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cyndihause

Kitchen cabinets in 1910 bungalow

cyndihause
5 years ago

We are renovating a brick bungalow and I had decided on white shaker cabinets with crown molding for the kitchen. Streamlined and very classic. We have a cabinet bid for custom cabinets and the guy is not only reasonable, he does beautiful work. Now I'm having second thoughts about painting them because of his craftsmanship but I can't picture wood cabinets that would fit the early 1900 bungalow decor. I would love to hear your thoughts on white shaker versus wood and if we go with wood, what kind?

Comments (11)

  • writersblock (9b/10a)
    5 years ago
    last modified: 5 years ago

    Well, 1910 was at the height of the "hygenic kitchen" era, so white would be very appropriate, but there were also a lot of folks, especially in Arts-and-Crafts-style bungalows, who still preferred wood. Quarter-sawn wood, especially oak, was very popular, but really, as long as the cabinets go well stylistically you could use any kind of wood now.

    ETA Are your window frames and door casings wood or painted?

  • Mid America Mom
    5 years ago

    HI Cyndihause! I would go with white shaker. It is classic... and probably fits with the age or style of your home? Our last two places were old homes. Both were from the 20's - one out west and another in the midwest - in the US. Both had some original cabs, relocated elsewhere in the home, that had been in the kitchen. Sorry no pics of those cabs. They were custom made, one was a partial overlay shaker and the other a partial overlay slab door (with exterior hinges and the handles were yes latches toward the middle), and painted - one a medium yellow - another was light blue. The finish was so clean - no grain of the wood - so I assume something like maybe maple or fir. Maple does NOT stain well but it does well with paint as no grain shows through. My experience with house walks of fancy places in my area is that oak was very popular for a butlers pantry in the pre wwII places if they had wood stained. My Aunt has an old simple midwest farmstead and they have a wall of red oak stained medium brown cabinets in that kitchen. In general Early 1900's homes did NOT have kitchens like we do today. Maybe a pantry or a small bank on one wall with cabs if someone was lucky and it was built on site. There would be a sink in the kitchen that hung from the wall. Freestanding stove. Then free standing furniture added in, like an enamel topped 2*3 table, jelly or pie cabinet, hoosier or bakers cabinet. Ice box would be in or near by the room. Good luck!

  • PRO
    Anglophilia
    5 years ago
    last modified: 5 years ago

    White painted is most appropriate for a house this age. It will be perfect.

  • Helen
    5 years ago
    last modified: 5 years ago

    Is it really a bungalow because that is generally a term most people associate with a specific architectural style that is Arts & Crafts and typically with a wood stained kitchen and wood trim in other parts of the house because of the theory behind the original "movement" which was somewhat of a revolt against both the Industrial Age and the overblown aesthetics of Victorian taste - its haute creations by designers like Greene & Greene Gamble House with exquisite woodwork and Tiffany stained glass fixtures and tile - the masses emulating that style had more modest homes built in this style but they still emulated the Arts & Crafts aesthete which valued artisan craftsmanship over industrial mass production.

    Here's a link to the current American Bungalow magazine and website -

    American Bungalow

  • Julie B.
    5 years ago

    DIY has a show called “Restored,” which features fantastic remodel/restorations of historic homes, including many Arts and Crafts bungalows. They use painted cabinets a lot.

    https://www.diynetwork.com/shows/restored/step-back-to-beautiful--old-california--with--restored--pictures


  • sherri1058
    5 years ago

    Is it really a bungalow because that is generally a term most people associate with a specific architectural style that is Arts & Crafts.....

    Interesting. In Canada, a bungalow simply means a house that is all on one level.

  • cpartist
    5 years ago

    DIY has a show called “Restored,”

    Probably the only DIY show worth watching since he doesn't try and HGTV the houses.

    Wood cabinets were used in earlier kitchens, usually with wood counters too.

    The question is what do you want? Most of us would never be able to work in the "modern" kitchen of 1910 so what we do is adapt to today's standards.

    The sanitary white painted inset shaker or 3/4 overlay slab doors with a slightly rounded edge would both be appropriate even though that trend actually started about 10 years later.

  • herbflavor
    5 years ago

    for me: oak with darker stain, straightforward door style. Keep it fresh with whitish counters and backsplash. Attention to things like glass doors, hardware, style of faucet, flooring, lighting.... details will make the bigger difference.

  • writersblock (9b/10a)
    5 years ago
    last modified: 5 years ago

    The sanitary white painted inset shaker or 3/4 overlay slab doors with a slightly rounded edge would both be appropriate even though that trend actually started about 10 years later.

    Gonna have to disagree a little here, cpartist. Look at home magazines from the oughts and teens and you'll see plenty of white kitchens.

    Even in fiction from that time, for instance, The Harvester by Gene Stratton Porter, which was published in 1916, the hero builds a new modern house, including a white kitchen with pale green walls, after much researching of current trends. He's greatly relieved at discovering A&C and mission furniture styles, because he can build those himself.

    (It's a very silly book, but the many minute details of his house building and decorating and the great botanical info make it still marginally readable.)

    ETA Not saying white kitchens predominated in A&C, but they did exist.

  • OneRidgeOff
    5 years ago
    last modified: 5 years ago

    I also love the DIY show Restored, it's about the only one worth watching in my opinion :)

    It would help to see some pictures of your bungalow, does it have stained or painted woodwork? Here is a great example of a sympathetic new kitchen. if you already have original stained woodwork

    https://hookedonhouses.net/2016/02/04/creating-a-new-craftsman-kitchen-for-an-old-house-in-minneapolis/