UPDATE: A new kitchen inspired by an ad from 1959
by
Douglas Hunt
I'm so excited that the website www.retrorenovation.com, a great source of information if you have a home from the 40s, 50s or 60s, has done a feature on the kitchen renovation I shared with Hometalk readers. You can check it out here:
http://retrorenovation.com/2013/07/15/retro-modern-kitchen-inexpensivmerola-mosaic-tile/
I love my mid-century house by the beach, but I've always regretted the fact that the previous owners ripped out the original kitchen and put in one of those characterless and cheap oak-trimmed laminate kitchens that for some inexplicable reason were so popular in the 1980s. When I finally bit the bullet and decided to re-do the kitchen, I wanted to create something that was appropriate to the house and found my inspiration in a 1959 ad for a Hotpoint kitchen. It was both practical (tiled walls) and handsome, with a great punch of color from a tiled accent wall containing the turquoise (!) wall oven. While I ultimately decided a wall oven wouldn't work for me, and I went for the durability of stainless (the salt in the air is tough on things here at the beach), I think I've ended up the with a kitchen that honors the inspiration, and my home's history.
http://retrorenovation.com/2013/07/15/retro-modern-kitchen-inexpensivmerola-mosaic-tile/
I love my mid-century house by the beach, but I've always regretted the fact that the previous owners ripped out the original kitchen and put in one of those characterless and cheap oak-trimmed laminate kitchens that for some inexplicable reason were so popular in the 1980s. When I finally bit the bullet and decided to re-do the kitchen, I wanted to create something that was appropriate to the house and found my inspiration in a 1959 ad for a Hotpoint kitchen. It was both practical (tiled walls) and handsome, with a great punch of color from a tiled accent wall containing the turquoise (!) wall oven. While I ultimately decided a wall oven wouldn't work for me, and I went for the durability of stainless (the salt in the air is tough on things here at the beach), I think I've ended up the with a kitchen that honors the inspiration, and my home's history.
A midcentury kitchen for the 21st century...and someone who likes to cook.
The tile is a custom blend from Clayhaus Ceramics.
The inspiration ad.
The kitchen that came with the house.
A new layout means cooking looking out big windows to the backyard rather at a wall.
Because this portion of the kitchen is visible from the living room, the cabinetry is cherry veneer to blend with the furniture.
From the kitchen looking into the living room.
Detail of the concrete countertops made by a local artisan.
Comments
Join the conversation
3 of 99 comments
-
can you share the info about the local artist who made the countertop please. Love it! It puts the finishing touch on everything you have done.
-
Beautiful AND functional!! Great improvement; love the tile-work and those windows!!! Thanks for sharing,
Frequently asked questions
Have a question about this project?