to clarify, cabinets themselves stay, but color does not....

grey is nice with red--suggest that for the cabinets. Also replce the knobs unless you are really into vintage. If you do grey cabinets, you could think of white or lighter grey for the backsplash or go wild with turquoise. If you do new appliances, probably stainless is the way to go.

I just renovated a similar kitchen minus laminate counters. Mine was a circa 1938 with original St. Charles metal cabinets. I liked the idea of them being original but I'm not a huge vintage themed person. I had mine painted a bright white in a satin/semi gloss, replaced counters with Soapstone slabs, and did a simple white 3 x 6 subway tile with a dove gray grout. It turned out very modern while still keeping true to the era of the house. I would paint your cabinets, do a newer laminate if money is tight (lots of new Formica styles that look pretty good) and give the kitchen a new paint job. Good luck

You may also consider getting butcher block counters from ikea. They are cheap and easy to DIY. We ripped up the linolium in our kitchen and are staining the subfloor ($1,000 to do a stained 1/8"overlay) I have even seen blogs where people have painted their vinyl floors a black/white checkered pattern which may be fun with the red counters to buy time.

Why don't you research vintage kitchens and keep the authentic look going that you have. The flooring is 70's and can go but if the counters are in good shape I would keep them.

Why don't you research vintage kitchens and keep the authentic look going that you have. The flooring is 70's and can go but if the counters are in good shape I would keep them.

This is going all the way...notice the red door looks great with the color appliances.

Darby what brand are those appliances?

The brand is Elmira Appliances. Cool huh!

Here are some color combinations to look at. You would not be able to get the exact look but I thought it would be fun just to see how red can be used in kitchens and how it looks with other colors:

Here is a great resource for anything 50's-70's and I think the counters are great!

Retrorenovation.com

Really, this was a deluxe kitchen in its day--much bigger and more open than most. Please take lots of pics for RetroRenovation before you tear out the counters or get rid of anything. She loves to post time warp kitchens and this is a real period gem.

The website tends toward the funky side, but has a lot of great info if you dig. Lots of resources on vintage style laminate and trim (which you already have), flooring, hardware, colors, etc... Red counters were very popular and that stove is fabulous--consider getting it restored rather than replacing--people pay can pay thousands of dollars for them in good condition, and the enameled lids can come in handy along with the double ovens.

Early Post-War kitchen characteristics:

From the style, I would say your kitchen is more 40's than classic 50's, especially the stove. It can look great with the right floor and some period fabrics, like cherries and other cheery patterns. Those knobs were all the rage starting in the late 30's. The rounded corners of the shelving unit and the penninsula is very typical right through to the 60s. And it looks like you have built-in lazy susans in both corners AND a built-in butcher block next to the stove!

The color is period too, but colors like butter yellow, aqua, turqoise, seafoam green, Jadeite/sage green, even various shades of pink (especially in the 50s because that was Mamie Eisenhower's favorite color) and others were popular too. Black and charcoal grey were not, except as accents or toe kick, or borders on the floor or backsplash. Light grey was a sometimes, especially as a secondary color and on the floor. Many color schemes of the times were either primary brights, or sort of triadic muted and lower contrast tones, such as maroon, aqua and butter yellow, or orange- red, yellow and turqoise.

The Armstrong Flooring ads of the time show a variety of colors, and some pretty wild Art Deco type linoleum floors. A custom lino "rug" with a center color or pattern or custom design rimmed with a solid color or black, were also popular and quite pretty compared to the dull stuff most of us have now. Linoleum is a renewable type of flooring and is popular again, and can be a good choice. It comes in various formats and can be laid like laminate in planks and squares. A multi-color application could look terrific.

They were not afraid of color after the Depression and WWII, and they celebrated it in their homes. If you like bright colors and funky old tablecloths, old travel postcards, bark cloth, embroidered dish towels and kitchy cookie jars and such, this is the kitchen for you. If your tastes are more subdued, pastels and creams with a bit or color were popular. If your tastes are more toward stainless and period diner, they did that too, sometimes in very bright colors like red, aqua and black and hot pink and grey. White or cream was common in the appliances or cabinets. Colorful cabinets were more common in the "designer" kitchens than in people's homes, but all kinds of colors were on the walls and floors.

Another good source is AntiqueHomeStyle.com for period plan books and a decade-by decade slide show of period kitchens. Here are some images, and I have an Ideabook about Pre and Post War Kitchens too. I think they are a lot of fun and don't take themselves too seriously.

Resources and ideas:

I agree, do your research and live with it awhile to figure out what you want. And get a working dishwasher in white and check on restoration costs for the range. Perhaps you can wait on the floor until you have settled on a color scheme and counter option. Throw a rug on it in the meantime.

If the drawers are sticky, you can sand or soap them, or add rails, the shelves can be retrofitted with pull-outs if you like. The lazy susans can be unstuck with a tube-sock covered ruler (I got my son to help--found buttons, seed packets, lids and all kinds of stuff). I took out part of a shelf and made cookie sheet storage too, and made some shelves open storage. It all helps.

If the Formica is worn, it is possible to replace the Formica rather than rip it out, and cheaper too. Looks to be in remarkable shape--the old stuff is thicker than the new stuff and seems to wear like iron. The red and cream can look great with a bit of blue as in Pic 4, or with greens and yellows. Or you can find a nice color--there are some cool choices on Retro renovation in brights, boomerang, crackle and other period type choices. The linen type in colors like mango, turquiose, yellow, green and grey are particularly nice I think.

The Marmoleum website has lots of ideas too for the flooring and design ideas. It can be more subdued or colorful. and quite sophisticated looking..

A number of PinInterest and Etsy websites of period wallpaper and fabrics can give you a feel for the colors of the times. Busy novelty or fruit wallpaper and fabrics were often used in the kitchen , and can be fun in small does.

I might consider picking the Formica first (if you go that route) and then the flooring and the wall color, because the choices are more limited. Or find a cool retro fabric you like, or a couple. Spoonflower has all kinds of fun retro-inspired prints in all kinds of fabric, and it is pretty reasonable, especially for something like a kitchen valance and maybe some placemats or a home-made oilcloth.

Great thing about paint is you can do just about any color you want!

http://www.houzz.com/ideabooks/5436399/thumbs/Retro-Kitchen
(see the 40's pic for the floor and your stove)
https://www.houzz.com/magazine/8-great-kitchen-cabinet-color-palettes-stsetivw-vs~3700016
http://www.houzz.com/ideabooks/4235/list/Think-Beyond-Resale-I--Colorful-Cabinets
(both have some unusual ones)
https://www.houzz.com/magazine/modernize-your-old-kitchen-without-remodeling-stsetivw-vs~2639513

Hi cannedcorn!
Firstly, I love that you appreciate the vintage style of your kitchen! Functionality, of course, is another matter. Your red counter tops could be really fun to work around! I'm thinking that a mosaic tile backsplash could help you maintain your kitchen's original spirit, and update it at the same time. The design below was created using our custom tile designer, and exudes a 50s diner feel. Just an idea!

how about a warm stone shade on the cabinets? I think just changing the knobs would make a big difference. I could imagine that 'color power' scheme in Bonnie's post working if you like yellow. If you really want to keep it easy for now, an easy to spot clean area rug or painted floorcloth would cover the flooring in the kitchen temporarily.

wow, such great ideas, thanks all! i am drawn to the light turquoise and cream idea with the countertops....and as much as i would LOVE to live with it and think for awhile, the entire house hasn't been painted since 1970 inside or out, so it's pretty much a given that we have lead paint to deal with. and two young children...so feel like this has to be done before we move in. i love the stove, but not the huge gap between counters and it! not sure how to remedy....also, kind of a bummer that the countertop to the left of stove looks like wood, not the red formica. here are a few more photos to consider for input! the floors extend out into a mud room/laundry room and down a large, wide hallway, as well. also taking paint color suggestions for the exterior (see below)!

Maybe you could get someone to make you a new cabinet for the left of the stove. I don't know if red formica is still available, but it is worth a try.

Cool.

Benjamin Moore Dove White for the cabinets (slight grey undertone) and Restoration Hardware cabinet hardware. I would spend my money on the flooring here. It's a large kitchen and the floor is dated and not on the cool vintage end. Good luck, I'm sure it will look great!

I would get any new appliances in white. Your stove is classic. If it is in good working condition, clean it up and enjoy it!

Have a carpenter build you a new cabinet for the left of the stove, with a red countertop or a butcher block one if the red cannot be matched.

Yes, the room does need to be painted. Your choice of color. Semi-gloss is easy to keep clean in a kitchen.

Can you replace the flooring? Something that will be easy to mop with toddlers spilling things every ten minutes! Linoleum is Eco-friendly and is hard wearing.

I love the stove/oven!!!! I would go retro. I like the turquoise in Darze picture. As a matter of fact, I love everything in that picture. I would paint the appliance turquoise as well as the walls a lighter shade to blend. Would go for the new dishwasher. The wood walls should also be painted the color of the cabinets. A crisp white with retro hardware. Remove the cabinets above the ref. Extend the shelves and paint of course. Also, remove the cabinets above stove. Add microwave and wood shelves to fill in area. This is going to be so much fun to redo. I can't wait to see the finished room.

How wide is the gap? Perhaps you can just replace that wood top with a piece of butcher block (IKEA ones are cheap) cut to fit and extend over that gap and construct a simple narrow open cabinet there for cookie sheets, or install a pull-out spice rack unit underneath. Then you can finish the butcher block with food-grade mineral oil (IKEA has that too) and it would be super handy while you are cooking. I bet you can remove that bottom panel and get it stripped and repainted. It looks like it was painted over with the paint they used for the cabinets.

Love those corner drawers--had something like it once and they are so deep and practical. I even rather like the big knobs. You could try soaking them in a solution of water and vinegar and a dash of dish soap and see if they polish up. Then you can keep some of them. They kind of remind me of the big buttons on Lil Orphan Annie's dress. I would remove the valance over the sink though--could really open it up. I would crawl around and touch up that black toekick too. I did that in my kitchen and it is surprising how much better it looked.

So would you like to paint the walls light turqoise/aqua and the cabinets cream or vice-vera? These kind of colors are coming back, and you can find lots of accessories if you wish, or keep your eye out at the thrift store.

If you try to match the formica, I would get samples to make sure. You can post your queries at retrorenovation.com and get the retro experts opinion. I'm sure they would LOVE to see the whole house, and the moderator sure knows her building materials! I love the exterior too, especially the shutters and the matching screen for the carport. That could be a bold accent-- How bold/bright do you want to go?

It is a lot of surface area for the flooring--vinyl or vinyl tile would be the cheapest. The tile in old-fashioned streaky patterns could look very retro--maybe a grey or taupe and black checkerboard, or taupe and off white or something similiar. The closer the colors are in tone, the less busy it will be, and it could be confined to just the center of the kitchen. I wish I had a layout like you have--looks so practical and roomy.

It might be fun to take a cue off of historic kitchens of your vintage and create the "rug" effect with contrasting color. See the picture with the band of yellow with black and turqoise--quite striking and probably pretty practical. Also note the gray, black and red picture above--could be pretty neat with the red counters.

Lead concerns:

My house hasn't been painted in a while and we scrubbed the walls and trim with a TSP substitute solution with a large soft bristle brush and lots of towels--go bottom to top with two people--one to scrub and one to wipe-- to avoid drips..They looked so much better that we didn't have to paint everything. Not a lot of fun but a good idea anyway for surface prep, and a lot faster and cheaper than painting everything.. Did the ceilings in the kitchen and bath too--that is really no fun! Old houses didn't have good ventilation, and that is surely worth adding! Looks like you might have room over the stove--maybe could even take out that cabinet.

If the paint isn't peeling or on the window frames or scaping on doors or something, the old paint should be OK on the walls, even for young kids. Although lead wasn't banned until 1978, the levels had dropped dramatically after WWII. By the 1970s, so the top layer is probably not too bad. I think there are testing kits you can get at the hardware store if you want to check.

Sometimes remediation is worse than just leaving it there. The main thing is to not have it get in the air and settle on everything, especiallly with very young children (preschoolers) about. Same with asbestos, which may very well be lurking in the flooring or the adhesive. If you can, make sure the kids are not there when you work on everything, mask off the working areas and doorways with plastic to contain the dust, and wear at least a dust mask--a venrilator is even better. Shower and clean up well before picking up the kids to avoid contamination. The younger they are, the more dangerous it is, especially if you are doing window replacement or demolition..

I posted links on the topic for another post and will have to look it up again.

BTW, if you are replacing the dishwasher and the counters, I would consider moving it to the other side of the sink for more functionality. Here's some more kitchens and a really cool retro cart from IKEA in that sort of color pallette. It also comes in gray.

Great space! I agree with the above posts to have a new cabinet built next to the stove (where the wood topped one is now). I would however remove that desk/bar type thing by the fridge and re-use that red counter-top next to the stove. You can still buy metal trim if that needs to be replaced. I would also have a carpenter add a white microwave above the stove, it could be retrofitted into the upper cabinet. New paint on the walls, remove wood and drywall/paint, and remove the wood trim above the sink to open the window area up.

I would try to keep the stove, but replace the dishwasher and fridge with white. The replica old-school ones are cool, but they are super expensive. If you don't have it in your budget to completely reface the cabinets, I would suggest changing out the hinges to hidden ones and maybe a cleaner version of knobs/pulls to help clean up the overall look. I think a new coat of white paint would fit well with the red theme and you can use so great curtains to tie together. There are tons of great glass tile that you should consider for a backsplash...

The floor (IMO) is a must! It's the biggest eyesore. I have no idea of your budget, but there are some great laminates or vinyl products out there and many you can DIY. Add recessed lighting. I looks like the one fixture isn't going to be enough to have bright kitchen.

Keep in mind to overall feel you want your home to have. It's easy to go overboard with a theme and then have the room feel like it doesn't blend with the rest of your house.

redheadedwmn,

my aunt wants her mixer returned!

cannedcorn,

home exterior and kitchen are quite similar to my great aunt's home built in Pinellas County, Florida
in 1952. [no brick , however]

she maintained the period and it quickly sold in 2005.

she painted all the cabinets and woodwork.
in fact, she painted the exterior when she was 64 yrs old.

consider benjamin moore sidewalk gray which goes well with red.

I like the multicolored backspashes, but I bet they are going to look "dated" in 10-15 years or so. Especially the bright high contrast versions. Real 50's style mosaic tile had much more muted color harmonies, sometimes with flecks of metallic. Plain 4 " square tiles were more common, and many kitchens went without one, like this one has for the past 60 years..

Did you notice the window in backsplash the first picture (gray floor, red trim) from the 1940s? I think that is a pretty cool idea--some high style mid-century houses had them.

I wonder if that bare wood cabinet next to the stove just lost its formica counter? That's how they did it back then--not all of one piece like it is now. It is a good idea to reuse the top of the penninsula--a movable island with seating might be more versatile.

1952 is probably close to the date this one was built--the kitchen is more 40s, early 50s, but the exterior is more 50's.

I suggested linoleum for the floor because it doesn't outgas like vinyl products.

The style of big round hardware with a slightly concave surface is retro, at least to the mid-1960 DIYer.

It might be well worth your time and money to take a flake of paint and have it tested for lead. If so, you will want to have professionals work on the room (house) and exercise extreme precautions regarding your children. Other things to test for include the presence of asbestos, and arsenic in old wallpaper/paste.
If you did not already know, ingesting lead dust can cause a perfectly normal child to become permanently mentally deficient. There is also the risk of permanent hearing loss.
Ex: child touches windowsill where there is flaking lead paint, or crawls on floor where there is paint dust, and then puts hands in mouth.

Hello Aja, I know you from HP.

Susan Shaffer,

My fellow sleuth!

Are you still in Florida? Isn't it late to be online?

For a great discussion about flooring options for a time-capsule 50's kitchen, check out

https://www.houzz.com/discussions/this-is-the-kitchen-of-a-great-time-caps-dsvw-vd~41726

There is a great link a way down that has a link to the Retro Renovation 1950s vinyl tile patterns.

http://retrorenovation.com/2010/01/22/30patterns-for-vinyl-floor-tiles-from-1955/

Also a good link to the Crestview door community about flooring. (Crestview has a great line of period type doors and lattice)

Lead is no joke. I can't find my prior post about it with all the links. I should have saved it. Getting your house tested is a possiblity, but don't think that everything has to go if you find it. You just need to be careful.

They should have banned lead and arsenic long before they did--its effects were known for decades--but the amount used after WWII was dramatically less. Asbestos took a long time to figure out that the dust was dangerous, not the material itself. As long as it doesn't get in the air, it is fine.

I agree it's always good to live in it a while and get a feel for things so why not just paint over the vinyl floor with some porch/floor paint or epoxy paint like you put on garage or basement floor. I have seen it done here somewhere. It is an inexpensive option that will stand up to wear and give you a clean finish while you decide what you want to do.

I would get rid of the valence...repaint the cabinets in a high gloss white...add brushed silver handles and knobs...use black for accent colour. At some point a wide plank floor would be awesome...just sayin'

Susan Shaffer,

Still in Florida!

Before my current 70s vintage stove, I had a late 40s, early 50s stove from Borg Warner. When we first viewed the house, we planned to get rid of the stove but after we moved in, we found it difficult to find anything new which was an improvement. I would suggest that you keep the stove for at least a few months before deciding to get rid of it.

Agree with sticking with white appliances, and refurbishing the range if it's doable. You've got a good plan for refurbishing cabinets, so I agree that floor and countertops would have the most impact. Since you're keeping the vintage feel, laminate/formica is more appropriate anyway, and much easier on the budget. Red is definitely available (see link below). But I suppose if you're re-doing the countertop you could choose a whole new color scheme. And marmoleum flooring would be a great match too.

Great kitchen, but lots of work to do. I both envy you and am relieved I don't have to deal with it!

http://www.forbo-flooring.us/Residential-Flooring/Inspiration-Design/Marmoleum-sheettile-ideas/

http://www.formica.com/trade/laminate/ProductLine_SpecialGradeCollection_Swatches.aspx?prl=PRL_LAMINATE&grs=GRS_COLORCORE2

Update! We discovered shortly after posting these pictures that there was a significant mold problem throughout the entire home (elderly woman, no roof or other maintenance in many, many years) and with two small children, our smartest option was to remove and treat all walls. thus, we started from studs and went in the direction of mid-century mod/california ranch with lots of big windows and light. will post photos when we're finally settled in....renovation of entire home took 7 months. just moved in.

Oh my word! I also didn't notice obviously this discussion was 9 months ago! Well I'm happy to have made that late comment because now, hopefully, you will come back to tell us and show those who remember you before.

You started the thread saying "under contract" for this house. Was there an inspection that told you what you would be getting into? It's one thing to make that informed decision and yet another to get hit with unwelcome surprises.

Its a shame when older folks just don't know or have no means to repair.

Thanks for your reply. Enjoy. Congrats!

If I can be of any help to you please let me know how! Susan

"love the 50s kitchen, but floors, walls and cabinets need a makeover." I can't read all the comments right now, and this is an old thread in any case, but I wonder,, since you love it, if/why it really needed a makeover? I'm sure some things needed refreshing or updating, and that floor would certainly look better in a period-correct design, but that's a classy authentic kitchen and deserves to continue to be used and enjoyed without being turned into a trendy, boring mishmash.