12 Inspiring Real-Life Vintage Kitchens

davisislands It's hard to for me to see the style when all I see is clutter :/

the_misfit I'm put off by these kitchens all being described as trying to hide something. The first one, for example, has magnificent cabinet doors; going with open shelves on the adjacent wall strikes me as a deliberate design choice. I don't think the "bones" in the second-to-last kitchen are imperfect; it looks well laid out to me. Some people look at tile countertops and see "dated," no doubt; others (including me) look at them and see something original and beautiful. The second picture contains one of the best-matched sets of dishes I've seen outside of a catalog. And I'm pretty certain that those red items ARE decoration, NOT a cover-up for anything. Wallpaper is cheap (if time-consuming) to remove. If the homeowner left it (to say nothing of hung it), it's because he LIKES it.

So, while I love the kitchens featured here, the tone of the captions suggests that the owners are unhappily making do with what they have while they save their pennies to gut their kitchens and install acres of stainless steel and granite. I strongly suspect that isn't true, and for two reasons: (1) they showed off their (gorgeous!) kitchens on a design website - they're obviously not ashamed of them; and (2) I'm redoing my kitchen down to the walls - and I'd like MY kitchen to look like THESE kitchens, after I'm done replacing EVERYTHING.

Samantha Schoech davisislands: One person's clutter is another persons decor. Not all design speaks to all people.

Samantha Schoech the-misfit: I never meant to imply that these kitchens were not stylish, intentional or lovely, only that they are not magazine-slick. They look like really nice versions of the kitchens I see in real life, at friends' houses.

I think they show that style, and great design, come from imagination and personality, not trends or newness or full-gut remodels.

These homeowners SHOULD be proud. They all have created lovely kitchens.

Chitra Muralikrishnan Beautiful kitchens. The clutter gives a very homely feel. i love the color schemes too.

olldbobbi I removed quite a few of my cabinet doors to achieve that open-shelving look and painted the insides and I couldn't be happier with the result. Many people worry about the dirt and dust that can collect inside; I haven't had that problem at all!

Ceci Hutchings Those are intentionally so cute! Mine is in keeping the old for now but 1) I am not a designer, 2) I will be gutting mine. We have lived in this home one year and have been working on plumbing, electrical and currently the bathrooms. The kitchen will be last. Here's what I live with for now. I included a pic of my previous kitchen in my interpretation of Farm House style -- if you keep in mind I was born in NYC and grew up in Miami it was hard but I wanted to try it. On the left is now. I took doors off, added unpainted wood knobs (one lone pink ceramic one, bottom left, the wood one kept coming off) and a countertop.

lisalovesquilts I heartily agree with Samantha Schoech that "Not all design speaks to all people." I often see things on Houzz I don't go for so I say nothing because someone loves it and why should I rain on their parade? More often than not though I see great things. Even when I see things that aren't "me" I will come across parts of a design or individual items or just the designer's philosophy that works for me or could be applied generally to any style.

olldbobbi Lisa, so true! There was in ideabook the other day that I really thought was just a hot mess! But I picked one item I liked and complimented it and moved on.

patricia beharry I love the first kitchen. The others are ok if only there was less clutter, and no matter how country or vintage, that curtain under the sink I can live without. But again, I don't live there. I bet whoever lives there can do without my kitchen.

mcgrathinnola Thanks for showing some real life kitchens. Most of us do not have the $ to redo our kitchen...no granite countertops, no shiny stainless, no fabulous cabinets, no open enormous space....we must live with what we have. These photos just help give us simple folk ideas to bring a little style and fun into our daily cooking space...and then we can pretend we have a remodeled kitchen!

Inis Lovely What I really love are those old multi-compartment stoves/ovens like in pics 1, 3 and 5. As for the style in these kitchens, making the most of what you have is smart and very green. Learning to live with a tiny 90s kitchen myself. While open shelves would be too much clutter for me, painting the cabinets is a possibility.

annedunlavy Thanks for showing kitchens that are not so huge. So many kitchens I see are bigger than my house! But they can be just as pretty and functional. One just has to understand there is no space to waste.

shannonstewart_99 I am chuckling at the delightful display of creativity in all of these kitchens....a clear expression of the owners and cooks who live in them. I am a designer currently doing the same thing to a 1949 beach cottage kitchen on a limited budget that my husband and I own. Having designed and lived in many kitchens over the years, I can't tell you when I have had more fun! I do have to constantly remind myself to keep it simple and un-contrived..."go with the flow" and what the kitchen "asks for"...so to speak! Hope it turns out as charming as these!

bubblyjock I second alovelything's comment about the older ovens with more than one compartment: when did they disappear, and why?

It would be SO much more convenient to have a couple of ovens side-by-side, vs the new ones where the "second" oven is where the warming drawer was, which means bending double to access it.

Two 20" ovens would also give a cooktop with room to manoeuvre too - at 40" it could easily accommodate as many as six rings.

olldbobbi Ceci - Nice job!

einie I'm very disappointed with these ideas! Small doesn't equate to clutter! Additionally, the majority have been turned into a farmhouse....obviously these designers/homeowners have never been in a REAL farmhouse kitchen! Those rooms are enormous, because they have to be. AND they are clean of clutter. Everything has a function & a place...not all this crap! I will say that the #1 & 9 kitchens are the best of this bunch because they have so much storage & clean lines. THE worst is # 7. WHO would put the refrigerator next to the oven!?!?..Followed closely by #5 - (You'd be spending more time cleaning the dust & cobwebs than cooking!!) and #6 - (nice back & leg workouts using that microwave! Better hope that no one comes running by!)

riconsd This is great, the "quirky Texas kitchen" pix are going to help the less than visual framer with my sis's cottage's kit.
Thx

hillonthehouse Love these! I'd rather see an older kitchen with some personality, as well as with a nod to its past, rather than one totally renovated in the current trend. Reminds me of one of the first kitchens I had as a newlywed. It was in a country farmhouse and there were no cabinet doors. I made curtains on easy sliding rings to hide the less than attractive lower shelves. The walls were wood and painted white. That was in 1977. Plus ca change. . .

mccutcheon1 Thanks to Samantha for a original and truly helpful idea book.

Century21 i LOVE this article; real kitchens can be cool and you know a lot of money wasn't spent; i love where the sink or countertops have been upgraded right into the [very] old cabinetry - a great realistic catalog for 47%

robinsoquel Thanks Samantha!!! Once again I got many, many ideas for improving my old kitchen. So many of the ideas are inexpensive and bring so much character to the room. I agree with your thought that not all designs speak to all people. I would hope not or we wouldn't have our own individual style. Thanks for including all of the ideas that aren't "magazine stylish." Us normal people need great ideas too. Love your attitude and style!

sjmom Lived like this for tooooooo long to appreciate these designs. Give me plenty of work space, storage and amenities. However, give me these things in a traditional environment which looks "old" and hides "new" behind doors. Lesson I learned; the more exposed the more to clean. Been there, done that and ready for change!

jschneid I bought a house with this kitchen. I don't live there but I found it neat and attractive.

10247 I LOVE ALL OF THESE ,THEY HAVE THERE OWN PERSONALITY, STRIKE ME AS BEING VERY HOMEY & DOWN TO EARTH ,WHILE THE CLUTTER PUTS SOME PEOPLE OFF THERE ARE OTHERS ,SUCH AS ME SEE IT INVITING & RELAXEING ,LIVED IN ,COMFORTABLE .GOOD WORK OR SHOULD I SAY FUN .

een63 #11 is definitely my favorite. That metal fleur-de-lis skirt on the rustic island is BRILLIANT! The crystal chandelier, mirror & touches of silver add an element of elegance & sophistication to the comfort & charm of the farmhouse sink, great faucet, shelf brackets and colander full of fresh flowers. Great combinations of textures & beautiful style.

custom-tiles.com One of our customers had some of her Grandmother's items photographed, and sent us the photo to be reproduced on a ceramic tile backsplash as a remembrance, We 'photoshopped' the vignette appearance.

abbybelknap What a delight these all are, individual,, out of the new glam, i much prefer these, no ostentatious expressions of money. There should" be a new movement like this against consumerism. Imagine: kitchens without marble! Back to the roots of being aware of our impact on our environment, making do with what we have, and all that being enough.
Thanks for that article and please have more.

Pat Lee_Bosworth I want to be comfortable in my own body and in my home as well. These homes say welcome to me.

Alicia Add a vintage tile mural to your backsplash.. Hundreds of fruit crate labels etc

http://www.AliciatappDesigns.com

ldaniluk Neuhaus design

Laurel Ennis "Before" pictures.

riconsd Advertising really?

isabellloyd I love a lot of these ideas, but I was put off by the condescending tone of the author. Perhaps she didn't mean it that way, but she implied that the homeowners here were trying to hide something about their rooms rather than making awesome design choices (which they did!). It's a shame.

acadie After coping with a variety of kitchen challenges over the years I think improving the lighting can have maximal effect with minimal expense. All these charming examples appear to have good lighting -- both for tasks and for style.

Vintage Renewal Great ideabook!

patscats2 I love the look of these vintage kitchens but could only live in the ones with the floor and upper closed in cabinets and lots of counter space. I remember growing up in little kitchens where the stove was on a wall and there were no cabinets on either side and utility tables (ugh). Actually there was no counters in the kitchen and my mom would prepare meals on the drain board side of the sink and the metal utility table. I don't want to live in one of those again. LOL

dbuck I must say the kitchens featured in this article are the first I have seen that I can relate to. Like many people I can't afford a re-do, however I do like change and great ideas..... Keep on showing photos of kitchens that aren't magazine chic with granite, stainless steel, high end cabinets and tile. Really enjoyed these lovely kitchens.... well said about it being like going to a friends house, my friends anyway....

Claudia Magne Producer Journalist Real kitchens and fresher look. Great proposal
Claudia Magne

Russ Button When we remodeled the kitchen in our 90 year old Craftsman bungalow, we took great pains to both stay in the style of the period, and to have the functionality you expect from a modern kitchen. We lived in the home for 9 years with the original kitchen and spent years thinking about what we wanted to do. We hired both an architect and a kitchen designer. They did a great job and we ended up with the kitchen of our dreams, but there was one thing I wish I had known before doing the job.

In many of these photos, you see those popular apron style farmhouse porcelain sinks. That's what we did. We paid $1600 for a Kohler. It looks great with one very important caveat. Modern porcelain is very, very fragile as it does not have lead in it. We got three unhappy little dings in our porcelain before we figured out what was going on. You can get soft plastic sink pads at Bed, Bath and Beyond. Kohler sells chrome plated wire frames to put in the bottom of your sink to protect it.

If you choose to get a new porcelain sink, be aware from the beginning that they're very fragile and that you have to be careful with them. You really can't replace them after you've put them in without also having to tear out your counter top and totally redoing that as well. Ours cost about $6000, so we're going to live with the sink we have.

One last thing. Rejuvenation Hardware (not to be confused with Restoration Hardware) has a ton of great period hardware and lighting for any period restoration. We went with schoolhouse style light fixtures, Mission style cabinet knobs, butt hinges and bin pulls... all polished nickel because that's what you had in 1920.

The attached images are before/after, taken from the same vantage point.

argument i'm sorry, if it has a dishwasher and a brand new, 6 burner stove, it's not "vintage."

Dee Gould Kitchen #2 makes me sigh...i love this look, not because im into this style, it reminds me of my lovely grandmother and simple summers on her farm..where the living was loving...

lizisaacs These kitchens are completely my style. It's hard to find a style that matches my taste and I've finally found it!