways” (anachronisms), you should be OK. Esp. when it comes to countertops and flooring–those shouldn’t be a big problem.
Look through some 30s ladies’ mags for some ideas. There should be lots of pictures, even some in color. I think you’ll find that lots of different tiles and stuff will work.
Oilcloth would work as a tablecloth, as well as being practical.
Hoosier cabinet reproductions, vintage refrigerator reproductions, the aforementioned oilcloth, and many other essential items for the 1930’s kitchen are available at Lehman’s
I don’t feel bad about posting their site here, because this company has sold me some wonderful stuff at good prices. Besides, I first found them from a Weird Earl’s posting.