Me and my husband just purchased our first home and this is the kitchen. He absolutely hates it but I keep telling him that it will be fine if we update appliances and we have plenty of other things to focus on. But I just don't understand the idea behind the spikes at all? Any ideas??

1950’s strap hinges, likely with the original birch, oak, or knotty pine cabinets underneath the paint. Strip the back to wood and restore them to MCM cool. Or plan a gut redo. There isn’t really any in between direction.

MCM Mad Men Retro is hot.

Haha. Avocado and Harvest Gold. And that beautiful cabinet art! What more could a 1950s housewife want? Except maybe a new shirtwaist dress. Cleaver style.

what is MCM cool? shirtwaist dress? The house was built in 76'. And the weird thing about the daggers is that they are not part of the hinge. Its a separate piece that seems to be added and glued on after the doors were repainted.

I have searched the web for weeks trying to find a picture of another kitchen with cabinets like the ones in my picture and could not find one that I thought looked like them and you just sent me 3 in like 5 min... I'm super impressed! holy cow this is my first post and I can't believe how awesome a response you gave me :-D

Check out Retro Renovation for folks into preserving Mid Century Modern spaces.

Really google MCM original kitchens and you will find few of these hinges,

They replicate the way old iron strap hinges used to be made. Look at any old colonial building and you'll see those hinges. They date back to a time when everything was handmade and didn't have the tight tolerances that we have today (nor standardized sizes).

what would we do without Google... thank you! I think I'm just going to Pop off the swords, sand a little and try to get the same white color to match and go from there with how I want kitchen to turn out.

I like the industrial style so I want to add lighting like this above the sink.

Not gonna work. You either embrace the aesthetic, or you reject it out right and do something completely different. That means ripping the whole thing out to start over. Much cheaper and easier to go MCM cool until the guy can happen. You are already more than 3/4 of the way there.

the lighting is not going to work or popping off the swords???

Neither will work well. The kitchen has a much too strong identity. You can’t remuddle it into blandness. It would only make it sad looking instead of interesting. Adding pseudo style cues from pop culture current foolishness only makes it even sadder.

if you want lights, look at the Modern part of Mid Century Modern. Maybe a plain white sphere Just one.

[https://www.houzz.com/products/opal-globes-1-light-pendant-lighting-globe-satin-white-prvw-vr~6863605[(https://www.houzz.com/products/opal-globes-1-light-pendant-lighting-globe-satin-white-prvw-vr~6863605)

so it shouldn't ever change because it has a strong identity? that seems a bit nonsensical. I just got this house, this picture is from the listing and we move in soon. It will be bare naked to us so we have to do something to make it ours.

what color appliance would work?

there is a peekaboo wall cut out that looks into adjacent soon... I can't imagine a MCM style through the whole house. How can I create transition to other rooms without loosing identity or making more sad?

Refer to Sophie's first post. You can strip and paint or stain the wood cabinets with a good bit of energy and time. If the "straps" we're simply glued on, you can probably remove them. Frankly, I like Sophie's selection of picture ideas. If you can get new appliances, select the same finish for all of them. If you can afford new counters with all the other moving expenses, that's great. If not, just refinishing the cabinets will be a good start. I think having the plumbing and electrical checked out and upgraded, if needed, is a very important beginning.

Paint all the hinges the same color as the cabinets until you decide for sure, maybe the handles as well!
I am not a pro...

Uh oh. Someone has prison grayed out the house. That’s an issue. Gotta get warmed up. Which is why the cabinets should be restored.

They’re called strap hinges. They do keep doors from sagging, but they’re rather too dramatic in this situation.

haha the lighting is not great but your right, it is pretty grey. the living room is actually green and the stair way is beige. we had plumbing and electric inspected and all is updated and in great condition.

the counter tops are really rough. its like they put popcorn ceiling on them and them painted them black. I think appliances first will make it much better and maybe next summer get to doing counter tops and gut the cabinets if I have to.

I wouldn't call a house built in 1976 MCM.

these straps are not doing anything for sagging. they are not attached to anything but the face of cabinet door. if you zoom in as much as you can on the second picture you can see there's a gap and it isn't connecting to hinge at all.

Hamfast: thanks for input...

Depo: this is the first time I've ever heard of MCM...

Vanessa,,,MCM- mid century modern. 1950's-into the 60's. it's making a huge comeback. Since yours is 1976, then those straps can probably go. It appears the person who put them on was trying to get a certain look to go w/those handles and such.

Vanessa, MCM refers to mid 20th century modernism. I always thought it was from the mid 40s to mid 60s. The 1970s brought on an era of ugliness in home design. We bought our 1st home in '76, brand new, with melamine cabinets and orange laminate countertops. There is nothing about the 70s worth saving, imo.

I agree with Depo. To me, the hardware, including the pulls, look more like an attempt at 'Old West' or super rustic decorating, not Midcentury Modern.

Congratulations on your new home! I'd pop the 'swords' and replace the pulls while you're at it. You can find reasonably priced, simply styled hardware easily. Also, check out prefab laminate counters at a Big Box store. The bumpy counters sound awful. Just a solid laminate would be an improvement in your use of the kitchen and doesn't have to cost a fortune.

thanks Beth H! I feel the same way, I think the previous owner had something in mind but I'm not sure I share the vision.
depo: your funny.
barncat: thank you! I'm really excited.
I don't want to live in a construction zone so I want to try and do as much as I can to update the home without having to completely replace or take on big projects right away. I also really want to get settled into the new living situation and make sure I am comfortable with money before I go crazy with changes to the appearance. I can't wait to move in and be a home owner that can do whatever I want because its mine :-D